NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka has been appointed as the Chair of the Conference of State Manufacturers Associations (COSMA). COSMA is a network comprising 50 state-based manufacturing partners that collaborate with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to promote effective policies.
Siekerka will lead COSMA for a two-year term, following her role as vice chair during 2023-2024. NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons commented on her appointment, stating, “Michele’s leadership as COSMA chair is instrumental to ensuring the manufacturing community can speak with a strong and unified voice.”
Timmons further added, “We will continue to rely on Michele’s counsel as we work with a new Congress and administration to enact pro-growth tax and regulatory reforms that will help improve the quality of life for all Americans.”
Addressing challenges faced by manufacturers, Siekerka remarked, “New Jersey manufacturers share the same challenges their counterparts in other states face – workforce shortages, high interest rates that limit access to capital, global supply chain disruptions, overregulation, and government red tape that strangles growth.” She expressed her commitment to working with COSMA to tackle these issues.
In addition to her new role at COSMA, Siekerka joined NAM’s board of directors last year. She played a key role in organizing COSMA's annual conference in New Jersey last summer. The event took place from July 28-31 at Seaview in Atlantic County and brought together leaders from the U.S. manufacturing industry.
The upcoming annual COSMA meeting is scheduled for late July 2025 in Portland, Oregon. Looking ahead, Siekerka stated, “I’m looking forward to working with all of the COSMA representatives around the country to continue the steps of advancing a competitive manufacturing agenda that promotes prosperity for the industry and beyond.”
