Susan Ipri-Brown is the principal consultant at Empowerment Levers, specializing in the strategic implementation of educational programs. Prior to her consulting firm, Susan served as the Strategic Initiatives Manager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Office of Advanced Manufacturing. At NIST, Susan expanded strategic collaborations in advanced manufacturing technology and workforce development among Manufacturing USA stakeholders inside and outside of government. Susan additionally worked as the founding Associate Dean for Educational Outreach and as an Associate Professor of Engineering Instruction at Hope College. She has also held positions with the Northwestern University Office of STEM Education Partnerships, several North Carolina school districts, Delphi Automotive Systems, and the Michigan Legislative Service Bureau. As an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Federal Fellow, Susan served a year at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.


Within her work and community, Susan is a long-time advocate of programs that enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in the engineering profession. She served as the 143rd president of ASME where she is a Fellow and has held a range of leadership positions. Susan earned her master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University.