Zahraha Brunner (Fed)

Zara Brunner is the Division Chief of the Partnerships and Outreach Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM). Zara received a B.A. with honors in political science with a focus on economics from State University of New York at Fredonia.

Prior to joining OAM, Zara managed Marketing and Communications at the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), which she joined in 2011. At MEP, she oversaw internal and external marketing and communications about the program and its national network of centers. She co-led the national Manufacturing Day campaign for MEP, coordinating with the other campaign co-founders: the National Association of Manufacturers and its Manufacturing Institute, Fabricators and Manufacturers Association International, Discovery Communication’s Science Channel, and Industrial Strength Marketing. She previously worked with the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program after a decade of experience in the business and legal sectors, where she held a range of management and marketing positions.

As the OAM Communications Manager, Zara coordinates strategic communications to various stakeholders across multiple platforms and collaborates with the institutes, federal agencies, and other partners about Manufacturing USA and advanced manufacturing.