Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation President Pamela Kan was appointed chair of the California Manufacturers and Technology Association (CMTA) Board of Directors at the trade organization's annual meeting. The CMTA is a nonprofit that works to improve the business climate for California's 3,000-plus manufacturing, processing and tech companies - like Bishop-Wisecarver, which manufactures linear and rotary guided motion technologies. Kan first enrolled as a member in 2004 and stepped up to the governing board in 2008. She joined Bishop-Wisecarver in 1991 as a corporate programs director, was appointed president in 2000, and acquired controlling shares of the company in 2009.

Kan's experience as a small business executive, as a woman in manufacturing and as a second-generation owner of her company, will make her a powerful advocate for other manufacturers in California, said CMTA President Jack M. Stewart. She grew up in the business, he noted. Kan's father, Bud Wisecarver, founded Bishop-Wisecarver and invented numerous products and technologies, including the company's signature DualVee Guide Wheel.

"California manufacturers are indeed fortunate to have Pamela Kan serve as their chair of the California Manufacturers and Technology Association for the next two years," Stewart said. "She brings an extraordinary level of enthusiasm and personal commitment to the job. As a small business owner who has to compete in a cost-competitive global market, Pamela will provide a wealth of operational knowledge to CMTA through her experience as president of Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation."

Kan was sworn in on June 29 during a governing board meeting at the CMTA's annual Manufacturing Summit in Sacramento. "I think it will be a very interesting two years for our state in terms of manufacturing and the laws that govern it," Kan said. "I am excited to help give manufacturing a voice in Sacramento." She said her main focus, however, will be to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in California schools. "The CMTA is working on building an education platform and I am very eager to be a part of that work," Kan said. "Having an education system in our state that allows kids to graduate from high school with the foundation for a technical skills-based job is vitally important."

Kan has made it a priority for Bishop-Wisecarver to support education through sponsorships, mentorships and other community involvement. Her role at CMTA will give her a stronger, farther-reaching role in supporting STEM academics. "We once had one of the top educational systems in the country and the world and recent data now ranks our state 48 out of 50," she noted. "None of us should be satisfied with that performance for California and the future of our kids."