Ken Wetzel, Chief Operating Officer, has worked with technology organizations of all types to proactively shape public policy and secure federal funding since 2014. Ken’s specific expertise is in materials, defense industrial base, and manufacturing technology issues.
Prior to joining SMI, he worked in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Manufacturing & Industrial Base Policy, where his main responsibilities included identifying technology investment targets and creating partnerships with government and industry for the Defense Production Act Title III program. Ken also advised the Department of Defense's Director of Manufacturing on industrial capabilities and supply chain resiliency issues and was a key member of the team that established the pilot Manufacturing USA Institute. Ken began his career as a civilian project engineer for the Army at Picatinny Arsenal, where he specialized in materials and manufacturing technology development for armaments.
Ken also serves as the Executive Director of the U.S. Advanced Ceramics Association (USACA) and contributes to the U.S. Department of Defense as a panelist on the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel's Metals Sub-panel.
Ken holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University and an M.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology.