WASHINGTON — The National Association of Manufacturers named Carolyn Lee executive director of The Manufacturing Institute.

With modern manufacturing diversifying, transforming and charting new frontiers, Lee will lead the Institute’s own revolution—to move ahead of the times and drive the initiatives and programming to address workforce development, skills certification and veteran training and hiring. She will focus on inspiring the next generation and all Americans, including women in particular, to enter America’s manufacturing workforce.

“Modern manufacturing is upscaling, and we must upskill our workers in order to future-proof jobs,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “With 2 million American manufacturing jobs that will go unfilled by 2025, our task is to inspire individuals to pursue and acquire the skills for the jobs of the future. When new technology empowers us to do a job faster and better, we can’t—and won’t—leave people behind. The structures must be in place for jobs and careers to evolve as the workplace does. This is the core work of the Institute, along with significant efforts to better inform the general public about the industry and to serve as a center for best practices in the manufacturing sector. We are excited to have Carolyn stepping forward to advance these essential pursuits.”

“Over her nearly 6 years as senior director of tax policy at the NAM, and in many other influential leadership roles in the private and nonprofit sectors and at the highest levels of government, Carolyn has built a proven track record of leading positive change, advancing key initiatives in the face of significant challenges and bringing people together, from all sides, to make headway on the work that must be done for manufacturers and the people of our nation,” added Timmons. “Carolyn is a respected and trusted leader of the NAM, and we look forward to seeing her take the Institute to the next level.”

“As the granddaughter and daughter of manufacturers, I know that manufacturing is about people and the potential we can unleash,” said Lee. “As we enter a new era for manufacturing in the United States, defined by change and progress, the need for a strong foundation to support all of the industry’s aims and aspirations is great. I’m inspired by the talented team at the Institute and cannot wait to build on its great legacy.”

For more information, visit www.nam.org.