News

America Makes Announces Leadership Appointments

May 20, 2014 | Categories: America Makes News

Youngstown, Ohio — May 20, 2014. America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), is proud to announce today three new management appointments to its leadership team effective immediately:

Rob Gorham, America Makes Deputy Director of Technology Development has been appointed as the new Director of Operations.

NCDMM Program Manager, John Wilczynski, has accepted the Deputy Director of Technology Development position.

Kevin D. Creehan, Ph.D., has accepted the Deputy Director of Technology Transition position.

“It is with great pride and pleasure that I announce three new management appointments at America Makes,” said Ralph Resnick, NCDMM President and Executive Director and America Makes Founding Director. “Due in part to the tremendous growth and success of America Makes to date, a Director of Operations position was created. I am pleased to say that Deputy Director of Technology Development Rob Gorham has been appointed to the Director of Operations position. Since joining America Makes, Rob has made a big impact at the Institute. In his new role, Rob will be responsible for executing the America Makes Program according to the Statement of Work and managing the staff and overall operations of the Youngstown facility. Moreover, the creation of this position will enable America Makes Director Ed Morris to better focus on overall America Makes Governance processes and procedures and Consortium Member engagement and growth, and provide more time to interface with the America Makes Governance Board, Executive Committee, Government Program Office, and the Advanced Manufacturing community in general.

“I am also excited to announce that John Wilczynski, NCDMM Program Manager, has agreed to fill Rob’s vacated Deputy Director of Technology Development at America Makes,” added Resnick. “For the last five years, John has been instrumental in the success of several key programs for NCDMM, including the Mission Ready Sustainability Initiative (MRSI) and the MTConnect Challenge.

“Finally, while we say good-bye to our friend and colleague Bill Macy, who after much consideration has made the personal decision to spend more time with his family by returning to his consulting business, I am excited to welcome his successor, Kevin Creehan, Ph.D.,” continued Resnick. “Kevin is a leading additive manufacturing innovator and entrepreneur in his own right and brings extensive knowledge and experience to America Makes. We are delighted to have him on board.

“On behalf of the NCDMM Team and our America Makes Consortium Partners, please join me in officially congratulating both Rob and John on their promotions and extending a warm welcome to Kevin,” concluded Resnick.

Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes was awarded in October 2012 and is the first institute for up to 45 manufacturing innovation institutes to follow. As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP), America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation.

Mr. Gorham joined America Makes in 2013 and led the effort to create a formal, member-driven project call process and develop a National Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing Roadmap, America Makes’ technology investment strategy, as a means to empower its members and community and to prioritize their needs. He brings more than a decade of solid defense research and advanced manufacturing experience. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Gorham was the Senior Manager of the Manufacturing Exploration and Development (MXD) group within the Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Prototyping (AMS&P) directorate of Lockheed Martin (LM) Aeronautics – Advanced Development Programs (ADP). In this position, Mr. Gorham was responsible for leading the transition-focused development and the application of affordable manufacturing technologies for LM Aeronautics and other LM Business Areas across the corporation.

As the Deputy Director Technology Development, Mr. Wilczynski is tasked with continuing the facilitation of the National Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing Roadmap, the development of an Intellectual Property (IP) Management Plan, the execution of the Project Call Process for Agency-Driven and Cooperative Agreement Driven project solicitations, and program management of the America Makes project portfolio. Mr. Wilczynski joined NCDMM in October 2009 as the Manager of the Manufacturing Consortium and has more than 15 years of manufacturing experience. In this capacity, he was responsible for managing and coordinating opportunities and initiatives related to the NCDMM Supply Chain and Sustainability Program areas. Mr. Wilczynski also led the MRSI program and MTConnect Challenge.

In his role as the new Deputy Director of Technology Transition, Dr. Creehan is charged with aligning and directing project deliverables to industry applications; promoting America Makes and member capabilities; implementing a project deliverable, technology, IP, information dissemination process; and engaging membership through outreach and networking. Prior to joining America Makes, Dr. Creehan was the President and Co-Founder of Aeroprobe Corporation where he co-invented Additive Friction Stir technology, a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing technology for a wide variety of metallic materials and components, with application in many industries, including defense and energy.