Slade Gardner is President of Big Metal Additive, a manufacturing company using large scale metal additive manufacturing to produce customer products. Dr. Gardner has led BMA from startup to an internationally recognized company serving customers in the space, maritime, aerospace, and energy markets. He is the 2022 SME Additive Manufacturing Industry Achievement award winner recognizing outstanding accomplishments of significant impact advancing industrial additive manufacturing. Previously, Slade was distinguished Fellow at Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Fellow at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Skunk Works™. He has served national laboratory, US Government, and industry boards, notably as chair of External Advisory Board for Sandia National Lab’s ‘Born Qualified’ program. He serves additive manufacturing standards committees for NASA, Navy, API, AWS and ASME. His PhD in Chemical Engineering was earned at Virginia Tech and his BS is from Lafayette College. Personal interests include traveling and dining with his wife, all seasons of mountain sports, and he is an avid motorcycle enthusiast.