America Makes Puts New Executive Committee in Place for 2026-28

America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, has announced its newly elected Executive Committee for the 2026-28 term. The 11-member panel includes eight elected representatives from industry, academia, and nonprofit organizations, plus three appointed government representatives.

The committee will meet regularly to set strategy, policy, and advocacy priorities for the institute. Members advise on data management, intellectual property policy, technical scope, membership value, workforce education, and partnership strategies. Each elected member serves a two-year term.

Brett Connor, Chief Manufacturing Officer at SME, joins the committee alongside Sandra DeVincent Wolf, Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon University's Manufacturing Futures Institute. Brian Fisher, Technical Fellow for Additive Manufacturing at RTX, and Jonaaron Jones, President and General Manager of Beehive Industries' Additive Manufacturing Division, also take seats. Mark Norfolk, Director of Government Programs at Edison Welding Institute, and Hector Sandoval, Technical Fellow for Additive Manufacturing at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, return with experience. Mark Shaw, Chief Engineer of Defense Industrial Base Strategy at NIAR, and Mike Vasquez, Founder and CEO of 3Degrees, round out the elected members.

On the government side, Paul Gradl, Principal Engineer at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Laura Macht, Engineer at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, and Paul Witherell, Associate Program Manager at NIST, will serve as appointed representatives.

John Wilczynski, Executive Director of America Makes, said the committee represents a cross-section of the nation's manufacturing ecosystem. He said their leadership will help ensure strategies, investments, and collaborations continue to accelerate technology adoption and strengthen the industrial base.

The committee's first order of business will be electing a Chairperson and Secretary.

This election comes as America Makes continues to manage major defense-funded programs, including the recent $7.8 million Department of War award for in-situ quality assurance on Stratasys F3300 and F900 systems, and the $9 million Air Force contract awarded to 3D Systems for large-format metal printing. The new committee will oversee how those programs align with broader additive manufacturing adoption goals across the United States.