MILWAUKEE, April 9 -- Kathleen J. Hempel, the former vice chairman and chief financial officer of Fort Howard Corporation, has been elected to the Board of Directors of A.O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS).

Hempel served as Fort Howard's vice chairman and chief financial officer for 10 years until its 1997 merger with James River Corporation. She also was a member of Fort Howard's board for 18 years. She joined the Green Bay, Wis., paper manufacturer in 1973.

Hempel currently serves on the corporate boards of Whirlpool Corporation and Oshkosh Truck Corporation. She is a past board member of the National Association of Manufacturers and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, where she served as a member of the Executive Committee.

Hempel has been a member of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents since 1992, participating as a member of the Executive Committee and chairing the Business and Finance Committee. She also is a member of the regional board of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

Hempel is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. She earned an MBA from Arizona State University.

A.O. Smith Corporation is a diversified manufacturer with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis. Its major product lines include fractional horsepower, hermetic, and subfractional horsepower electric motors; residential and commercial water heaters; municipal, industrial, and agricultural storage tanks; and fiberglass reinforced piping systems.