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Conference

SES Conference – Unlocking Possibility: Standards Without Borders

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UL Standards & Engagement joins the 2026 SES Annual Conference to advance safety standards through innovation, collaboration, and inclusive design.

Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre
101 Lyon St. N
Ottawa, ON K1R 5T9, Canada

June 2, 2026

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June 4, 2026
What is the SES Conference?

The Society for Standardization Professionals’ (SES) Annual Conference is a premier event that unites experts and innovators from across industries to explore the latest developments in standardization.

This year’s conference will inspire new ideas and partnerships that advance standardization worldwide and demonstrate how standards truly transcend borders.

Our Perspective


As a nonprofit safety advocacy organization, UL Standards & Engagement is proud to participate in the 2026 SES Annual Conference, supporting the advancement of standards professionals through education, collaboration, and innovation.

Our sessions highlight the critical role of standards in building trust in digital health, advancing accessibility and inclusive design, and modernizing standards development through new technologies. Through our ongoing involvement with SES, we continue to contribute to efforts that strengthen the global standards ecosystem and broaden the reach of safety science.

Agenda
Wednesday, June 3, 2026

9:45 – 10:30 AM: Driving Trust and Innovation in Digital Health with Standards

9:45 – 10:30 a.m. ET

Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre – Ballroom B+C

101 Lyon St. N
Ottawa, ON K1R 5T9, Canada

about this session

The digital health revolution brings both promise and risk. As connected devices generate vast amounts of sensitive health data, the need for scientifically grounded, consensus-based safety standards has never been more urgent.

At this year’s conference, UL Standards & Engagement and the Consumer Technology Association will discuss new research on how safety science and smart standards development can strengthen trust, improve risk mitigation, and support the future of connected health technologies.

Panelists

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Anna Schnerre

Lead Quantitative Insights Analyst
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Anna
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Madlyn Kaufman

Manager, Technology & Standards 
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)

12:25 – 12:40 PM: Standards as a Pathway to Accessibility: Designing for Everyone

12:25 – 12:40 p.m. ET

Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre – Ballroom C

101 Lyon St. N
Ottawa, ON K1R 5T9, Canada

about this session

Standards can help lead the way to a safer and more accessible world for all. When standards are developed, the needs and safety of people who have disabilities must be considered. Over 16% of the world’s population live with some form of disability, and it is possible for anyone to develop a disability at any point in their life. Standards play a critical role in shaping product design, and when accessibility requirements are considered, products, systems, and environments can serve a broader range of users.

This session will introduce accessibility and inclusive design, showing how standards can help make products safe and usable for people with disabilities by addressing unique risks and safety challenges.

SPEAKER

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Grace Callahan

Senior International Standards Project Manager 
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Grace

2:00 – 2:30 PM: Innovating the Standards Workflow: Our Transition from Human Translation to MT Automation

2:00 – 2:3 p.m. PT

Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre – Ballroom C

101 Lyon St. N
Ottawa, ON K1R 5T9, Canada

about this session

Our organization modernized its standards workflow by moving from human translation supported by translation memory (TM) to a fully automated machine translation (MT) process—initially focused on a single target language.

By leveraging years of TM data, we developed an MT solution that significantly improves speed, consistency, and efficiency. While currently optimized for one language, this transformation establishes a scalable foundation for expanding into additional languages now under evaluation. The initiative demonstrates how targeted innovation can streamline standardization processes and prepare organizations for broader multilingual delivery in the future.

SPEAKER

A man in a gray suit jacket and checked shirt stands in front of a blurred office background, looking at the camera with a neutral expression.

Michael Palm

Senior Publications Manager
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Michael
Thursday, June 3, 2026

2:55 – 3:55 PM: Building a More Inclusive and Representative Standardization System

2:55 – 3:55 p.m. ET

Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre – Ballroom B+C

101 Lyon St. N
Ottawa, ON K1R 5T9, Canada

about this session

This panel explores how the standardization system can become truly inclusive—both in the content of standards and in who participates in creating them. It will examine gender-responsive requirements, the integration of diverse perspectives in standards development, and the importance of embedding accessibility and disability inclusion.

ULSE’s Senior International Standards Project Manager, Grace Callahan, joins panelists to discuss barriers that prevent meaningful participation and how the system can remove them. The session will consider the tools, data, and frameworks needed to support equitable standards that reflect the needs of all people while empowering diverse contributors across the ecosystem.

Panelists

A woman with long, light brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a white shirt with black polka dots and is in an office setting with blurred glass walls in the background.

Grace Callahan

Senior International Standards Project Manager 
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Grace
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Daniel Dufour

Vice-President, Standardization Services
Standards Council of Canada 

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Michelle Parkouda

Manager, Research
Standards Council of Canada 

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Matt Zic

Manager of Standards Development 
Accessibility Standards Canada 

Our onsite team

A woman with long, light brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a white shirt with black polka dots and is in an office setting with blurred glass walls in the background.

Grace Callahan

Senior International Standards Project Manager 
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Grace
A man in a gray suit jacket and checked shirt stands in front of a blurred office background, looking at the camera with a neutral expression.

Michael Palm

Senior Publications Manager
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Michael
A woman with long brown hair, blue eyes, and a friendly smile wears a maroon top, a gold chain necklace, and small earrings. She is posed in front of a softly blurred, light-colored background.

Anna Schnerre

Lead Quantitative Insights Analyst
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Anna
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Tricia Sena

Standards Accreditation Manager
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Tricia
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Celine Eid

Senior Standards Project Specialist
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Celine
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Jennifer Fields

Senior Technology Solutions Specialist
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Jennifer
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Kimani Smith

Senior Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Kimani
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Haley Callahan

Associate Standards Technical Committee Chair
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Haley
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Cindy Byrne

Standards Technical Committee Chair
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Cindy
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Felipe Luz

Associate Standards Program Manager (Fast Track)
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Felipe
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Joanne Gutknecht

Standards Technical Committee Chair (BLST)
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Joanna
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Bahar Sammak

Standards Project Manager
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Bahar
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Hilal El Misilmani

Standards Project Manager
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Hilal
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Hannah Kirkland

Senior Standards Project Specialist
UL Standards & Engagement

Meet Hannah

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