Coatings World Announces Updated Editorial Advisory Board

Coatings World has recently updated its Editorial Advisory Board, reflecting our mission to provide our readers with the most relevant topics from experts in the paint and coatings industry. We are proud to welcome Douglas Bohn, of Orr & Boss Consulting; Robert Helminiak, of the Colors Pigments Manufacturers Association; Jospeh Marshall of the Canadian Coatings Association; James Rawlins of the University of Southern Mississippi and Chao Wang of PPG Industries.

Douglas Bohn is the Director of Orr & Boss Consulting Incorporated. Bohn has extensive experience in collecting market and customer intelligence and has served as Project Manager and Lead Consultant on numerous market research projects within the global coatings, adhesives, sealants, and construction chemicals markets. In addition to his marketing expertise, He also has experience in industrial chemicals and coatings manufacturing and operations.  Bohn holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Robert F. Helminiak is an accomplished executive leader with more than 15 years of trade association experience directing government relations, legal affairs, and strategic growth for complex manufacturing sectors. As the Executive Director of the Color Pigments Manufacturers Association (CPMA), he oversees organizational strategy, advocacy, and member engagement. 

Throughout his career, Helminiak has built robust advocacy channels across federal agencies and the White House. He has spearheaded major multi-industry coalitions on critical issues including Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) implementation, chemical risk evaluation, environmental compliance, tariffs, and sustainability. 

Helminiak holds a Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Dayton, and is admitted to the Bar in Maryland and Washington, D.C. 

Joseph Marshall is Senior Manager, Communications & Member Engagement at the Canadian Coatings Association, where he leads internal and external communications, member engagement, and advocacy communications on behalf of Canada’s coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers sector. He brings more than seven years of professional communications experience across regulated and complex environments, including law and telecommunications, with a track record of advising executive leadership on messaging, reputation, and organizational strategy. Joseph holds an M.A. in Public Interest Media & Communication from Florida State University.

James W. Rawlins has been a professor in the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi since 2004.   His professional career began as technical director with Highland International, Inc., in Boone, NC.  In 2000, he joined Bayer Corporation (now Covestro) in Pittsburgh, PA, as a senior research chemist and in 2002, was promoted to European technical marketing manager in Leverkusen, Germany for powder coating raw materials.  He presently directs an 10-member research team.  He has published 59 peer-reviewed articles, delivered more than 124 scientific presentations, 82 conference papers, and 72 poster presentations, lectured at numerous short courses, and holds 17 U.S. and European patents.  His research focuses on polymer structure-property-performance relationships in surface coatings, corrosion control, and biomass and biobased materials.

Chao Wang is group leader of the Liquid Protective Coatings team at PPG. He earned a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Pennsylvania State University, a doctorate from the University of Akron and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Delaware. Since joining PPG as a research engineer in 2019, Wang has helped drive the development of new capabilities and products. In his current role, he leads a technical team focused on protective and marine coatings, as well as advanced corrosion protection solutions. Wang has authored more than 24 scholarly articles and holds several patents. In recognition of his contributions to innovation in the coatings industry, he received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ 2023 Polymers in Industry Rising Stars Award.