Melissa Travis | Rhode Island Manufacturers Association CEO and president
Leadership is not about fitting into a mold – it is about shattering it to do what is right. Build coalitions. Deliver results. Use power wisely and, above all, protect your integrity. When you reach a door that will not open – push it open. Then hold it for the person behind you.
Manufacturing is Rhode Island’s economic engine – and it is transforming at the speed of technology. The stakes are high, and industry and state leaders recognize the urgency of this moment. As the newly named CEO and president of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, my responsibility is clear: embrace artificial intelligence and prepare our workforce not just to compete – but to win – in a smarter economy.
This is a generational opportunity. Technology-literate employees will redefine even traditionally labor-intensive businesses – driving productivity, improving quality and expanding opportunity. When people are told they belong and are given the tools to succeed, trajectories change and seats at the table expand.
AI in manufacturing is a force multiplier. It anticipates failures, detects defects in real time, strengthens supply chains and sharpens forecasting. Smarter systems. Better decisions. Stronger outcomes. AI elevates human judgment – it does not replace it.
If manufacturing drives our economy, funding, policy and investment must reflect that reality. We cannot call it the engine, then refuse to fuel it.
Structural change – not symbolism – drives competitiveness.
Manufacturing is transforming Rhode Island. Now, Rhode Island must rise to transform manufacturing.