Steven Lehr
Director of Business Development North America @Festo Didactic - North America
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WORK HISTORY
Director of Business Development North America @Festo Didactic - North America
Austin, TX, US
I lead a national workforce credential and training ecosystem supporting advanced manufacturing, automation, and technical careers.I direct the Festo Industrial Certification Program (FICP), a college-based credentialing system delivered through a national consortium of high schools, community colleges, workforce centers, and correctional education programs. A growing group of more than 400 institutions deliver 37 stackable certifications validating job-ready technical skills for tens of thousands of learners each year.My work aligns colleges, employers, and public workforce systems into scalable, credentialed pathways supporting hiring, promotion, apprenticeship placement, and re-entry into the workforce. I support credit, non-credit, apprenticeship, and incumbent-worker upskilling models.I also enable colleges and workforce agencies to secure and deploy public workforce and economic-development funding through program design, budgets, lab scopes, workforce justification, and industry alignment.A core focus of my work is expanding access to high-wage technical careers for women, communities of color, and justice-involved individuals by closing perception and opportunity gaps.
EDUCATION
Navy Senior Enlisted Academy
Certificate, Organizational Leadership
Dallas Baptist University
Bachelor's of Applied Busines
Texas Christian University
Certificate, Executive Leadership
University of the State of New York
Associate of Science - AS
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Certificate, Executive Leadership
Dallas Baptist University
Master of Business Administration - MBA, Finance & International Business
SKILLS
ABOUT STEVEN LEHR
I am a workforce development and economic mobility executive who builds education-to-employment systems that move people into high-demand technical careers. My work focuses on aligning colleges, employers, and public funding into credentialed pathways that expand opportunity and meet real labor-market demand.I currently lead a national industry-validated credential ecosystem supporting advanced manufacturing and automation careers. More than 400 high schools, community colleges, workforce centers, and correctional education programs deliver 37 stackable certifications that validate job-ready skills for tens of thousands of learners each year, supporting hiring, promotion, apprenticeship placement, and re-entry into the workforce.A core priority of my work is expanding access for women, communities of color, and justice-involved individuals by closing perception and opportunity gaps that limit participation in technical careers. I work with educators and employers to ensure training programs are accessible, relevant, and tied to real jobs.I also partner with colleges and workforce agencies to secure and deploy public workforce and economic-development funding through program design, budgets, lab scopes, and workforce justification. This enables institutions to launch modern training centers and short-term, credential-aligned pathways.My leadership foundation comes from both industry and military service, where I learned to take care of people, lead through complexity, and deliver results in high-stakes environments.
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