Ken Wetzel

Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer

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 defense industrial base and manufacturing technology issues.

Prior to working for 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 (also known as the Manufacturing Innovation Institutes). Ken began his career as a civilian project engineer for the Army at Picatinny Arsenal, where he specialized in materials and manufacturing technology development.

Ken holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University and an M.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

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