Biography: As Executive Director and CEO of Automation Alley, Tom Kelly has led Automation Alley’s rapid transformation from a well-branded business organization to Michigan’s Industry 4.0 knowledge center. Kelly joined Automation Alley in 2014 as director of entrepreneurship following a variety of leadership roles in technology, business and entrepreneurship consulting. One of his first accomplishments was the creation and launch of Automation Alley’s 7Cs program to help advanced manufacturing entrepreneurs accelerate the commercialization of their products, services and technologies. In May 2015, he was promoted to chief operating officer, and in 2016 was named Automation Alley’s executive director and CEO. Prior to joining Automation Alley, Kelly directed marketing for the tenth largest industrial distributor in the U.S.; spearheaded innovation and sales automation at Dow Jones & Co., NY as a consultant with IBM’s Salesforce Transformation practice; patented and launched revolutionary automatic 3D model generation software in the CAD industry, winning the Cadence magazine “Best of Show” award at the National Design and Manufacturing Expo in Chicago; and successfully launched three separate startup companies over a span of ten years for angel, VC, and corporate investors in the fields of software, manufacturing technology, and distribution. Through these experiences, Kelly has enthusiastically applied his expertise in sales, marketing, and executive management, to companies at all stages of corporate evolution. Read more about his vision for Michigan and Automation Alley: http://bit.ly/2bLiksh