PITTSBURGH — Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing, or ARM, today named Brett Lambert as the chair of its board of directors. The public-private consortium was established in 2017 and is one of 15 Manufacturing USA Institutes. ARM’s mission is to increase the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers through workforce education and the adoption of advanced robotics.
In 2011, Lambert led the effort to establish the first Manufacturing USA site. He has been a member of ARM‘s board since its founding.

ARM Chair Brett Lambert
“I’m delighted to chair ARM’s board,” Lambert stated. “Since inception, ARM has played a pivotal role in catalyzing the advancement of robotic technologies and workforce development for manufacturing through its member consortium and funded projects. I look forward to continuing to provide advice and guidance to the organization.”
Lambert is managing director of The Densmore Group LLC, a national security and intelligence consulting firm. He has more than 20 years of experience in the defense and intelligence industry, serving as an executive and advisor at organizations including Northrop Grumman, the National Defense Industrial Association, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Lambert is an alumnus of Kansas State University and Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Lambert is also a member of the advisory boards of George Mason University’s School of Business Center for Government Contracting and of Gingko Bioworks. From 2009 to 2013, Lambert was deputy assistant secretary of defense for manufacturing and industrial base policy.
Lambert, other industry leaders guide ARM
Lambert serves alongside the following members of ARM’s board of directors:
- Marcia Ballinger – President, Lorain County Community College
- Eli Evankovich – CEO, Premier Automation
- Gary Fedder – Director, Manufacturing Futures Initiative (MFI), Carnegie Mellon University
- Petra Mitchell – President and CEO, Catalyst Connection
- John O’Leary – Vice president of engineering, Airbus Americas
- Sam Reiman – Director, Richard King Mellon Foundation
- Martin Schmidt – Provost, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Edward Tunstel – Associate director of robotics and Robotics Group leader, United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)
- Jeffrey Wilcox – Vice president of digital transformation, Lockheed Martin
ARM, which was founded at Carnegie Mellon University but is a national initiative, recently moved to new facilities in Pittsburgh. In May, it funded 11 new projects, and it has put out calls for other projects to receive funding. Earlier this month, ARM announced FANUC America Corp. as its 200th member.
CEO search commences
Dr. Byron Clayton, CEO of ARM, has announced his intention to resign from his role. He has given significant lead time on this decision so that the institute has time to implement a smooth and orderly CEO transition, ARM said.
The board of directors has approved a national search, which will begin shortly. In the meantime, Clayton will remain in the CEO role, and the organization said it expects to continue to deliver on its programs and strategies without disruption.
The Robot Report has launched the Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum, which will be on Dec. 9-10 in Santa Clara, Calif. The conference and expo focuses on improving the design, development and manufacture of next-generation healthcare robots. Learn more about the Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum.
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