Zoltek Cos. Inc. said Wednesday that George Husman was appointed chief technology officer. He also takes the lead technology role on the company's board, following John Kardos' retirement Monday as a director, the company said.

Husman's appointment was effective Feb. 1, according to the company's most recent proxy filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He was elected as a director at the 2007 annual shareholders meeting in February.

Husman, 61, had been associate director for engineering research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham since 2004. From 1993 to 2004, he served as vice president of the Engineering Division at the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham. Husman previously spent 18 years at the Materials Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in various research and management positions.

Zsolt Rumy, Zoltek chairman and CEO, said in a statement, "The greatly expanded organization that George will head will provide technical services and support to our manufacturing activities and to customers in fast-growing, existing and new markets for our low-cost, high- performance carbon fibers."

Zoltek also said Wednesday that John Kardos, 67, retired from its board April 16. His board term was to expire in 2009.Kardos has served as a part-time consultant to Zoltek on evaluating technology matters since fiscal 2000, according to the company's proxy. He had served on Zoltek's board since the company's initial public offering in 1992. Kardos is professor emeritus of chemical engineering and former chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.

St. Louis-based Zoltek Cos. Inc. (Nasdaq: ZOLT) manufactures carbon fiber products.