NSF Appoints Dave Purkiss Vice President of Global Water Division

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – NSF, a global public health organization, has appointed Dave Purkiss to the position of Vice President, Global Water Division.

In his new role, Purkiss leads NSF’s global water programs, including certification programs that help ensure the quality and safety of products used in municipal water treatment, water distribution, residential drinking water treatment, plumbing, pools and spas, and wastewater treatment.

Reporting directly to NSF’s President and CEO, Purkiss is responsible for strategy development, innovation, growth of water programs and teams, and alignment with NSF’s mission, strategy and goals. He leads a global team with locations in the United States, Canada, Belgium, China, India, Japan, Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

“Dave is a recognized leader with extensive knowledge of all aspects of the water industry – from water treatment chemicals and distribution systems to pipes, plumbing products and residential drinking water treatment and filtration devices,” said Kevan Lawlor, President and CEO at NSF. “He has worked alongside manufacturers and our internal teams as well as public health organizations and regulators. Everyone appreciates his thoughtful approach and steady demeanor as well as his deep knowledge of the water industry and public health issues.”

Most recently, Purkiss served as interim Director of NSF’s Global Water Division and General Manager of the Plumbing Products Program. During his 30 years at NSF, he has worked in all areas of water treatment and distribution. His previous leadership roles include General Manager of Municipal Water Products, General Manager of Drinking Water Additives and Managing Director of NSF’s UK Water team, formerly known as NSF-WRc. He began his career at NSF working as an hourly employee in the engineering laboratory.

During his time at NSF, Purkiss has worked on several major initiatives in the water industry, including assisting in the development of NSF/ANSI 223: Conformity Assessment Requirements for Certification Bodies that Certify Products Pursuant to NSF/ANSI 60: Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals – Health Effects. This standard establishes minimum requirements for certification organizations that evaluate and certify products to NSF/ANSI 60. He also played a key role in the launch and development of NSF’s water products testing service in the UK to provide independent testing and certification services to Europe’s water product industries.

Purkiss is a member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and has chaired both the AWWA Polyelectrolytes and the AWWA Utility Quality Management Committees. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Michigan State University.

NSF is an independent, global organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the water, food, health sciences, and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment. Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. With operations in more than 170 countries, NSF is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Indoor Environment.

NSF’s Global Water programs provide risk assessments, testing, inspection and certification services for the water industry from source to tap. NSF led the development of the American National Standards for all materials and products that treat or come in contact with drinking water to help protect public health and the environment and minimize adverse health effects. In 1990, the U.S. EPA replaced its own drinking water product advisory program with these NSF standards.