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J. Chancy Lyford is the Division Chief for External Affairs, Performance and Support at the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).  He was previously the Executive Officer of program. Prior to his joining MEP in 2015, he served for four years as the Deputy Associate Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) program. Chancy worked for twelve years as a SBDC Program Manager where he held a portfolio with oversight responsibility of more than $30 million in federal funds. During his tenure as a Program Manager, he spent two years overhauling the SBA's Office of Women's Business Ownership after being called upon to be the program’s (Acting) Deputy Assistant Administrator. Chancy served in various roles at SBA, including Chief of Staff to the Deputy Administrator, Senior Advisor in the Office of Policy, and as a Public Affairs Officer.

Chris Stafford currently leads the polymer membranes effort in the Functional Polymers Group in NIST's Material Measurement Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst in 2001 and then joined NIST as a guest researcher and was awarded an NRC Post-doctoral Fellowship in 2002. Chris’ spare time is consumed by his two outgoing daughters, and when he can get away, he enjoys playing volleyball, basketball, softball, and traveling to the occasional conference.

The Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) is part of the College of Engineering and the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations at Iowa State University. Since 1963, CIRAS has been partnering with Iowa companies and communities to help them prosper and grow. Their partnerships stretch across ISU and beyond. Relationships with public and private experts enable us to deliver a solution that meets your needs. Last year companies that worked with CIRAS reported $414 million in impact — new investments, higher sales, and lower costs. Healthy communities through business prosperity: that’s the CIRAS vision for Iowa.

Marlon Walker is a physical scientist in the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program at NIST.  He is the manager for the MEP-Assisted Technology and Technical Resource (MATTR) service, helping small and medium-sized manufacturers by connecting them, through the MEP Centers, with the technical expertise of staff, laboratory facilities, and other resources of NIST.

Prior to joining MEP, he was a research chemist in the Material Measurement Science Division in the Material Measurement Laboratory at NIST, with scientific interests in the direction of creation and non-destructive characterization of engineered “soft-surfaces” such as those made involving self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and thin organic films. Recent efforts centered around surface modification strategies using oligo (ethylene oxide)-based self-assembled monolayers for resistance of non-specific protein adsorption.  Past studies included using in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry to explore the interactions of certain additives critical to the copper electrodeposition process, research relevant to the microelectronic industry.  He is heavily involved in STEM-related outreach efforts to organizations such as NOBCChE.

Marlon received his B.S. in Chemistry from Duke University, an M.S. degree in Nuclear Chemistry from Indiana University, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Robert “Skip” Vaughn joined NIST in November 2016 as the Chief Facilities Management Officer and the Director of the Office of Facilities and Property Management. In these roles, Skip provides advice to the NIST Director and senior NIST leadership on matters affecting the operation and administration of the NIST sites in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Boulder, Colorado. Skip’s history with sustainable engineering/construction stretches more than two decades, from being part of the first Super ESPC (Energy Savings Performance Contract) program development team with the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1990s, to leading the team that earned the first LEED Platinum rated federal building project in the Washington, D.C., area in the early 2000s.

The New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NH MEP) is able to leverage a vast array of public and private resources and services that are available to every manufacturing enterprise in the state. The National Network of MEP Centers is linked through the U.S. Department of Commerce – National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with the common goal to strengthen the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers. NH MEP provides affordable, innovative solutions to the problems encountered by today's manufacturing enterprise by facilitating interaction between industry, government and academia.

Scott Glancy is a theoretical physicist in the Applied and Computational Mathematics Division in NIST's Information Technology Laboratory. His current research interests are in quantum information theory, especially the analysis of data from experiments testing quantum foundations or demonstrating quantum computation protocols. He teaches a middle-school Bible study class, and his favorite superhero is the Silver Surfer.

MMA-MEP is a non-profit organization that helps Mississippi manufacturers to be globally competitive. With our manufacturing experts and network of industry resources, we provide the change that makes the significant difference between surviving and thriving. MMA-MEP is a catalyst for strengthening American manufacturing — accelerating its ongoing transformation into a more efficient and powerful engine of innovation driving economic growth and job creation. Our community college and university-based MEP Mississippi Centers provide small- and medium-sized manufacturers the tools to innovate, create and retain jobs, increase profits, and save time and money.