Ken Racen, MBA
With more than four decades of experience in metrology, laboratory operations, and quality management, Ken Racen founded Metrology Institute in 2022 to preserve the field’s knowledge, strengthen its workforce, and give measurement science the recognition it deserves as a vital STEM discipline.
Four Decades of Measurement Science Leadership
Ken Racen’s career in metrology spans more than four decades, covering commercial calibration laboratory operations, quality management systems, technical leadership, and measurement science education. His work has taken him across Missouri and the surrounding region, where he built and managed calibration services for aerospace, defense, medical device, and manufacturing clients.
As Vice President and co-owner of a regional metrology enterprise, Ken established premier commercial calibration laboratories in both St. Louis and Kansas City. Under his leadership, those facilities expanded high-precision calibration access across Missouri and neighboring states — serving industries that depend on measurement traceability and ISO 17025 accreditation.
Ken also designed METNAV, a proprietary metrology software platform built for calibration laboratory operations — reflecting his understanding that the field’s administrative and technical challenges are deeply intertwined, and that well-designed systems are essential to maintaining measurement integrity at scale.
Throughout his career, Ken observed a persistent and growing problem: the metrology profession was losing experienced practitioners to retirement faster than it could replace them, educational pathways were limited, and most students had never heard of the field at all. That reality led him to found Metrology Institute in 2022 — not as a side project, but as a focused nonprofit commitment to building the workforce the next generation of American industry will depend on.
Advancing Metrology.
Empowering Generations.
“Measurement you can trust is the foundation beneath innovation, safety, and every technology we depend on. My vision is a national platform where education, equity, and excellence in measurement science converge.”
Ken founded Metrology Institute with a clear conviction: that the measurement profession’s knowledge, standards, and skill cannot be allowed to fade as the generation that built it retires. The Institute exists to capture that knowledge, transmit it through rigorous education, and connect it to the students, technicians, and career changers who will carry it forward.
His vision reaches beyond workforce numbers. He sees a future where calibration technicians and metrologists are recognized as skilled professionals — where their work is understood to be as essential as the devices, aircraft, and medicines it makes safe. Where a student from any background can discover the field, find a clear path in, and build a meaningful career.
That means training future calibration technicians and metrologists while shaping the backbone of industries, empowering communities, and preparing a skilled workforce for the challenges of tomorrow.
Be Part of the Foundation
Everything Is Built Upon
Your support helps train the next generation of metrology professionals, expand access to hands-on technical education, and build an equitable future for measurement science across America.
Train the Next Generation
Support the development of training materials, curriculum resources, and educational programs that prepare students and technicians for careers in metrology and calibration.
Expand Access to Technical Education
Help bring standards-grounded measurement science education to community colleges, trade schools, and underserved communities — making the profession accessible to everyone.
Strengthen America’s Industries
A well-trained metrology workforce advances safety, quality, and innovation across aerospace, defense, medical devices, manufacturing, and every precision industry that depends on measurement.
Donate Today — and Help Build the Future of Measurement
Every contribution to Metrology Institute directly funds measurement science education. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 33-3341631), your gift is tax-deductible and goes entirely toward advancing our mission — preparing the skilled workforce that American industry, safety, and innovation depend on.
Tax-deductible · 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · EIN 33-3341631
“Donate today — and be part of the foundation that everything is built upon.”