Mike Molnar likes to be introduced simply as "a manufacturing guy from industry" with nearly 30 years of experience in advanced manufacturing. To help provide an industry focus in 2011 he was named the first Chief Manufacturing Officer of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Today Mike leads the NIST Advanced Manufacturing Program Office for extramural manufacturing programs and also serves as the director of the interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office. As called for by the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership initiative, the AMNPO's mission is to foster industry-led partnerships and to form a "whole of government" approach to strengthen competitiveness and innovation in U.S. manufacturing.

Mike's experience includes leadership roles in advanced manufacturing, metrology, manufacturing systems, quality, technology development, sustainability and industrial energy efficiency. His credentials include service as a Federal Fellow in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and election as Fellow of both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, a Certified Manufacturing Engineer and a Certified Energy Manager. He received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, and both a Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He is an active member of professional societies, consortia and volunteer organizations.