The National Association of Manufacturers has announced that James Stern, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Milwaukee-based A. O. Smith Corp., has been elected to the NAM board of directors.
“Jim brings a wealth of business knowledge to the NAM board of directors, particularly in legal, strategy, compliance and government affairs,” said NAM president and chief executive officer Jay Timmons. “As a leader in his community and industry, Jim has proven time and again that he is an important part of a new era in manufacturing, helping keep a company celebrating its 140th anniversary on the cutting edge. He will serve a valuable role in setting the manufacturing agenda and driving pro-growth policies.”
Stern joined A. O. Smith Corp. in 2007 and serves on the senior leadership team of the global water technology company. His responsibilities include management of legal, compliance and government affairs throughout the company’s worldwide operations, and he focuses heavily on strategy and corporate development.
He currently serves on the board of directors of Jason Industries Inc., a global manufacturer with four segments: seating, furnishing, components and automotive acoustics. Stern also serves on the board of directors of the Fleck Foundation, a Milwaukee-based charitable organization focused on inner-city schools and transitional housing, and the Milwaukee Archdiocese, where he also serves on its executive committee.
Stern is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Northwestern University School of Law and the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.
Executives on the NAM board, which comprises more than 200 manufacturing leaders and represents companies of all sizes in every industrial sector, are the driving force behind NAM’s advocacy efforts to make the manufacturing comeback in America a reality. NAM is at the forefront of federal policy debates that affect manufacturers and the 12 million men and women who make up the workforce.
