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America Makes Leadership Attend Welcome Reception for UTEP’s New President, Dr. Heather Wilson to Strengthen Strategic Partnership
September 06, 2019 | Categories: America Makes News
UTEP’s Keck Center is the Home of the Institute’s First Satellite Center
Youngstown, Ohio — September 6, 2019. America Makes leadership proudly attended a welcoming reception yesterday evening for the new president of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Heather Wilson, Ph.D., hosted by UTEP’s Chancellor James B. Milliken at the Larry K. Durham Sports Center.
Driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), America Makes is the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and the first of eight Manufacturing Innovation Institutes established and managed by the U.S. Department of Defense as public-private partnerships. America Makes is also a member of the Manufacturing USA® network, which seeks to secure U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing. As a public-private partnership, America Makes currently has a membership community comprised of more than 225 member organizations from all corners of government, industry, and academia to create a hub of advanced manufacturing innovation in AM.
UTEP, a long-standing member of America Makes since 2012, is also the home of the Institute’s first Satellite Center, established in 2015, at UTEP’s renowned W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation. Dr. Wilson’s appointment as UTEP’s new president was effective as of August 15th.
In attendance at the reception from America Makes and NCDMM were John Wilczynski, America Makes Executive Director; Erin O’Donnell, America Makes Director of Partnerships and Community Relations; Gary Fleegle, America Makes Acting Director of Operations and NCDMM VP & COO; and Randy Gilmore, America Makes Acting Technology Director and NCDMM VP & CTO.
“On behalf of all of us from America Makes, we were honored by Chancellor Milliken’s invitation to attend last evening’s reception for Dr. Wilson,” said Mr. Wilczynski. “It was a pleasure to meet Dr. Wilson, who exhibits steely enthusiasm and commitment to ensure access to an exceptional education is within reach of all. Her diverse career and educational background will serve the students and faculty of UTEP well as she leads them to thrive and succeed in this twenty-first century world. We wish her all the best as the next president of this top tier doctoral research university. Go Miners!”
Before returning to academia, Dr. Wilson formerly served for two years as the 24th Secretary of the Air Force. She was responsible for the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, including the organizing, training and equipping, and providing for the welfare of 685,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces, as well as their families. Dr. Wilson oversaw the Air Force’s annual budget of more than $138 billion and directed strategy and policy development, risk management, weapons acquisition, technology investments and human resource management across a global enterprise.
Dr. Wilson has more than 35 years of professional experience in a range of leadership and management roles in the military, higher education, government, and private industry. Previously, Dr. Wilson was president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, an engineering and science research university in Rapid City, South Dakota, and represented New Mexico in the United States Congress for 10 years.
Additionally, Dr. Wilson has worked in the private sector, serving as a senior advisor to the defense and scientific industry and as president of Keystone International, Inc., a company she founded that conducted business development and program planning work.
She also served in the military as an Air Force officer from 1982 to 1989. Dr. Wilson graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in the third class to include women, and earned her master’s and doctorate degrees as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England.
For more information about America Makes, its Satellite Centers, or how to become a member, please visit the America Makes Web site at americamakes.us. Follow us on Twitter @AmericaMakes.
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About America Makes
Driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Comprised of member organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and workforce and economic development resources, the America Makes membership community is working together to innovate and accelerate AM to increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. America Makes is the first of eight Manufacturing Innovation Institutes established and managed by the U.S. Department of Defense as public-private partnerships. America Makes is also a member of the Manufacturing USA® network, which seeks to secure U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing. For more information about America Makes, visit americamakes.us and follow @AmericaMakes on Twitter.
About NCDMM
NCDMM delivers innovative and collaborative manufacturing solutions that enhance our nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness. NCDMM has extensive knowledge and depth in manufacturing areas—both commercial and defense—to continually innovate, improve, and advance manufacturing technologies and methodologies. Our experienced team specializes in identifying the needs, the players, the technologies, and processes to attain optimal solutions for our customers. We connect the dots. That’s the NCDMM methodology. NCDMM also manages the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP), America Makes—the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. For additional information, visit the NCDMM at ncdmm.org and follow @NCDMMnews on Twitter.
About The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
UTEP is a top tier doctoral research university located in one of the largest binational communities in the world. The University enrolls more than 25,000 students, invests $91 million in research annually, and offers 170 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in 10 colleges and schools. It maintains one of the lowest out-of-pocket costs of any research university in the U.S., underscoring its commitment to make education accessible to all. For more information about UTEP, visit utep.edu.
About the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation
Located at the University of Texas at El Paso, the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation (Keck Center) is a unique multidisciplinary research facility focused on the use and development of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies with primary focus areas in AM Technology Development (large area and hybrid processes), AM-Enabled Materials Science (metals, polymers, and ceramics), and Advanced AM Applications (3D printed electronics, biomedical, and others). Established in 2000, the Keck Center is home to over 65 AM systems and more than 60 students, faculty, and staff from various engineering disciplines. In addition to its 13,000 square feet of on-campus research space, the Keck Center recently expanded its operations to a 17,000 square foot, off-campus facility, providing additional space for research, economic development, and training. For more information, visit keck.utep.edu.