Learn more about first-ever White House Maker Faire

UT, Oak Ridge, Knoxville participating

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Mayors from the Manufacturing Alliance of Communities, including MAC Chair Dayne Walling, mayor of Flint, Mich.; founding MAC Chair Virg Bernero, mayor of Lansing, Mich.; and Mayor Kevin Smith of Anderson, Ind., will participate today with President Barack Obama in the first-ever Maker Faire to be held at the White House.

MAC mayors, who have been enthusiastic supporters of the Maker Movement to democratize access to high-tech tools for all innovators and makers in their communities, will join Obama and scores of entrepreneurs and industry leaders to highlight a “nationwide day of making” across the country. This event at the White House is intended to increase awareness of the great potential for boosting innovation and entrepreneurship in manufacturing, in the same way that the Internet and cloud computing lowered the barriers to entry for digital startups, creating the foundation for new products and processes that can help to revitalize American manufacturing.

Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and the University of Tennessee are participating. Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan and Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero have both been designated Maker Mayors.

The MAC, a national coalition of local government officials seeking to grow the manufacturing economy, has played an important role in the events leading up to this event. In May, MAC helped to launch the “Mayors Maker Challenge” on the MAC website to recruit a network of mayors to become “Maker Mayors” and pledge to take on at least one activity to foster the goals of the Maker Movement. More than 80 mayors from around the nation have taken this pledge, including the mayors of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Seattle, Detroit, and many other cities large and small.

The MAC has also compiled a “Maker Mayors Action Report” to highlight the efforts of mayors and cities across the nation to boost the Maker Movement in their own communities and drive 21st Century technological innovation, which will be released today (Wednesday) and is available on the MAC’s website at www.ManufacturingAlliance.us.

The June 18 White House event will also include a policy meeting between participating mayors and senior administration officials, including Jeff Zients, the director of the National Economic Council and assistant to the president for economic policy; John Holdren, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Jay Williams, U.S. Department of Commerce assistant secretary for economic development; David Agnew, the White House director of intergovernmental relations; and Jason Miller, the senior advisor to the president on manufacturing.

Mayor Walling of Flint states that “I am honored to be part of this exciting event with President Obama to spur access to cutting-edge tools for our entrepreneurs of all ages, and I pledge to collaborate with Flint and the whole nation to support our makers and advanced manufacturing, together with businesses, colleges, universities, cultural organizations, schools, and community development organizations.”

For more information on the White House Maker Faire and the National Day of Making, visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/makerfaire and follow #NationOfMakers on Twitter.

See the Maker Mayors Action Report here: Maker Mayors Action Report.