People

Advisory Board

MEAB Group

The Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board (MEAB) was formed in the spring of 2000 to be an active partner in the process of determining program direction and continuous improvement. The department began a set of bi-annual meetings which included a combination of faculty presentations on the curriculum, other academic matters, tours of the laboratories and facilities, and closed meetings with students.

The goal of the MEAB is to help the faculty with the process of revising and achieving the program objectives and outcomes on a continuous basis. MEAB members consist of leaders in industry and government with experience in mechanical engineering and related disciplines.

Members

Ralph Bosek

Chief Operating Officer - (Retired)

Shawn Best

Owner -

Expertise:

  • Product development and prototyping
  • Scalable manufacturing
  • Engineering for consumer, medical, and industrial products
  • Startup consulting and business scaling
  • Strategic growth and innovation access
  • Mentorship and systems implementation for sustainable growth

Michael Denninger

Owner -

Expertise:

  • Attractions, themed entertainment, and capital development
  • Oversight of multi-million-dollar amusement park and themed attraction projects
  • Strategic capital investment planning and execution from concept through operations
  • Leadership in technical management, creative design, and team-building
  • Safety, risk management, and long-term operational reliability
  • Licensed Professional Engineer with extensive international project experience

Sebastian Dewhurst

CEO & Director of Business Development - Business Development

Expertise:

  • Mathematics, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics
  • Commercialization of new technologies
  • CFD applications in aerospace, automotive, and power generation
  • Enterprise software development and deployment
  • Strategic sales, customer engagement, and technology transfer

Robert Garcia

Retired

Expertise:

  • Mechanical engineering and HVAC systems
  • Leadership in building systems and energy solutions (Trane, Johnson Controls)
  • District cooling and chilled water systems
  • Engineering management and operations
  • Aviation promotion and aircraft restoration
  • Academic鈥搃ndustry partnership advising

Jason Heffelmire

VP | Director of Florida Operations -

Jennifer McCarthy

Motion Control Account Manager -

Kenji Plennert

Senior Associate, Practice Leader - Transmission & Substation Engineering-

Expertise:

  • Engineering, design, and project management for electric power utilities
  • Transmission and distribution design

Joe Register

Chief Engineer -

Paul Steif

Retired

Steve Voras

(Retired) Senior Engineer -

Expertise:

  • Aerospace: VVIP interior completions
  • Medical devices: surgical motors and control systems
  • Electric vehicles: motor systems, controls, and lithium-ion battery technology
  • Flow industry: valves and automation for naval, aerospace, cryogenic, and powerplant applications

Steve Weber

Engineer -

 J.B. Wright

Director, Manufacturing Engineering -

Hector Guzman

Design Engineering Manager -