John Engler

John Engler is president of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the largest industry trade group in America, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. A former three-term governor of Michigan, Engler became NAM president on Oct. 1, 2004.

As NAM president, Engler is a leading advocate for the more than 14 million Americans employed directly in manufacturing, educating the public and policymakers on issues that affect this critical sector of the U.S. economy. He promotes a broad-based agenda for maintaining U.S. competitiveness by lifting unnecessary burdens on manufacturing: excessive taxation and regulation, the high cost of health care, expensive litigation and soaring energy costs.

Recognizing that manufacturing provides the bulk of U.S. exports, Engler promotes opening of foreign markets to this country’s manufactured goods. Under his leadership, the NAM helped win adoption of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in 2005 and he actively promotes other trade agreements. Engler was appointed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to serve on the Advisory Committee on Transformational Diplomacy, developing new approaches to diplomacy that reflect the globalized economy. In September 2005, Engler was named vice chairman of the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), the U.S. government’s senior trade advisory panel. U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez appointed Engler to serve on the Deemed Export Advisory Committee in August 2006, reviewing technology transfer policies to promote U.S. competitiveness while ensuring national security.

During his tenure at the NAM, Engler has emerged as one of the nation’s top advocates for developing the abundant domestic energy supplies to meet the needs of a growing economy. The NAM helped create the Consumer Alliance for Energy Security to promote exploration and development of natural gas and oil resources in the Outer Continental Shelf, and Engler is a strong supporter of expanding renewable energy, clean-coal technology and revitalizing America’s nuclear power industry.

Engler also focuses on competitiveness through innovation, emphasizing research and development, implementation of information technology – including in the area of health care – intellectual property rights, visas for skilled foreign workers, and education and training.  In line with these goals, the NAM chairs the Compete America Coalition, representing more than 200 corporations, universities, research institutions and trade associations.

Engler sees the looming shortage of skilled manufacturing employees as a growing threat to American competitiveness in the 21st century’s high-tech global economy. He is a member of the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, formed by the National Center on Education and the Economy to chart a course for U.S. education and workforce.

As Governor, Engler signed 32 tax cuts into law – saving Michigan taxpayers some $32 billion – and helped create more than 800,000 new jobs during his tenure, taking Michigan’s unemployment rate to a record low. The top priority of Engler’s administration was improving education, with a focus on high standards, equity and accountability.

Prior to becoming Michigan’s 46th Governor in 1991, Engler had served for 20 years in the Michigan Legislature, including seven years as State Senate Majority Leader. When first elected in 1970, he was the youngest person ever elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives. In 1990, he became the first sitting legislator elected Michigan Governor in more than 100 years.

Born in Mount Pleasant, MI, in 1948, Engler graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in agricultural economics. Later, he earned a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing. He serves on the boards of Northwest Airlines, Universal Forest Products and the Wolf Trap Foundation, and is a past chairman of the National Governors’ Association. He and his wife Michelle are parents of triplet daughters born in 1994 – Margaret, Hannah and Madeleine.