ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute Announces Appointment of Jorgen Pedersen as incoming Chief Executive Officer
Current CEO Ira Moskowitz to retire after five years of impactful leadership
May 22, 2025 – The Board of the ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute has appointed Mr. Jorgen Pedersen, a highly accomplished and experienced robotics and manufacturing executive, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective June 17, 2025. Mr. Pedersen succeeds Mr. Ira Moskowitz in the role following Mr. Moskowitz’s retirement. Mr. Moskowitz will remain on-staff with the institute to guide the transition throughout the month of June.
The ARM Institute is the nation’s leading robotics and AI Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII), part of the Manufacturing USA® network. Structured as a public-private partnership of 450+ consortium member organizations, the ARM Institute leverages a robust set of capabilities to strengthen the U.S. defense and commercial industrial base by fostering collaboration between industry, government, and academia, catalyzing and transitioning impactful, dual-use robotics and AI innovations, and spurring powerful, national workforce solutions.
Mr. Pedersen was selected by the ARM Institute’s Board of Directors following a robust CEO search. Since the ARM Institute’s inception in 2017, the organization has become a highly regarded leader in robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), manufacturing, and workforce development. As such, there was an immense amount of interest across the nation in the CEO position; Mr. Pedersen was selected from a large pool of highly qualified candidates.
Mr. Pedersen has more than twenty-five (25) years of technology leadership experience managing all aspects of robotics, manufacturing, and R&D companies with strategic relationships in the government, defense, technology, and manufacturing sectors.
A highlight of Mr. Pedersen’s career was starting RE2 Robotics, a leading developer and innovator of intelligent modular manipulation systems, in 2001. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Pedersen hired and managed a team of over 100 employees, delivered hundreds of high-use robotic solutions to the Department of Defense and commercial customers that were manufactured in Pittsburgh, PA, secured Series A funding after bootstrapping the business for 13 years, forged key strategic relationships in aviation, construction, and medical markets leading to a 300% increase in revenue post Series A, and spearheaded government proposals that led to $75M+ of contracts. Mr. Pedersen also led the negotiations and due diligence for the successful acquisition of RE2 Robotics by Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation for $100M in 2022.
Most recently, he served as the Robotics Entrepreneur in Residence at Innovation Works’ Robotics Factory. In this role, he mentored early-stage robotics founders and C-level executives on a variety of topics ranging from fundraising, business development, government proposal development, strategic planning, manufacturing, and culture. He was also instrumental in guiding the development of sector-specific summits that convened leaders in vertical markets that were conducive for the adoption of robotics and AI, including the April 2025 Robotics & Industrial Automation Summit, which the ARM Institute partnered with the Robotics Factory to host.
Mr. Pedersen is very familiar with the ARM Institute, having previously served on the ARM Institute’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which advises the institute on strategic technical initiatives. He has been a long-time advocate for robotics and manufacturing growth both for Western Pennsylvania and nationally, having served on the Board of Directors for Pittsburgh-based Catalyst Connection, and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, of which he is one of the organization’s founders. Mr. Pedersen is a national leader in the unmanned systems community, with past experience serving as the Chairman of the Robotics Division of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), the Board of Trustees for NDIA, and the Board of Directors for the National Advanced Mobility Consortium.
Mr. Pedersen has contributed to the growth of the robotics market for more than 25 years, beginning his career as one of the founders of Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC). He holds an M.S. degree in Robotics and a B.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
“We’re at a pivotal moment where robotics and AI are no longer future technologies—they’re ready to transform U.S. manufacturing today. I’m honored to join the ARM Institute in its mission to drive innovation, strengthen our industrial base, and prepare a workforce ready to thrive alongside advanced technologies,” said Mr. Jorgen Pedersen, “I’m excited to bring my experience to help grow the ARM Institute’s impact and work with the talented team, its members, the Department of Defense, and Carnegie Mellon University. Together, we have a powerful opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing and secure America’s leadership in this critical space.”
“I look forward to working with Jorgen Pedersen and his leadership of the ARM Institute to strengthen the Organic Industrial Base, as well as the larger Defense Industrial Base,” noted Keith DeVries, Director of Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), “As the nation looks to re-shore manufacturing, the work and impact of the ARM Institute, in partnership with the other DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, continues to grow in importance.”
Said Farnam Jahanian, Carnegie Mellon University President, “The ARM Institute provides a unique and critically needed platform for industry, government and academia to work together to build the future of U.S. manufacturing through robotics, AI and workforce development. On behalf of the Carnegie Mellon University community, I am thrilled to see Jorgen Pedersen — a visionary roboticist and entrepreneur — appointed to this position of national leadership. Jorgen will waste no time building on the incredible foundation forged by his predecessor, Ira Moskowitz, and further solidifying the ARM Institute’s role as a vital resource for the nation.”
“The ARM Institute Board of Directors could not be more pleased to have Jorgen take on the leadership of this vital institution. His experience and expertise align perfectly with our vision for continuing the ARM Institute’s momentum and impact,” said Brett B. Lambert, Chairman of the ARM Institute Board of Directors, “As we welcome Jorgen to the ARM Institute team, we also wish Ira Moskowitz the best in his well-earned retirement and thank him for his many years of dedicated service to the ARM Institute, which have been critical to growing and securing the ARM Institute’s national impact and leadership.”
Mr. Moskowitz’s leadership has been integral to the success and growth of the ARM Institute. He joined the institute in 2020 at a key inflection point for the organization. He not only successfully led the organization (stakeholders and employees alike) through the recent pandemic, but he also secured project funding that enabled the ARM Institute to rapidly respond to our nation’s pandemic manufacturing needs. Shortly thereafter, he led the organization through its Department of Defense Joint Defense Manufacturing Council (JDMC) review, which secured the ARM Institute’s $35.4 continuation agreement with the Department of Defense.
Additionally, Mr. Moskowitz’s leadership enabled the ARM Institute to launch a variety of new strategic programs and offerings, including RoboticsCareer.org and the Robotics Manufacturing Hub. Under his guidance, the institute’s member consortium continued to grow, exceeding 450 member organizations.
Said Ira Moskowitz, “It has been a privilege and an honor to be part of the ARM Institute team as we navigated from our single, initial Department of Defense contract to a sustainable portfolio of work supporting the DoD, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, local foundations and numerous others. I am delighted to see such a terrifically qualified and experienced executive as Jorgen agree to take on this role and am confident he is the right person to steer the ARM Institute team to even more growth and success in the future.”
ARM Members: Meet Jorgen During Our 2025 Annual ARM Member Meeting
The most significant upcoming member opportunity to meet Jorgen in-person will be during our 2025 Annual Member Meeting taking place Sept. 3-5 in Pittsburgh, PA. This event is free to attend and open only to ARM Members.
While our detailed agenda is forthcoming, you can expect three days of networking, collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and robotics demonstrations. Our agenda will feature keynote presentations from industry and DoD experts, project updates, interactive activities to provide input into the ARM Institute’s strategy and programs, five-minute member pitches, our seated Champions Dinner, a networking reception at our Pittsburgh robotics headquarters, and more.
ARM Members can register to attend our Annual Member Meeting in the Member Community or by emailing [email protected] for assistance.
ABOUT THE ARM INSTITUTE
The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse consortium of 450+ members and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience. Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, the ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people & robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to produce the world’s most desired products. For more information, visit www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
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