Petra Mitchell

Ms. Petra Mitchell is the President and CEO of Catalyst Connection, a nonprofit economic development organization dedicated to helping manufacturers with business growth and job creation. Catalyst Connection is the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Affiliate and the Industrial Resource Center (IRC) of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Ms. Mitchell’s experience in manufacturing operations, technology acceleration and business development stretches back to 1988. Before joining Catalyst Connection, she was employed by GE Aircraft Engines, now GE Aviation. She holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton, and an M.S. from the University of Cincinnati. She is on the Board of Directors of the Advanced Robotics in Manufacturing (ARM) Institute, the Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (IRC) Network, the American Small Manufacturers Coalition (ASMC). Previously she served as a Board Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland –Pittsburgh Branch. Ms. Mitchell is also the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Slovenia.