Throughout my career, Josh Dotson has been driven by a fundamental belief: the way most businesses operate today leaves far too much potential untapped. Rather than accepting the status quo, he has built his career around challenging assumptions, envisioning better futures, and helping organizations navigate the path to get there. Dotson’s current focus is helping…
Fred Williams serves as Associate Director of Membership Engagement at the Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC), where he focuses on building strong relationships with member organizations, enhancing engagement, and ensuring members maximize the value of their membership. He works closely with manufacturing leaders to foster meaningful connections, facilitate peer-to-peer collaboration, and connect members with the Council’s…
Sariann Reyes serves as the Membership Coordinator at the Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC). In her role, she focuses on facilitating strong relationships with member organizations and building positive member experiences. She also assists in the development of outreach strategies and event execution. Additionally, Sariann works closely with the Innovation Research Interchange (IRI). Sariann holds a…
Kensie Yeates supports member engagement and retention for both the Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC) and Innovation Research Interchange (IRI). She works closely with members across both communities to strengthen relationships, enhance the member experience, and ensure they receive ongoing value from their membership. Prior to her current role, Kensie worked in public policy fundraising where…
John Sheets is the Strategic Communities Associate for the Manufacturing Leadership Council , where he provides backend and logistic support for all MLC events and virtual meetings. In this role, John oversees timelines and speaker details for events as well as assisting in member communications. He previously served operations for various small trade associations to…
Rancier Gragirene serves as Digital Content and Marketing Specialist. He leads content distribution across digital channels, supports email campaigns, and collaborates with the Communications team to boost engagement. Previously, he was IRI’s Thought Leadership Coordinator, managing virtual events and member resources. Prior to starting at IRI, Rancier served 5 years in the Army. He enlisted…
Erin Barden is the Manager of Strategic Communities Operations at the Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC), where she plays a key role in driving internal process efficiencies to support member engagement and manages Board operations. She joined the MLC, part of the National Association of Manufacturers Strategic Communities, in June 2024 as Manager of Council Operations…
Melissa Robertson is Associate Director, Professional Development for the Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC) andInnovation Research Interchange (IRI), both a division of the National Association of Manufacturers, where she leads the strategy, development, and delivery of professional development programming that helps manufacturing innovation leaders learn, connect, and accelerate innovation. Melissa brings nearly two decades of experience…
As Director of Manufacturing Strategy and Planning for Whirlpool Corporation, Ethan Ott drives sustainable competitive advantage by designing high-efficiency production processes and factory layouts that maximize safety, quality, and cost performance. He steers strategic decision-making through rigorous cost-benefit analyses, CapEx and expense planning, and long-term verticalization strategies. In addition, Ott leads operational excellence and World-Class…
Heather is a well-versed consultant in the BI space. While maintaining a consulting role, she has been able to successfully utilize her technical development skills, as well as her business analytics, to develop and support the needs of clients. This has been accomplished by developing and supporting various data warehouses and Power BI reports. Heather’s…
