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Impact Washington – NIST MEP Welcomes Kelley Sowards as Account Executive and Announces Board Updates

Tuesday, June 13, 2023 | News Release, All

Personnel Changes Strengthen Manufacturing Expertise with New Regional Leadership and Board Transitions

Impact Washington, an approved center and official representative of the MEP National Network in Washington state, today announced the appointment of Kelley Sowards as Account Executive in North Puget Sound Region. Sowards brings over 15 years of manufacturing experience, including as former head of Business Operations and Quality of Eviation Aircraft in Arlington and Vice President of Operations at Meter Group in Pullman. Kelley has served on the Impact Washington Board of Directors for seven years, most recently as the Center's first female Board Chair.

"On behalf of our Board and Impact Washington's leadership team, we thank Kelley for her service and longstanding commitment to the Center," stated Deloit R Wolfe, Jr, President and Center Director of Impact Washington. "We greatly appreciate the leadership, insight, and expertise she has provided over the years and welcome her and her expertise in a full-time capacity to our team.

Sowards said, "I thrive on making an impact and look forward to utilizing my expertise to help manufacturers execute solutions that optimize their company growth across all functions. Impact Washington is delivering exceptional work and achieving some of their biggest impacts statewide, making it an exciting time to join the organization. I am thrilled to be part of this organization. I am excited to serve manufacturers and build partnerships throughout my home region of Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and San Juan counties!"

Steve Wittenberg Impact Washington's current Board Vice-Chair has agreed to move into the Chair role. He added, "Kelley has been a valuable member of the Board, and we have appreciated her experience, thoughtful insights, and impactful guidance as a Board member. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank Kelly for her service and commitment to Impact Washington, and we wish her all the best in her new role."

Other board changes included naming Jenny Snow-Boscolo as Vice Chair.

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About Impact Washington-NIST MEP

As a NIST MEP–approved Center, Impact Washington is the official representative of the MEP National Network in Washington State. Impact Washington is a statewide non-profit organization that provides competitive, value-driven consulting and training services. With access to public and private resources, we enhance growth, improve productivity, reduce costs, and expand manufacturing capacity in Washington. Our solutions, consulting, and educational opportunities focus on small and medium-sized manufacturers throughout the state. 1997 Impact Washington has delivered measurable, validated business results/impacts to more than 1,500 Washington State manufacturers.

Media Contact: Carol Blayden | cblayden@impactwashington.org | 425.231.5828

About MEP National NetworkTM

The MEP National NetworkTM is a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth and advancing U.S. manufacturing.

Focused on helping small and medium-sized manufacturers generate business results and thrive in today's technology-driven economy, the MEP National Network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), the 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, the MEP Advisory Board, MEP Center boards, and the Foundation for Manufacturing Excellence, as well as over 1,450 trusted advisors and experts at approximately 430 MEP service locations, providing any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources they need to succeed.

In 2022, the MEP National Network connected with more than 33,500 manufacturers, leading to $18.8 billion in sales, $2.5 billion in cost savings, and $6.4 billion in new client investments, and helped create or retain more than 116,700 jobs.

About NIST

NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology to enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. NIST is a nonregulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. To learn more about NIST, visit www.nist.gov

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