Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – The Manufacturing Leadership Council, a division of the National Association of Manufacturers, announces the election of Michael D. Packer, former director of production strategy at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, as the new chair of the MLC’s Board of Governors. Previously serving as the MLC Board’s vice chair, Packer succeeds John Fleming, former executive vice president of global manufacturing and labor affairs at Ford Motor Company, who is stepping down from the MLC Board.

Daniel Dwight, president and CEO of Cooley Group, was also elected as the MLC Board’s new vice chair. Both roles are effective from Jan. 1, 2022.

The MLC’s Board of Governors acts as an advisory body providing guidance to the MLC on its “critical issues” agenda, research studies and programs and services for the MLC’s more than 3,000 members. The MLC Board now consists of 16 industry thought leaders who represent the full ecosystem of the manufacturing industry, including large global enterprises, small and medium-sized manufacturers, leading academic institutions and influential industry analysts.

“I am honored to serve as MLC chair and help drive the MLC’s critical mission to accelerate digital transformation across the manufacturing industry,” said Packer. “I look forward to working together with the MLC team and my fellow board members to expand the MLC’s growth in numbers, diversity and impact and help support both MLC and NAM members as they embrace new digital opportunities for the future.”

“As a longtime MLC member and supporter of the Board of Governors’ mission, I am thrilled to extend my MLC role to vice chair,” added Dwight. “Along with supporting the new chair, I am particularly motivated to build greater diversity in the MLC/NAM membership and to give new voices the opportunity to share their experiences in the industry.”

The MLC would like to congratulate them both on their new board positions and to thank former Chair John Fleming for all his insights, guidance and wisdom over the past three years.

-MLC- Founded in 2008 and now a division of the National Association of Manufacturers, the Manufacturing Leadership Council’s mission is to help manufacturing companies transition to the digital model of manufacturing by focusing on the technological, organizational, and leadership dimensions of change. With more than 2,500 senior-level members from many of the world’s leading manufacturing companies, the MLC focuses on the intersection of advanced digital technologies and the business, identifying growth and improvement opportunities in the operation, organization, and leadership of manufacturing enterprises as they pursue their journeys to Manufacturing 4.0.

-MLC Board of Governors- The Manufacturing Leadership Board of Governors comprises senior executives and industry experts at leading manufacturing, academic and research organizations around the world, including Lockheed Martin, Procter & Gamble, Dow Chemical, IBM, 3M, Europe’s SmartFactory EU Technology Initiative, Lexmark International, Premio Foods, VirTex Enterprises, Graphicast, the Cooley Group, UCLA, the University of Cincinnati, the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group, consultants Frost & Sullivan and the MLC.  

For more information and MLC membership details, please visit  www.manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com.

-NAM- The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.5 million men and women, contributes $2.52 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for 58% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.