AMIP Board Elections

Amy Meyer, M.ED

Amy Meyer is a seasoned business executive with over 25 years of experience in human resources, workforce development and marketing. Her experience has covered a variety of industries, most recently with advanced manufacturing and previously with domestic and international businesses. Amy is the Founder of Meyer Consulting Services.

Amy is currently the Chairman of the Board for the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Partnership (AMIP) Greater Cincinnati’s Industry Sector Partner a 501c3 non-profit focused on trades workforce development. Amy has been with AMIP since 2016 as the Industry Chair
alongside the Executive Director under the direction of Partners for Competitive Workforce. Along with the AMIP leadership team, Amy established an organizational structure securing our business certificate and non-profit status. AMIP has become a recognized Industry Sector
Partnership under the Ohio Manufacturers Association (OMA) under her leadership. Amy is a member of the OMA’s leadership council.

Amy most recently served as Interim CEO for TechSolve, SW Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). She has held key positions with Rhinestahl Corporation as Chief Organizational Development and Human Resources Officer, AAA Allied Group, F&W Media, Cincinnati Bell, and Ethicon Endo-Surgery throughout her career.

Her experience includes building strategic plans and delivering innovative people strategies for domestic and global growth utilizing organic and M&A capabilities. She has been a leader in accelerated cultural transformations to drive lasting change working hand in hand with executive peers to honor the importance of culture in driving business success. Her critical skills include understanding core competencies/assets of a business and the desired future state. Developing future leaders with strong self-awareness, respect, and integrity. Working as C-team leader to set the strategy and direction creating future-proofing high-level plans and benchmarks to achieve the strategy through balance of leadership and performance. Internal executive coach to C-suite. Amy earned a Bachelor’s degree from Miami University in marketing and quantitative analysis and a Masters in personnel, training & development from Xavier University.

Chris Leedy

Chris Leedy has 35+ years of experience in the specialty chemical industry, primarily in manufacturing and engineering. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, he is currently the Vice President of Business Services for Pilot Chemical and serves as the Board Secretary for AMIP. In 2013, Chris recognized the emerging concerns with workforce pipeline and development for the manufacturing industry and co-organized a regional team of leaders from chemical and food manufacturers, the EACC, and Cincinnati State to build a chemical operator certificate program to train current and future workforce. In 2017, he joined AMIP and has been one of the core leaders guiding our strategy, establishing our business incorporation and 501c3 non-profit status, and strengthening our partnership with the Ohio Manufacturers Association to bring long-term solutions for filling the workforce gap in Ohio. Chris is honored to continue serving on the AMIP Board and progress this important work that will strengthen manufacturing across our entire region.

James Sidertis

James Siderits has more than 30 years’ managerial experience in industrial and consumer markets directing marketing communications, emerging business development and project management of strategic business initiatives for global manufacturing companies.

Over those three decades, James has extensive experience working in director and executive management roles of diverse manufacturing companies. He is presently one of the owners of Blue Ash Tool & Die, started by his father Otto almost 60 years ago. BATD primarily supports the aerospace industry along with the Department of Defense. James has been a champion of manufacturing talent development for many years, working closely with regional vocational schools such as the Great Oaks Career Campuses, Butler Tech and organizations such as TechSolve. James is also on the board of directors for HAECO Inc., an adhesive equipment manufacturer located in Loveland, OH. He was also featured on one of AMIP’s most trafficked podcasts titled, “The Value of Head & Hand Knowledge” which is available on Spotify.

James’ son Joshua is also a recent graduate of Live Oaks Career Campus in Milford, OH and is presently a Mechanical Engineering sophomore at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. James Siderits has a BFA and MBA from the University of Cincinnati with concentrations in Electronic Media and Marketing.

Molly Fender

I am a Second-Generation Shareholder and Human Resources Executive at Monti Inc. who enjoys driving engagement and building organizational scalability. I thrive in dynamic organizations where anything is possible and much is still being built. A leader who consults, guides and coaches all levels of leadership to create a positive and productive environment. I care about people, growth, excellence and results. Bottom line, I believe in and deliver the impossible every day. That said, I want to continue to serve on AMIP Board of Directors. I believe it is extremely important for manufacturers to collaborate with like-minded individuals to build relationships with academic institutions and community partners in order to promote manufacturing and develop opportunities that generate a pool of qualified candidates to bridge the labor gap within the industry.

Susan Whitman

Whitman’s background, combined with a deep passion for promoting our regions’ skilled workforce pipeline for manufacturers and connecting educational programs, helps to further advance the AMIP mission to expose students and adults to advanced manufacturing opportunities, while working with businesses, educators and community-based organizations to attract and retain skilled workers in the region. 

Whitman’s work as President & Executive Director is transforming AMIP into a growing membership organization. Among the key AMIP projects, Whitman is actively involved in providing skilled and upscaled manufacturing employees through the Good Jobs Challenge, planning & executing Members Quarterly Meetings and Workshops, Manufacturing Month tours and Teacher Externships throughout the region, as well as facilitating additional training initiatives in connection to workforce development, strategic economic support of manufacturing career development, and regional efforts among manufacturers to increase manufacturer’s talent pipeline.

A lifelong resident of Cincinnati ,Whitman has a Masters In Business Administration from Ohio State University and a Bachelor degree in Marketing from Miami University. She has served in leadership roles in local non-profit,sectors. In her previous role as Senior Vice President at Truist Bank where she worked closely with commercial and middle market companies focusing on financial and strategic success.  She formerly held leadership positions in business development, business transformation and product management. Whitman has two grown sons and resides in Cincinnati with her husband. Mark. 

Will Healy III

Will Healy III is enthusiastic about manufacturing, human-centric technology, and workforce development. A resident of Cincinnati for more than 18 years, Will has been publicly active in the tri-state manufacturing community for more than a decade. Leading early Manufacturing Day events at Balluff Inc. in Florence, KY, Will is also an industrial advisor for the Cincinnati State & NKU Mechatronics programs as well as the Central State University Manufacturing Engineering Technology program. Since 2019, Will has been an active member of the AMIP leadership, stood up
the marketing arm of AMIP and helped organize amazing meetings over the years. Will officially joined the AMIP board of directors in 2022.

A Purdue University mechanical engineer who loves to share his passion for automation, Will is now a global leader at Universal Robots setting market strategy. Will brings his personal experience with team management, engaging students, applying automation, and managing culture change to the table. He really believes that local action like the work of AMIP is the best-kept-secret to helping manufacturers succeed at bridging the skills gap and creating value through automation. With more
than 20 years of manufacturing experience in a variety of industries including automotive, packaging, food & beverage, metal fabrication, welding and more; Will is a content creator bringing awareness to the awesomeness of Cincinnati manufacturing and is widely published, has been a podcast guest & panelist and has keynoted & presented internationally at a variety of industry conferences.