SME appoints Dr Brett Conner as first Chief Manufacturing Officer
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) has appointed Brett Conner, PhD, as its first Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMO).
SME established this role with the aim of closing the gap between research and real-world application, helping more manufacturers – particularly small and medium-sized enterprises – understand, adopt, and benefit from emerging technologies.
Dr Conner will lead SME’s technology strategy and programmes portfolio, working to drive the adoption of advanced technologies, strengthening partnerships across government, industry, and academia, and aligning innovation with SME’s workforce and education initiatives to leverage the power of talent and technology.
“The Chief Manufacturing Officer role is an important new addition to our executive leadership team as we deepen and evolve SME’s efforts to best deliver on our mission and serve the industry,” stated Jeannine Kunz, SME executive director and CEO. “Brett brings deep technical expertise and a collaborative approach to create high-impact alliances and lead the development of transformative programmes and services that accelerate technology adoption and its impact on our industry.”
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Dr Conner brings twenty-five years of experience leading at the intersection of defence, academia, manufacturing innovation, and entrepreneurship. He received his PhD and MS in Materials Science & Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a BS from the University of Missouri, has also served as chief technology officer (CTO) and co-founder of Freshmade 3D, where he co-invented a patented AM composite technology later acquired by ExOne. Previously, he led Youngstown State University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Center and held technical leadership roles at Honeywell and Alcoa. Earlier in his career, he also served as a commissioned officer in the US Air Force.
Most recently, Dr Conner served as senior programme manager for Additive Manufacturing with PM2 Strategies, LLC, supporting the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In that role, he led the 240-member Joint Additive Manufacturing Working Group (JAMWG), coordinating across the Pentagon, military services, and defence agencies to drive policy, strategy, and investments that accelerate adoption of advanced manufacturing.
Dr Conner shared, “SME’s nearly 100-year history of advancing manufacturing and notable impact is a large part of what drew me to this role. This is a critical moment for manufacturing in North America, and SME is uniquely positioned to help the industry realise the benefits of new technologies. I’ve found there is ‘meaning in making’ – a deep fulfilment in research and real-world application that our nation relies on – and I’m eager to share that passion through SME’s work.”
