Dr. Craig Blue is the Defense Manufacturing Program Director for the National Security Science Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  ORNL’s Advanced Manufacturing Program capitalizes on ORNL’s world-class user facilities such as the Spallation Neutron Source, Center for Nanophase Materials Science, Building Technologies Research and Integration Center, Carbon Fiber Technology Facility (CFTF), Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF), and the National Transportation and Research Center. The Advanced Manufacturing Program played key roles in the initiation and support of both the MDF and CFTF.

Craig's pioneering spirit brings a rich background as both a researcher and scientific leader driving a manufacturing vision for over two decades. He was the founding director of the MDF and the founding CEO of the Composites Institute, IACMI. Most recently he initiated a national machine tool program, America’s Cutting Edge (ACE), to drive the revitalization of the machine tool industry in the US. He has more than 25 years of experience in conducting research in materials and manufacturing technologies, has authored approximately 100 open literature publications, holds 23 U.S. patents, and has received numerous awards including 11 R&D 100 Awards. He has served by invitation on numerous scientific and technical review panels, committees, and convocations convened by the National Science Foundation, the Council on Competitiveness, Manufacturing USA, and National Academies of Sciences and Engineering. He is a Battelle Distinguished Inventor, Fellow of ASM International, Fellow of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and has held adjunct faculty appointments at the University of Tennessee, University of North Texas, and the Colorado School of Mines. In his most recent role, Craig served as the Founding Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, an Institute within the White House Manufacturing USA initiative comprising of a public-private partnership to increase domestic production capacity, grow manufacturing, and create jobs across the US composite industry with more than 150 members. Most recently, Craig was selected by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers as one of the “25 leaders transforming manufacturing”.