Jen led the global additive manufacturing team for Wabtec Corp. and oversaw additive engineering design, prototyping, and parts production for Wabtec’s global additive manufacturing efforts. She formed the original AM team at G.E. Transportation (now Wabtec), successfully led the launch of over 50 production additive parts, and opened four global labs in the U.S. and India with a wide range of metal and polymer 3D printing capabilities. Prior to her start in additive manufacturing, Jen led the PLM launch and held several roles in systems engineering, specializing in locomotive traction, propulsion systems, and energy storage reliability. As a graduate of the Edison Engineering Development Program, she received intense technical training and business-critical assignments, including on-shore wind and diesel engine emissions design engineering roles. Through her extensive work in the industry, Jen is also the recipient of 8 U.S. patents. Jen currently serves as an SME Additive Manufacturing Community Advisor. She’s also received multiple recognition awards, including one of 2020 Railway Age’s Top Women in Rail, 2017 G.E. Transportation’s Women in Technology award, and the 2013 G.E. Transportation Innovation Engineering award. Jen holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Grove City College and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Andy Davis is a respected leader in the Defense advanced manufacturing and industrial base community, known for his ability to catalyze diverse groups to collaborate for a common cause. He spent 19 years within the Department of Defense, most recently as the Deputy Director and Chief Technology Officer of the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, where he led the organizational design, program planning and management, strategic planning, technical assessments, and the expansion of Program acquisition platforms. Prior to that, Andy worked for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), including a role as the Army’s Global Technology Advisor to the United Kingdom, Israel and South Africa; he lived in the U.K. with his family and focused on connecting industry, academia and allied Ministries of Defense with U.S. Army researchers. Andy also led the Army’s Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program, where he helped launch the Manufacturing USA Institutes, led the Army and DoD in first-of-their-kind AM technology roadmaps, created the Army’s AM community of practice, helped draft the Army’s AM campaign plan, and led the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel (JDMTP) in establishing a strategic framework to standardize cross-DOD collaboration. Prior to this, Andy held a variety of Army mechanical engineering positions, primarily focused on electro-mechanical design and prototyping. Andy received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Grove City College and Johns Hopkins University, respectively. Andy loves spending time adventuring with his family, is an avid outdoorsman, enjoys demolition derbies and is learning to master the art of smoking meats.

Dr. Rob Carter is an industry leader in research and strategy development for advanced materials and manufacturing with over 18 years of experience in the defense and medical sectors. Most recently, Rob was the Director for Advanced Materials and Process Engineering at Stryker Orthopedics. He was responsible for developing new materials and additive manufacturing techniques for next-generation orthopedic devices. Prior to that, he spent 16 years with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) where he was the Branch Chief of Materials Manufacturing Technology and the Founding Director for the Center for Agile Materials Manufacturing Science (CAMMS). In these roles, Rob led the development of manufacturing technologies for lethality and protection applications, research into AM and cold spray technologies, development of new materials and designs for Army applications (alloys, ceramics, and composites), and the development of specifications and standards for defense materials and manufacturing requirements. Rob led ARL’s long-term manufacturing research strategy and was ARL’s representative for the DoD working group with America Makes to create the DoD AM Roadmap. He has a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Virginia Tech. He serves on the external advisory boards for the Mechanical Engineering departments at Penn State and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Christina’s passion for flight and aerospace design has guided her impressive career in advanced manufacturing. Prior to TBGA, she played a pivotal role at Sintavia, transitioning the company’s focus from commercial aerospace to the space and defense sectors. Her accomplishments include implementing CRM and ERP systems to boost operational efficiency and establishing strategic partnerships with industry leaders. Her background also includes significant contributions at Embraer Executive Jets and Bombardier Aerospace, where she was involved in product development and strategic planning for new aircraft designs. Christina has been recognized for her industry insights, having been invited to speak at key events such as the FAA/EASA Joint Additive Manufacturing Workshop 2024 and the AMS Strategies panel on sustainability in 2023. Additionally, she represented Sintavia at the AM Forward event with President Biden in 2022. Christina holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace Structures, Systems, and Vehicle Design from Carleton University and has project management certifications.

Tierney has 20 years of experience in various roles in Business Management. The majority of her career was spent at The Coca-Cola Company, where she managed projects in IT systems implementations, database development, and process improvement. Tierney was responsible for marketing procurement initiatives which included forecasting, developing, and executing purchasing strategies and global contract negotiation. While living in Australia with her family, Tierney worked as an Operations Consultant for GNC Group Consulting in Melbourne. She holds a BA in Marketing from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from Georgia State University in Marketing and Decision Science.

Nikki has 15 years of business and accounting experience, with an emphasis on small business. She has spent a portion of her business career in management and played important roles in process implementation and improvements. Nikki holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy degree from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. Nikki is located within Illinois, in the Great St. Louis region, where she is also self-employed as a Residential Real Estate Appraiser. Outside of work, she and her family enjoy time spent outdoors with family, friends, and animals.

With over 37 years of expertise in Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) , Oleg Volf brings a deep knowledge of both automated and manual ultrasonic testing (UT) systems. His career spans a broad range of international experience across Europe, Canada, and the United States, working with leading inspection, research, and consulting firms. Oleg’s professional contributions include product development, including automated advanced ultrasonic inspection technologies , R&D, preparation of inspection procedures, training, supervision, troubleshooting, and instrument calibration. He is also the recipient of the ASME BPV Committee’s Nondestructive Examination Award in recognition of his significant role in developing the rules and guidance for Full Matrix Capture into the ASME BPVC-V2-19 Code on Nondestructive Examination. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from St. Petersburg State University and has been certified as an ASNT UT Level III since 1998.

Dr. Tim Simpson has more than 25 years of experience teaching students, designers, and engineers about 3D printing and AM. He is Co-Director of Penn State’s Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D). Tim has been at the leading edge of the recent wave of AM innovation and industry adoption. He has extensive experience with powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition, and non-destructive inspection technologies. He specializes in design for additive manufacturing, and he has helped train and educate more than 1500 industry practitioners to realize AM’s unique value proposition in aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, defense, energy, medical, oil and gas, and space industries. Tim was on the founding team of America Makes and spearheads multiple workforce, education, and outreach efforts at all levels across the country. For six years, Tim was a monthly contributor to an AM column in Modern Machine Shop and Additive Manufacturing Media. He currently is the Paul Morrow Professor of Engineering Design and Manufacturing at Penn State and a co-host of AM Radio.

Rick is a proven leader and problem solver with over 37 years of experience in the aerospace industry. He spent over 25 years with NASA, culminating in the role of Technical Fellow for Materials. In this Agency role, he served as the senior material’s technical expert for NASA within the Office of the Chief Engineer and the leader of the Agency Materials Technical Discipline Team. He served as an independent resource for NASA and industry, helping to resolve complex issues. One of his most notable accomplishments was creating, assembling, and leading the team that authored NASA-STD-6030 “Additive Manufacturing Requirements for Spaceflight Systems.” Rick’s exposure to AM began over 10 years ago during the early stages of the Commercial Crew Program, where he was the System Manager for both Materials and Processes and Fracture Control. Rick spent nearly 20 years supporting the Space Shuttle program in various roles and was a major contributor to the return to flight efforts following the Columbia disaster. Rick’s other career stops include Naval Aviation, Bell Helicopter, and, most recently, Northrop Grumman. Rick has a B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urban Champaign and a M.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida.

Robert Rettew is an expert materials engineer with extensive experience in additive manufacturing and the energy industry. During his recent tenure at Chevron he served as the additive manufacturing program manager, shaping multinational technology plans, leading local adoption teams, and qualifying safety critical additive manufacturing applications. He has held roles as chairperson for various technical committees and working groups at American Petroleum Institute, where he focused on acceleration of game-changing technology applications. He holds a Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology and has published numerous original research articles on subjects ranging from qualification of large-scale industrial applications for wire-arc additive manufacturing, to advanced composite oil & gas pipeline repair systems, to nanotechnology for renewable energy. In addition to his technical expertise, Robert has successfully led teams of 20+ researchers as a program manager responsible for multimillion-dollar technology development portfolios.

Arun brings a 15+ year career in strategy and technical program management of advanced aerospace structures spanning new product development, advanced manufacturing, sustainability, digital product lifecycle, translating global market trends to product strategy and technology roadmaps, and implementing business process transformations using advanced data analytics. As the Additive Manufacturing (AM) Leader for the Advanced Structures business at Collins Aerospace, Arun spearheaded the business and IP strategy, technology and manufacturing readiness, life cycle assessments, and customer and regulatory acceptance of several business-critical metal and polymer AM technologies. Outside AM, Arun was deeply involved in the business financial planning, and helped craft sustainability, and digital product life cycle business strategies. He held the roles of Chief Engineer and Technical Product Manager for engineered equipment and nacelle thrust reverser system components on commercial airplane programs and helped establish engineering centers of excellence in India and Mexico. Arun holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the University of California, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, and a Professional Certificate in Life Cycle Assessment from MIT.

Lexie brings a wealth of experience to her role, demonstrating a proven track record in event management and market research. She excels in managing every aspect of the event lifecycle, from initial brainstorming sessions to post-event evaluations. Prior to her current position, Lexie served as the Global Events Coordinator at Nikon SLM Solutions, where she successfully managed and executed an extensive calendar of 50+ global events annually. Her journey into the world of advanced manufacturing began during her college years, where she supported projects highlighting America Makes and Neighborhood 91 initiatives. Lexie developed organization and leadership skills while a student at Youngstown State University, serving in several leadership roles at different capacities. She graduated from Youngstown State with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.

With an extensive career in logistics and people management, Howie Marotto is known for his ability to provide structure to complexity. As Principal ADDvisor® of Strategy and Integration, Howie will support TBGA’s mission by expanding strategic engagements and using his skills to provide insight into advanced manufacturing trends, applications, and employment in a variety of scenarios. Prior to joining TBGA, he was Additive Manufacturing Business Director at EWI, providing leadership and strategic direction to EWI’s AM engineering team in deploying their vast equipment portfolio focused on delivering cutting-edge solutions to government and industry. Howie has worked for the Defense Logistics Agency in the F-35 Joint Program Office as the Autonomic Logistics Information Systems lead for Foreign Military Sales and as a Maintenance and Construction Supervisor and Power Distribution Manager in the power industry. Before joining EWI, he worked as the AM Strategic Business Development Manager for the Phillips Corporation.

Howie is also a Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve with over 31 years of service and is currently assigned to the Office of Naval Research. He was recently activated as the Deputy Director, Reserve Affairs, overseeing personnel policy and career management for over 33,000 Reserve Marines. Prior to Reserve Affairs, Col. Marotto was the Deputy Commander for the 4th Marine Logistics Group (MLG), second-in-command of 8,500 Marines and Sailors in over 30 states and territories. He was also the Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing Lead for the Marine Corps before 4thMLG. Col. Marotto has deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Kosovo Conflict to support our country.

Marshall first encountered additive manufacturing as an aerospace engineering student at The University of Texas at Austin, where he gained hands-on experience working with companies such as Arconic, SLM Solutions, EOS, and Authentise. After graduation, he started his career as a technical account manager at Origin, an additive manufacturing OEM startup, where he played a key role in developing, launching, and scaling the production of dental and medical devices. Following Origin's $100M acquisition by Stratasys, Marshall built and led teams in process engineering, materials development, and emerging technologies, with operations in San Francisco and Tel Aviv. His teams delivered solutions for the production of industrial tooling, electrical connectors, and end-use medical devices and implants. Marshall is passionate about integrating advanced manufacturing technologies at scale to drive the future of American manufacturing.

Nathan brings 16 years of deep expertise in materials testing and damage tolerance evaluation, honed while supporting critical defense systems at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division outside of Washington, DC. He has a knack for solving tough engineering problems by leading collaborative, cross-functional teams—melding structural analysis, materials science, and non-destructive testing into effective, real-world solutions. In recent years, Nathan has focused on advancing the qualification and certification of additively manufactured metal components for high-stakes applications. Nathan played a lead role in developing a certification framework for wire arc directed energy deposition (DED) in thick-section parts—paving the way for broader adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) in the defense sector. Nathan is passionate about pushing AM into the structural mainstream. His specialties include fracture mechanics, lifecycle fatigue analysis, and turning R&D breakthroughs into production-ready realities. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, with Distinction, from Penn State University. Based in the Charlotte, NC area, Nathan lives with his wife Jennifer and their 13-year-old son Caleb. When he’s not thinking about crack growth rates, he’s likely boating on beautiful Lake Norman, manning the grill, or applying systems thinking to his garden.

Dr. Wayne King is an internationally recognized leader in metal additive manufacturing, having worked in the field since 2011. He has over 30 years of experience ranging from fundamental materials research and applied science to research management. Most recently, Wayne served as project leader of the Accelerated Certification of Additively Manufactured Metals Project at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This project focuses on developing physics-based models relating microstructure, properties, and process to the performance of materials and includes predictive models for the laser powder bed fusion process. The project also uses integrated in-process sensing, monitoring, and control technologies to accelerate part qualification. Wayne has developed a deep understanding of the additive manufacturing process through this work. Past work includes radiation effects, high-temperature oxidation, atomic structure of interfaces, and grain boundary engineering. Wayne is the author or co-author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has delivered numerous keynote lectures on the topic of metal additive manufacturing both nationally and internationally. Wayne received his B.A. degree from Thiel College in Physics and Mathematics and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Materials Science and Engineering.

Jackie Fontana is a seasoned program manager with 18 years of experience in the aerospace industry, specializing in engineering, manufacturing, and technology. She has gained expertise managing large portfolios ($1B+) across multiple programs, disciplines and applications, developing a unique fluency and deep knowledge of the full lifecycle of aerospace design, analysis, manufacturing, qualification, certification, and fleet support. While at Boeing, her passion for the development of advanced manufacturing technologies, including metal and polymer additively manufactured parts, was ignited when she was the Operations Leader for the Manufacturing & Materials Technology organization. With her experience on the V-22 Osprey and 787 Programs, she was able to bring a unique perspective to the research and development teams, enabling a more focused and integrated approach to technology and manufacturing readiness levels. Jackie’s passion lies in fostering a collaborative environment that enables efficient and effective decision making, and creating space for innovation, learning and teaching. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Joseph's University and has completed all coursework for a Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania. Jackie lives in Charleston, SC with her husband, Anthony, and two children, Jack (9) and Sofie (6).

Mark has a proclivity for all things mechanical and is skilled at turning concepts into reality within the defense, commercial, and automotive sectors. He has an extensive manufacturing background spanning over 42 years, with critical roles in engineering, operations, facilities, supply chain, and quality. Over the last decade, Mark has focused on large-scale additive manufacturing, specializing in titanium laser wire directed energy deposition (DED) for aerospace. His most recent role as Chief Technologist for GKN Aerospace focused on the industrialization of DED technologies, including application selection, Design for DED, cost-modeling, upstream and downstream process maturation, facility and infrastructure readiness, and AM equipment and process development. Mark helped establish an $18M CRADA and spent 5 years working with the Oak Ridge National Labs team to develop equipment and process controls for robotic laser wire DED. As an active member of SAE AMS-AM committee, Mark authored draft AMS 7009 and 7010 DED material and process specifications. Mark obtained a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Washington University of St. Louis and makes his home in the St. Louis region.

Dr. Sean Dobson has focused his career at the intersection of research and practical application in additive manufacturing metals, with one often shaping his approach to the other. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Louisville, a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Cincinnati, and completed a postdoctoral position in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. Throughout his academic journey, Sean collaborated extensively with government agencies and industry partners. He also brings valuable industry experience, most notably as a contractor at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, where he worked on the qualification of additive manufacturing materials and processes. Over the past seven years, his work has focused on understanding the process-structure-property relationships of materials fabricated using laser powder bed fusion, with a particular emphasis on applications in space exploration. Now at TBGA, Sean leverages his expertise to advance additive manufacturing qualification efforts and guide research strategies to address key challenges in the field.

Chelsea began her engineering career at Honeywell Aerospace, gaining experience in various roles, including additive manufacturing. Her AM experience focused on developing metal parts built on powder bed machines for aerospace applications. Her experience qualifying production parts for AM with the FAA at Honeywell led her to a role in new product engineering at Arconic (formerly Alcoa) where she successfully qualified additively manufactured parts for aerospace production for a major aircraft manufacturer. Her work with various manufacturers for flight and space has honed her AM design skills for diverse applications. Lean certified by her alma mater, Arizona State University, and Honeywell, she cultivates streamlined AM designs, production, and applications.

Matthew has demonstrated his ability to successfully guide the implementation of new metallic materials and processes in production environments through his unique combination of technical expertise, qualification/certification knowledge, and ability to develop new suppliers. This expertise has been cultivated over a 20+ year career in developing new technologies for military, space, and commercial aerospace platforms with multiple companies. His involvement with metallic AM began in 2001 when working in Lockheed Martin Skunk Works on laser powder-based Directed Energy Deposition (DED) processes under the Metals Affordability Initiative. This initial exposure to AM led to a primary career focus on maturing DED technologies for titanium alloys to realize their benefits within the aerospace industry. In Matthew's latest position as an Associate Technical Fellow on the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Product Development team, he led the development of titanium wire-DED processes. In 2017, he led qualification of the first additively manufactured structural titanium parts for commercial aircraft which was recognized by an Aviation Weekly Laureates Award. Beyond metallic AM, Matthew has experience in developing a wide variety of metallic materials and processes including qualification of a Ni-based superalloy composite overwrapped pressure vessel for use on the International Space Station. He also serves as a member of the MMPDS Committee involved in the development of metallic allowables for the aerospace industry. Matthew currently holds 3 U.S. patents with another 2 applications pending. Matthew has a B.S. in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and a M.E. in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado Boulder. 

Ethan is an experienced business and engineering professional in the Aerospace & Defense industry. While at Lockheed Martin, he garnered a broad set of skills and experience from developing, building and managing complex supply chains, leading billion-dollar defense proposals, and implementing advanced manufacturing technologies into production programs. During his tenure, Ethan’s proposal leadership resulted in the capture and execution of over $1B in new business for Lockheed’s Aeronautics business unit. In his most recent experience with nTopology, Ethan's focus was relationship building, driving application adoption of new and novel AM applications and identifying expansion opportunities across strategic accounts. His new role with The Barnes Global Advisors will fuse two of his passions together, supply chain management and advanced manufacturing, to assist the Department of Defense in cultivating a strong, resilient, responsive and healthy United States industrial base that improves readiness for the Warfighter and ensures America’s safety. Outside of work, Ethan is a BBQ pit master and can be found at local Dallas breweries selling out of his delicious, craft smoked meats.

Blake Bearden brings a broad range of experience in technical design, RF systems, program management, and manufacturing to the TBGA team. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University and started his career at Lockheed Martin, Advanced Development Programs designing and fabricating electromagnetic hardware for airborne platforms. Blake served as the Integration Lead, responsible for design and integration of antenna systems on a major Lockheed Martin program. In this role, he led a team of engineers and was responsible for delivering antennas for communications, electronic warfare, radar, and more. He implemented the use of additive manufacturing into antenna design in novel ways that lead to lowering the cost and weight, while improving performance. After nearly ten years at Lockheed Martin, Blake joined 3DFortify, a composite DLP AM company, and led their defense business development efforts. During his time there, Blake successfully secured a multimillion dollar contract with the USN and helped numerous DoD agencies and defense industry primes improve the SWaP-C and performance of antenna systems using additive manufacturing technologies and materials.

With over 37 years of expertise in Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE), Oleg Volf brings a deep knowledge of both automated and manual ultrasonic testing (UT) systems. His career spans a broad range of international experience across Europe, Canada, and the United States, working with leading inspection, research, and consulting firms. Oleg’s professional contributions include product development, including Automated Advanced Ultrasonic Inspection technologies, R&D, preparation of inspection procedures, training, supervision, troubleshooting, and instrument calibration. He is also the recipient of the ASME BPV Committee’s Non-Destructive Examination Award in recognition of his significant role in developing the rules and guidance for Full Matrix Capture into the ASME BPVC-V2-19 Code on Non-destructive Examination. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from St. Petersburg State University and has been certified as an ASNT UT Level III since 1998.