The Toy Association™ participated in the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO)’s 2026 Annual Meeting & Training Symposium, which took place February 23 to 26 in Orlando, Florida. The global gathering brought together product safety professionals from around the world to discuss product safety compliance in the ever-changing global marketplace.

Toy Association staff attended the symposium for the 33rd year as one of the founding members of ICPHSO. Among the highlights was a significant industry recognition for Joan Lawrence, senior vice president of standards and regulatory affairs at The Toy Association.

Joan Lawrence First Recipient of ASTM’s Women in Leadership Award
On February 25, ASTM International President Andy Kireta presented the first-ever Katharine E. Morgan Women in Leadership Award to Lawrence, recognizing her exceptional leadership and longstanding contributions to toy safety standards, public health, and children's health and safety. 

Established in 2024, the Katharine E. Morgan Women in Leadership Award is a tribute to Morgan’s pioneering work at ASTM, including her role as first female president of the organization. Morgan was the first honorary recipient and Lawrence is the first ASTM member selected to formally receive this prestigious award, which recognizes female leaders within the ASTM community who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of standards.

In presenting the award, Kireta emphasized Lawrence’s lasting influence on toy safety worldwide: “To me, leadership is not just about going to work, not about writing a standard, not about maintaining a standard. It’s really about thinking about what the impact you are trying to do in that market space, what you are trying to do for the safety or health of children or consumers in general, and then going out and making that happen. And Joan has done that. She’s made F963 the gold standard for toy safety around the world and there’s no doubt she played a key role in that.”

In her acceptance remarks, Lawrence credited the toy industry, The Toy Association, and ASTM International for fostering a culture that prioritizes safety and children’s well-being: “When I think about my work over the years, I consider myself fortunate to be doing a job I love, and lucky to be working for an industry — and an organization – that prioritizes children and prioritizes safety. That allows this to be more than just a job.”

Examining the Evolution of Product Safety
Lawrence also served as a featured speaker in the symposium’s plenary forum, “Product Safety Eras Tour (1972-2026 and beyond).” The session brought together seasoned product safety professionals to reflect on the evolution of consumer product regulation — from the early days of modern safety oversight to today’s increasingly globalized and technologically driven environment.

The panel explored how regulatory frameworks, voluntary standards, enforcement mechanisms, consumer education campaigns, and industry practices have matured over time, while also looking ahead to emerging challenges and opportunities. Topics included global supply chain oversight, international regulatory alignment, digital marketplace complexities, and the continued importance of consensus-based standards.

As a former president of ICPHSO and a long-time leader in toy safety, Lawrence provided perspective on how collaboration among regulators, industry leaders, testing experts, and standards organizations has strengthened product safety outcomes.

Additional sessions at the ICPHSO symposium included Toy Association members, and featured a keynote from Hailey Mann, president of American Plastic Toys, whose background includes expertise as a product safety and quality engineer.

In addition to bringing together global product safety professionals for four days of education, collaboration, and networking, the ICPHSO Annual Meeting & Training Symposium program also featured plenary sessions, breakout discussions, and roundtables addressing emerging regulatory developments, compliance challenges, and best practices across the consumer product landscape. Attendees included industry leaders, regulators, standards developers, testing labs, consumer advocates, and trade associations.

Created in 1993, ICPHSO is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on health and safety issues related to consumer products manufactured and marketed in the global marketplace. ICPHSO members represent U.S. and global government agencies, manufacturers, importers, retailers, trade associations, certification/testing laboratories, law firms, academia, standards writing organizations, consultants, media, and consumer advocacy groups.