Massachusetts MEP: Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2007

For more information please contact:
Jack Healy
MassMEP
Tel: 508-831-7020

MASSMEP APPOINTS TWO NEW MEMBERS TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

WORCESTER, MA - The Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP), a resource organization for manufacturing companies across the state has elected two new members to their Board of Directors. Sharon Johnson, the director of the industrial engineering program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and David Morgan, general manager of Perkins Products at Perkins School for the Blind will both fill vacancies on the board.

“Sharon has an extensive research background in areas such as Lean process design and enterprise engineering and teaches courses on operations management and facility layout at WPI. David Morgan has 27 years of business experience and has an accomplished career in the leadership of profitable business organizations and large-scale manufacturing operations,” said John Prosser, chairman of the MassMEP Board of Directors. “These two individuals will each bring a variety of skill sets and expertise to our board.”

Johnson has authored a number of publications and proceedings in refereed journals. She is also the associate editor for the Journal of Manufacturing Systems. Johnson frequently presents at conferences and seminars such as the INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) National Conference, the IIE (Institute of Industrial Engineers) Annual Conference and the POMS (Production and Operations Management Society) Conference.

As general manager of Perkins Products at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Morgan directly oversees all aspects of the Perkins Products Division, including strategic planning operations, research and development, and sales and marketing. Prior to his position at Perkins School, he was President of Laurier, Inc., a leading manufacturer of back-end microelectronic assembly equipment in Londonderry, NH. Morgan also spent two years as COO and Vice President of Bostomatic Corporation, part of the Swiss machine tool manufacturer, Agie-Charmilles in Milford, MA. In the late 90s, Morgan was director of operations at Zero Emission Technology based out of Durham, NH and also held managerial positions in Aavid Thermal Technologies in Concord and Hitchiner Manufacturing Company in Milford, NH.

The MassMEP is an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The national MEP system is a network of manufacturing extension centers that provide business and technical assistance to smaller manufacturers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Through MEP, manufacturers have access to more than 2,000 manufacturing and business “coaches” whose job is to help firms make changes that lead to greater productivity, increased profits and enhanced global competitiveness. For more information, please visit www.massmep.org, or phone 1-800-MEP-4MFG.

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