Vice President of Ecosystem & Workforce Development

Conrad Leiva was appointed the Director of Workforce & Ecosystem Development of the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII) in March of 2020. Conrad is a proven executive leader and recognized industry domain expert in Smart Manufacturing. He joins us from his previous role as VP, Market Strategy & Alliances at iBASEt, a developer of manufacturing software with a focus on highly regulated complex industries. Conrad worked several roles in 20+ years at iBASEt, including training, product strategy, consulting, marketing, and alliances with MES, PLM, ERP, plant automation, and systems integration partners.

Conrad holds an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, certifications in MES/MOM manufacturing operations management methodologies, and he is a certified Quality Auditor. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, and his writing includes guidebooks, whitepapers, online courses and articles. His recent works have focused on Smart Manufacturing, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and the digital thread between engineering, business, manufacturing and sustainment systems.

Conrad is a lifetime member of MESA International, where he is currently Chairman of the Smart Manufacturing Working Group. In this role, he has 10+ years of experience engaging with manufacturers, solution providers, business leaders and practitioners across all the dimensions of the industry creating education materials on both How and Why to leverage information technology. In 2019, MESA awarded him an Innovation Leadership Award for his leadership with the Smart Manufacturing Working Group and Community.