Delivering AM Solutions that Strengthen and Secure Our Nation

The month of September marks one year since Andy turned in his Army civilian ID badge and joined TBGA.  Andy’s decision to journey into the “private sector” filled an essential role at TBGA that demonstrates how convening the right people across government, industry, academia, and allied partners can drive the adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) and strengthen our national security.

Andy has public service in his blood. With a lineage of family military service reaching back to the Civil War, he was destined to serve the United States in some capacity. Andy grew up in a home that valued hard work, service to the community, humility, and a healthy curiosity about how things work. As he embarked on his engineering career, his Dad shared this: “Remember that the guy running the machine and turning the wrench knows more about his domain than you do.”

Andy spent most of his 19 years with the Army working in and around manufacturing technology and the defense industrial base. In his role with the Department of Defense (DoD), Andy was part of the team that responded to the White House call to establish the Manufacturing USA institutes, championed the initial Army, and eventually DoD-wide additive manufacturing technology roadmaps; and convened key Army AM leaders to form the Army’s AM Community of Practice (CoP), all leading to a more coordinated and collaborative strategy behind the Army’s advanced manufacturing investments. His last position with the DoD, prior to joining TBGA, was as the Deputy Director and Chief Technology Officer of the Industrial Base Analysis & Sustainment (IBAS) program within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy where he drove action around building partnerships and investment plans leading to major initiatives focused on increasing the manufacturing capability and capacity in the U.S. 

The last 15 years have seen a step-function increase in policy related to and funding for advanced manufacturing and industrial base efforts across the U.S. Government.  The message has been clear:  we must act now.  For Andy, action meant stepping away from the civil service and joining TBGA with a new public service mission: Deliver solutions that strengthen and secure our nation.

“Historians generally agree that a major factor in the Allied victory in WWII was the might of the U.S. industrial base. The subsequent growth in the U.S. economy in the years that followed was similarly driven by our ability to produce goods here at home. In recent years, we’ve seen the impact of offshoring and outsourcing manufacturing – COVID-19 lockdowns, a poorly parked ship in the Suez Canal, and even natural disasters in other countries have disrupted the global supply chain and our way of life.  We now sit at a critical juncture in history: to maintain our way of life, we must shift our approach to how and where we manufacture goods.  The rapid adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies is one way the U.S. can ensure our place on the world stage.  Specifically, continued emphasis on additive-enabled manufacturing is necessary to increase adoption by industry. The U.S. Government plays a critical role in de-risking this adoption.” 

With TBGA, Andy will capitalize on his experience with the DoD to foster initiatives that will advance U.S. manufacturing.  These include expansion and implementation of the Resilient Manufacturing Ecosystem, the emphasis on AM qualification for Columbia and Virginia class submarines, and continuing to establish and grow partnerships that will directly impact our nation’s ability to maintain our position as the global leader in manufacturing innovation and excellence.