Tom Kimbis, exectuive director and CEO of the NPA, brings years of experience serving as a liaison to the White House, building public-private partnerships, spearheading strategic planning, and engaging industry leadership. He has launched and led game-changing initiatives in areas as diverse as technical standards, energy policy, consumer protection, trade, stakeholder engagement, and political communications. Kimbis graduated with honors from Williams College with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, and from the University of Virginia with a Juris Doctor degree. He has earned certificates in leadership from the Brookings Institution and in management from the American Management Association. He currently serves as a trustee of Pickering Creek Audubon Center and on the Legal Advisory Council of the American Society of Association Executives.

In her capacity as chief executive officer, Robert is leading the strategic refresh of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), including market positioning, revenue expansion and diversification, partnerships, membership, research, and governance structure.

Before coming to AWIS, Robert served as the first executive director of the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives (CESSE), leading the development of its first operational structure, bringing its signature CEO event to profitability, broadening the membership model, and strategically redesigning the partnership program to maximize mutual value.

Robert loves to “speak geek” and has supported the national engineering and manufacturing communities through leadership roles at Eastern Michigan University’s Center for Entrepreneurship, Society of Manufacturing Engineers and Corporation for a Skilled Workforce.

She is an avid advocate for the advancement of women in STEM careers, believing that it is imperative to bring the vast expertise of women to bear in solving the world’s grand challenges. Robert serves on the National Women’s Business Council.