Frank W. Ervin III Elected Board President of the SME Education Foundation

New Foundation officers, directors take office in January 2023

SOUTHFIELD, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The SME Education Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SME, announced Frank W. Ervin III was elected as its 2023 board of directors’ president at its recent SME Fall Gala, with all officers and directors taking office Jan. 1. The board, comprising leaders from industry, academia, and the community, is the governing body of the Foundation.

“As the SME Education Foundation 2023 president, I’m looking forward to working with our officers and directors in executing the organization’s five-year plan focused on inspiring, preparing and supporting the next generation of manufacturing talent,” said Ervin. “We are focusing on moving forward all of our initiatives, including our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Ervin is managing director of Ervin Policy Group, LLC, a full-service public policy and advocacy enterprise serving clients in the automotive industry. His experience also includes leadership roles with the Piston Group, Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, and Magna International.

2023 SME Education Foundation Officers

The officers and directors of the SME Education Foundation board of directors act as the governing body of the Foundation with budget authority and oversight responsibility. They include:

• President ―Frank W. Ervin III, Ervin Policy Group LLC, West Bloomfield, Michigan
• Vice President ― Erica Powell Bell, Mobex Global, Southfield, Michigan
• Secretary/Treasurer ― Andrew M. "Andy" Jones, Seizert Capital Partners, Birmingham, Michigan

2023-24 Education Foundation Directors

• Adam Claytor, Coltrane Logistics, Wixom, Michigan
• Valerie I. Freeman, Washington Park High School, Racine, Wisconsin
• Robert “Robby” Komljenovic, Acieta, Waukesha, Wisconsin
• Arthur F. McClellan Jr., Lear Corp., Southfield, Michigan
• Peter Mancini, Mastercam, Somers, Connecticut
• John F. Miller, Siemens Digital Industries Software, Plano, Texas
• Christopher A. Rake, FIRST, Manchester, New Hampshire
• Kyle M. Riegel, Schunk Carbon Technology, West Des Moines, Iowa
• Marion Wells, Human Asset Management, Flossmoor, Illinois

“This group of officers and directors possess strong leadership and exceptional manufacturing acumen and experience that will help accelerate our activities in educating high-school and post-secondary students,” said Rob Luce, vice president of the SME Education Foundation. “I anticipate them building on the strong growth we’ve seen in the last few years.”

The Foundation leverages the 90-year history and thought leadership of SME in the manufacturing and engineering industry to attract and develop a skilled manufacturing workforce, inspiring students through its Bright Minds Student Summit program, preparing them via its SME PRIME program, and supporting their college education through its student scholarship program. All Foundation activities are designed to empower thousands of young people across the country to pursue careers in manufacturing and engineering.

To learn more about the SME Education Foundation Board of Directors, visit smeef.org/about-smeef/leadership/.

About the SME Education Foundation

The SME Education Foundation inspires, prepares, and supports the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent. Since its organization by SME in 1979, the SME Education Foundation works to bring students, educators, industry, and communities together through its SME PRIME program; awards annual student scholarships and conducts the Student Summit Event Series held at SME events in North America. Visit the SME Education Foundation at smeeducationfoundation.org. Follow @mfgeducation on Twitter or at facebook.com/SME.Education.Foundation.

NOTE TO EDITORS: High-resolution images of Frank Ervin III, Rob Luce, the SME Education Foundation 2023 Board of Directors officers and directors are available from SME. More detail on each individual can be found on the SMEEF.org website.