Birmingham, Ala. – September 29, 2026 -- The Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association (DIPRA) has promoted Gregg Horn to Senior Vice President of Research and Josh Blount to Vice President of Technical Resources, elevating two veteran staffers to lead the trade group's core technical operations.
Horn takes charge of research after 40 years with the association
Horn joined DIPRA in 1986 as a Regional Engineer, became Director of Regional Engineers in 1990, and served as Vice President of Technical Resources since 2013. In his new role, he will lead DIPRA's technical research efforts, Standards activities and comparative studies of substitute materials, while facilitating the Technical Committee, Environmental Subcommittee and other groups addressing research on Ductile iron pipe. He is a Life Member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and has served on committees within AWWA, ASCE, ASTM and ISO.
Blount steps up to oversee technical resources and the Regional Engineer Program
Blount joined DIPRA in 2015 as a Staff Engineer/Project Manager, advancing through Regional Engineer, Senior Regional Engineer and, since 2022, Regional Director. He will now supervise DIPRA's technical personnel, manage the Regional Engineer Program's planning, budget and performance, and serve as lead staff on the Technical Committee, in addition to participating in national and international standards development. He is a member of AWWA and ASCE, where he serves on the Seismic Design for Buried Pipelines technical committee within the Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute's Pipelines division.
DIPRA president cites 100-year-old programs as the association's backbone
DIPRA President David Cole said the Regional Engineer Program, Research and Technical Resources have anchored the organization for more than 100 years, and that Horn and Blount have shown the leadership needed to build on that foundation. The two executives will coordinate closely to align research and technical programs with DIPRA's strategic priorities and industry best practices for the water infrastructure sector.