Dr. Bartles currently serves as CEO of the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). He was previously appointed to the role in 2019 after nearly a decade of service on the organization’s Board of Directors from 2010 to 2019. In 2020, he established the parent holding company, Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group (MTDG), where he serves as President and CEO.

Prior to his leadership at NCDMM, Dr. Bartles served as CEO of the National Tooling and Machining Association and was the founding Executive Director of the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center at the University of New Hampshire.

He was also the founding Executive Director of the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) in Chicago and served as Chief Manufacturing Officer at UI LABS, helping to advance national digital manufacturing initiatives.

Dr. Bartles previously spent 31 years with General Dynamics Corporation, where he designed and commissioned manufacturing facilities in Egypt and Turkey and managed multiple U.S.-based manufacturing operations. He began his career as an Industrial Engineer on the A-10 program at Fairchild Republic Company.

A recognized leader in the manufacturing community, Dr. Bartles has served as President of the North American Manufacturing Research Institute (2016–2017), President of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (2016), and founding Chairman of the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition. He earned a Ph.D. in Technology Management with a concentration in Manufacturing Systems from Indiana State University.

Dr. Bartles currently serves on several national boards, including the National Small Business Association, the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, the MTConnect Institute Board of Trustees, the Manufacturing Leadership Council’s Board of Governors, the Industry Advisory Board for the College of Industrial and Systems Engineering at George Mason University, and the Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA). He also serves as Chairman of the Florida State Engineering Technology Industry Advisory Board, representing 23 community colleges across Florida, and as Chair of the Engineering Technology Advisory Committee at St. Petersburg College.