Gorham Named Executive Director of America Makes

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining has named Rob Gorham as the next executive director of America Makes, the agency said Tuesday.

Gorham’s appointment took effect Monday and he replaces Ed Morris, who officially retires May 31.

“Rob is eminently qualified to follow in Ed’s footsteps as the new America Makes executive director,” said Ralph Resnick, NCDMM president and executive director. Resnick credits Gorham with taking the lead in developing an additive manufacturing roadmap methodology that helped shape and refine America Makes’ project call process. This process has resulted in $97 million worth of research and development projects related to additive manufacturing, he said.

Gorham also led a team composed of NCDMM, Siemens, and Deloitte in creating the America Makes Digital Storefront, a PLM-based data management tool to access America Makes’ intellectual capital assets, Resnick said.

“We’re excited about this new chapter of America Makes,” said Scott Deutsch, America Makes spokesman. “It’s a natural progression for Rob to take on this role.”

Gorham most recently served as America Makes director of operations. He was hired in 2013 as its deputy director for technology.

Before that, Gorham served as the senior manager for Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Prototyping as part of the Advanced Development Programs at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. He earned a master’s in engineering from Southern Methodist University and a baccalaureate in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University.

America Makes, based in Youngstown, is the first of the Obama administration’s advanced manufacturing hubs that encourage partnerships between the private and public sectors. America Makes, administered by NCDMM, is designed to accelerate research and development related to additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.