Raleigh, N.C., July 30, 2019 -The North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP) today announced it has been selected to participate in a Policy Academy designed to help grow and strengthen manufacturing in the state of North Carolina. NCMEP will be part of a state-wide team that includes representatives from the governor’s office, state legislature, department of commerce, state economic development, community college system and organizations in the manufacturing industry. 

North Carolina is one of ten states from across the country selected to participate in this unique program. Over the course of the next year, interdisciplinary state teams will meet together in Washington, D.C., and separately in their home states, to develop and refine strategies impacting manufacturing industries.

John Loyack, Vice President of Global Business Services, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) and Phil Mintz, Executive Director of NCMEP and NC State University Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) will co-lead the NC Policy Academy core team. Other core team members include Jessica Englert, Esq., Workforce Development Policy Advisor for Governor Roy Cooper; and Jeff Debellis, Director of Economic and Policy Analysis, North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Members of the NC Policy Academy Home Team include: Jay Chaudhuri, North Carolina State Senator, District 15; Kyle Hall, NC State Congressman, District 91; Secretary Larry D. Hall, North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; Caroline Sullivan, Senior Advisor at North Carolina Business Committee for Education; Dr. Jenni Harris, Executive Director of Business Services, Division of Workforce Solutions, NC Department of Commerce; Kyle Martin, Vice President, General Manager of Electroswitch; Byron Murphy, Controller at Package Craft; Maureen Little, Vice President of Economic Development, North Carolina Community College System; Dr. Kimberly Gold, Chief Academic Officer, North Carolina Community College System; and Dominick Stephenson, Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation, IES.

The year-long Policy Academy will guide North Carolina through a planning and implementation process to identify relevant manufacturing-related partnerships and policies to move the state’s economic development strategies forward.

“Manufacturing is a vital component of our state’s economy,” said co-leader Phil Mintz.  “We intend to develop new initiatives or expand on those already in place to advance the North Carolina manufacturing agenda.”

The Policy Academy is being sponsored and coordinated by two national organizations — SSTI and the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) – with support from the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) based at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Media Contact:
Teresa Bradford
Director, Marketing
North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Email: teresa_bradford@ncsu.edu | Phone: 919-515-7885