Biography

Kathryn Kelley serves as executive director of OMI; she has more than 20 years' experience in program leadership and strategic communications at industry-oriented higher education, economic development and statewide technology organizations. She collaborates with state and national partners to develop regional and national public policy to support manufacturing innovation, advocate for small- and medium-sized manufacturing needs within the supply chains and remove barriers between academia and industry. 

Activities include:

  • Managing Ohio Development Services Agency Ohio MEP funded program on “Manufacturing 5.0” to develop a framework and set of tools to guide MEP staff assisting small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms in their journey toward digital integration.
  • Completing ODSA-funded project on Ohio Advanced Manufacturing Technical Resource Network roadmaps organized by manufacturing processes to determine manufacturing needs and technical solutions for machining, molding, joining/forming, additive manufacturing.
  • Collaborating with state and national partners on advanced manufacturing education pathways and engineering technologist manufacturing career programs
    • Served as lead coordinator of a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology degree program at The Ohio State University focused on curriculum development and approval, securing industry support and promoting program to internal/external audiences. 
    • Published a US Economic Development Agency-funded engineering technology future skills report to be published in Economic Development Quarterly (Feb. 2020) 
    • Collaborated with the Ohio Manufacturers' Association, Ohio TechNet, and others to develop a framework and implementation of regional industry sector workforce partnerships and a statewide image campaign, Making Ohio, to spur manufacturing job growth
  • Administrating Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) Ohio Means Internships & Co-ops program for the Central Ohio region, including area community colleges, to increase advanced manufacturing experiential learning
  • Served as Ohio principal investigator on a $2.24M US Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Manufacturing Assistance Program and $300K Defense Cybersecurity Assurance Program 
  • Managing industry engagement for ODHE Ohio Innovation Exchange, a statewide research expertise portal connecting Ohio academic and technical institutions with industry partners
  • Producing and hosting "Manufacturing Tomorrow," a podcast series with 2,000+ subscribers to highlight innovative manufacturers and the academic partnerships that propel their efforts

She is dedicated to researching and issuing action-provoking reports on advanced manufacturing trends, workforce development and disruptive technologies.