SKOKIE, Ill.--John P. "Jay" Gleason, 66, past president of the Portland Cement Association, passed away on Jan. 14, after a long battle with cancer.

Gleason was president from 1986 to his retirement in 2007. The Portland Cement Association (PCA), Skokie, Ill., is the research, market development, and public affairs arm of the U.S. and Canadian cement industry.

Prior to joining PCA, he served for nine years as president and chief executive officer of the Brick Institute of America, Reston, Va., where he was responsible for all programs in planning, research, marketing, administration, member services, and public affairs.

From 1970 to 1977, Gleason was deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC. He managed the development, coordination, and marketing of all major domestic and international programs to the U.S. business community. In 1976, he received the Commerce Department's Silver Medal Award for exceptional planning and management.

Gleason served as chairman of the Council for Masonry Research and the National Codes and Standards Council. He was on the Board and Executive Committee of the American Concrete Pavement Association and chairman of the Board of Directors of CTLGroup, Skokie, Ill., an engineering, consulting, and research firm. Gleason also was active on the Board of Trustees of the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Institute for Organization Management of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.