bTrade Executive Elected as New Chair to Drive Accredited Standards Committee X12 EDI & XML Initiatives.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 10, 2003

The Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12 named Ralph Berwanger, Ambassador to Standards of bTrade, Inc., as its new chair and Peter D. Pruyne, Technical Director of SysCom Strategies, as its new vice chair at last week's ASC X12 Meeting in San Diego. The elections occurred in concert with the approval for full ASC X12 ballot of X12.7, CICA and Extensible Markup Language (XML) Representation, and the committee's first-ever and highly successful X12 XML educational event that featured Gartner analyst Rita E. Knox, Ph.D.

"I am honored to serve as chair of ASC X12 and committed to integrating XML processes and development into this esteemed e-business standards committee, which developed and continues to evolve over 315 X12 EDI transaction sets," said Mr. Berwanger. "As we move into the next generation of business-to-business transactions, ASC X12 members - renowned for their collective wealth of business content expertise - are building content, populating our data dictionary and generating XML messages that can be implemented across our industries."

Mr. Berwanger brings to ASC X12 more than 20 years experience designing and implementing electronic commerce solutions for business and government. He has served as ASC X12's vice chair for the past four years and helped shepherd X12's XML architecture into a framework that is being piloted and implemented in ASC X12. Mr. Berwanger also serves as chair of the UN/CEFACT Forum's Trade Facilitation and Business Process Group that plays a key role in defining e-business standards. Mr. Berwanger holds a BS in Education from the University of the State of New York and a BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland. He earned a Master's degree in Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College while on active duty in the United States Air Force.

Mr. Pruyne has been an active participant in ASC X12 for over a decade. A key contributor to X12 EDI development and X12 XML design philosophy, he also served as past chair of the ASC X12's Communications and Controls Subcommittee. In his role at SysCom, he designs, develops, and maintains numerous SysCom products. Before joining SysCom, Mr. Pruyne served as a consultant to Chrysler Corporation's Engineering division, and a developer of educational systems for Control Data Corporation. Mr. Pruyne studied computer science and philosophy at the University of Illinois in Urbana.

The following Subcommittees elected the following new chairs:

-- Communications and Controls - Michael C. Rawlins (individual

ASC X12 member)

-- Finance - Byron Warren (individual ASC X12 member)

Re-elected and continuing Subcommittee chairs include:

-- Education Administration - Jerry Bracken, Postsecondary

Electronic Standards Council

-- Government - Teresa D. Sorrenti, GSA/Federal Supply Service

-- Insurance - Gary A. Beatty (individual ASC X12 member)

-- Materials Management - Mary K. Blantz, Automotive Industry

Action Group

-- Procurement and Distribution - Richard W. Modrowski, Logistics

Management Institute

-- Technical Assessment - Walther H. Barnett, First American

Mortgage Information Services

-- Transportation - Douglas R. Anderson, Kleinschmidt Inc.

In addition, the Convergence and Outreach Task Group - ASC X12's educational and marketing arm - named Lisa S. Miller, Washington Publishing Company, as its new chair.

"I am pleased to welcome ASC X12's new leadership as the committee approaches its 25th anniversary and celebrates the creation of a new e-business foundation," said outgoing ASC X12 Chair David R. Barkley of Freddie Mac. "The rich diversity of e-business professionals represented across the ASC X12 leadership team promises a new generation of messaging that can succeed alongside today's widely implemented X12 EDI."

About the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12

The Accredited Standards Committee X12, accredited by the American National Standards Institute and comprised of cross-industry representation, develops robust e-business exchange standards in X12 electronic data interchange (EDI) and extensible markup language (XML) formats that interact with a multitude of e-business technologies and serve as a premier tool for integrating electronic applications. Through standards-setting and active participation in emerging and technically relevant initiatives, ASC X12 facilitates the effective exchange of electronic information. Propelling global e-business, ASC X12 is an active contributor to the United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (UN/EDIFACT), an international standard relating to the exchange of good and services. To learn more about ASC X12, visit www.x12.org or call 703-548-7005.

For additional information, contact Julia O'Brien, 606-780-4940 or [e-mail], or DISA headquarters at 703-548-7005.