Welcome to Sustainable Livelihoods
Experience in Brief
Professional: Dr. Asher came to Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports Magazine,in 1986 and became its Vice-President and Technical Director in 2001. He was responsible for the consumer product testing at CU’s 50 state-of-the-art laboratories in Yonkers, NY. This testing work included evaluations of foods, recreation, chemical, home improvement, electronics and major appliance products. He also oversaw the evaluation of the cars and trucks rated at the organization’s 327-acre auto test facility in East Haddam, Connecticut, thelargest independent consumer automobile testing center in the world.
Dr. Asher received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Syracuse University. He then spent more than 13 years at General Electric’s (GE) Research and Development Center where he started out as a Fluid Mechanist involved with jet engine development and high-speed gas dynamic studies. By the time he left GE, he had been promoted to Manager of the Sodium-Sulfur Battery Program developed for utility load-leveling application. He then left GE to join Mechanical Technology Incorporated, and for five years, managed an engineering service organization involved with electronics, inspection systems development and various mechanical engineering projects.
Personal: A proud Father of three, and even prouder Grandfather of five. His wife, Reed, is a fine potter selling her wares throughout the USA. His hobbies include photography and, since childhood, fixing (usually) anything that is broken. Adventure traveling with his wife includes whitewater canoeing and kayaking in the wilds of Canada as well as cross-country skiing where there are no trails.