Rosemary Astheimer | Belcan, A Cognizant Company
Your emcee Rosemary is a Principal Engineer at and MBD subject matter expert at Belcan, consulting and collaborating with aerospace and defense OEMs to drive their digital transformation goals to reality.
Previously, Rosemary was a mechanical Engineer at NIST on the smart manufacturing team focusing on the development of computer interpretable standards working with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Model-Based Interoperability Forum. She spent 9 years as a professor or practice at Purdue University and brought her previous 15 years of experience working in the CAD industry to the classroom. She has in-depth experience with major CAD systems, including CATIA V4, V5, NX, SOLIDWORKS, and Creo, which are used in authoring MBD data for seamless digital exchange via PDM following PLM processes.
Andrew Bank | Exiger
Andrew Bank has 30 years of experience enhancing the value of engineering information. Andrew has started three companies including Techstreet, now a part of Accuris. Currently, Andrew works with Exiger to accelerate adoption of the SWISS model-based product data platform. He has a degree in Materials Science Engineering from the University of Michigan and he is lucky enough to live in Ann Arbor, MI with his wife, three kids, and many pairs of skis. He likes having the shortest bio in the room.
Berardino Baratta | MxD
Berardino Baratta is an accomplished leader in technology and advancing manufacturing, with more than 25 years of experience in the industry. As the CEO of MxD, the digital manufacturing and cybersecurity institute, Berardino works with the U.S. Department of Defense and a nearly 300-member ecosystem to drive economic prosperity and support national security by increasing U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.
Through MxD’s diverse array of projects and partnerships, Berardino oversees critical efforts to enhance digital readiness and cybersecurity across the manufacturing sector, prepare the workforce for the advanced manufacturing jobs of the future, and ensure resilient and secure supply chains in an era of increased geopolitical disruption.
Allison Barnard | PDES, Inc.
Allison Barnard is General Manager of PDES, Inc., a consortium focused on addressing gaps in standards and best practices for the Digital Enterprise. Formerly at NIST, she was a long-time leader in ISO 10303 (STEP) and champion of standards-based interoperability.
Larry Bergquist | Capvidia
Larry Berquist is the MBE Subject Matter Expert at Capvidia. A senior GD&T authority
with over 30 years of experience in heavy-equipment product design, Larry has spent
his career translating robust tolerance standards into real-world manufacturing
successes.
Larry now educates and guides OEMs and their supply chains in model-based
transformation from drawings to fully digital workflows via MBD and QIF.
He is actively involved in ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and
DMSC (Digital Metrology Standards Consortium), shaping MBE standards and GD&T
standards.
Bill Bernstein | Air Force Research Laboratory,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Dr. Bill Bernstein is the Digital Materials and Manufacturing Technical Area Lead for the Manufacturing, Industrial Technologies and Energy Division at AFRL. He leads research and development programs on digital thread, supply chain illumination, and model-based quality assurance. His research interests are information modeling, system interoperability, and human-centered interfaces.
Ryan Bounds | HII-Newport News Shipbuilding
Ryan Bounds is a senior engineering designer and Model-Based Definition expert at Newport News Shipbuilding with 12 years’ experience. He drives digital engineering innovation, contributes to ASME and DMSC standards, and holds senior-level certification in ASME Y14.5-2009, with the goal of advancing digital standards for shipbuilding.
Kevin Braun | John Deere
James Brino | Connecticut Center for
Advanced Technology, Inc.
James Brino, CPEM® is Curriculum & Training Manager and Sr. Technical Trainer at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. He previously served as Engineering Manager at PIC Design and in systems engineer at General Dynamics Electric Boat. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Management at the University of Hartford and active in the ASEM and the DMSC QIF training working group.
Jacob Brooks | University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Jacob Brooks is a PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Center for Precision Metrology, advised by Dr. Edward Morse. His research focuses on the interoperability of digital metrology information.
Curtis Brown | DMSC
Curtis Brown is a principal engineer, MBE focus lead, and key advocate for digital manufacturing at Honeywell FM&T. He is NSE MBE Maturity Index’s primary editor, invented FBTol Advisor tool, and president of the DMSC. He has contributed significantly to standards like DMIS, QIF, and MBC within the digital metrology field.
Daniel Campbell | Rubypoint
Miroslaw Chamera | ARIADNE Engineering AB
Miroslaw holds an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Krakow, Poland. He is the founder of ARIADNE Engineering, specializing in digital product development. His work focuses on Model-Based Enterprise, helping companies transition from 2D drawings to 3D models and enabling tolerance analysis, metrology automation, and digital thread integration.
Mark Debbink | HII-Newport News Shipbuilding
Evan Frank | GE Aerospace
Blake Gorowsky | Pratt & Whitney
Blake Gorowsky is currently a Senior Technical Fellow – Model-Based Design & Definition for Pratt & Whitney. Blake has ~17 years of technical experience in the manufacturing, quality & design engineering disciplines. Blake has also partnered with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and other industry standards for 10+ years.
Simon Héroux | Innovmetric
Ben Hopper | NCC
Ben Hopper is a Principal Technologist specialising in model‑based enterprise, digital thread integration, and advanced composites. He leads the IMPACT programme, co‑chairs the MBE Working Group, and runs the UK MBE Industrial User Group, driving practical adoption of standards and digital continuity across defence, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.
Albert Ismailov | OUSW (R&E),
SE&A Specialty Engineering Directorate
Chad Jackson | Lifecycle Insights
Chad Jackson is CEO and Chief Analyst at Lifecycle Insights, a research and advisory firm serving engineering leaders. Through 15 years of research, he helps organizations navigate the people-side challenges that stall engineering transformations. He’s held leadership roles at Aberdeen Group and PTC.
Evan Kessick | ASME & Elysium
Evan Kessick is the Director of Model-Based Initiatives at Elysium, specializing in 3D MBD CAD data interoperability. Evan has over 18 years of experience in engineering and design with experience leading and advising MBD and MBE implementations. Evan is also actively involved in ASME and DMSC standards, including chairing the MBE Committee, co-chairing the Y14/MBE Harmonization Committee, and serving on the DMSC board of directors.
Chris Kulinka | Belcan, A Cognizant Company
Chris Kulinka is the MBE Principal Engineer at Belcan, brings 15 years of engineering and aerospace experience including advising OEMs on MBE strategy, PLM, MBD implementation, and supply‑chain digitalization.
Allison Ledford | Auburn University
Allison Ledford is a faculty member in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Auburn University whose research focuses on advancing systems engineering through developing digital thread capabilities and improving manufacturing system integration.
Brent Lewis
Trais McAllister | True Analytics Manufacturing Solutions
Trais McAllister is a manufacturing systems and data integration professional focused on digital thread and industrial interoperability. His work centers on MTConnect, data propagation across supply chains, and standards-driven manufacturing architectures. He collaborates with industry and government initiatives to advance practical implementations of model-based enterprise and connected factory ecosystems.
Matt McCormick | MTConnect Institute
Leslie McKay | SAE International
Leslie McKay has over 20 years’ experience managing software and hardware products, with focus on developing products that leverage AI and machine learning. In her roles as Director of Digital Standards Development at SAE International and as Vice-Chair of the Digital Standards Alliance, Leslie is defining best practices for the authoring and use of digital standards.
Shreyes N. Melkote | Georgia Institute of Technology
Prof. Shreyes Melkote is a Professor at Georgia Tech with 30+ years of manufacturing research leadership and serves as PI of a NSF future manufacturing grant.
George Rendell | Siemens Digital Industries
Rendell is Vice President of Product Management and Product Marketing at Siemens Digital Industries Software, where he is responsible for Design center and PLM Components products. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of California at Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration from Xavier University Executive MBA Program.
Christopher Scott | Pratt & Whitney
Will Sobel | MTConnect
William Sobel has architected complex systems across various industries for over 35 years. He recently co-founded Metalogi, promoting industrial manufacturing technology standards. Mr. Sobel is the Chief Architect of the MTConnect Standard, the first model-based semantic standard for manufacturing equipment, and also leads the Industrial Ontologies Foundry Architecture Working Group.
Atsuto Soma | Elysium
After joining the company in 1995, Atsuto Soma was involved in software development such as shape processing, data conversion, data quality inspection, and healing. In recent years, he has also participated in the development of international standards as the chairman of the ISO/TC 184/SC 4.
Abbey Soulek | GE Aerospace
Dr. Amy Thompson | Connecticut Center for
Advanced Technology, Inc.
Dr. Amy Thompson currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT). In this role, she leads the technology, talent development, and training teams as a unified powerhouse that delivers end-to-end services to manufacturers, supporting their manufacturing technology adoption journey. Dr. Thompson leads the development and implementation of CCAT’s technical training programs and courses, supporting small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) throughout Connecticut and the northeast region. Prior to joining CCAT in 2023, Dr. Thompson served as an Associate Professor-In-Residence of Systems Engineering at the University of Connecticut and the Associate Director for the Pratt & Whitney Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering. She earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, an M.S. in Manufacturing Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. Her technical expertise includes model-based systems engineering (MBSE), the design and operation of smart, connected, and energy-efficient manufacturing and building systems, supply chain design, and engineering education. Her research has been funded by the U.S. Department of War, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Air Force Research Lab, Pratt & Whitney, Eversource, and United Illuminating.
Ron Trout | Net-Inspect
Ron Trout is VP/GM at Net-Inspect, where he represents the voice of the customer and shapes strategy for the company’s global cloud-based quality management platform. With expertise in aerospace quality systems and digital transformation, he helps manufacturers adopt Model-Based Definition and QIF to enable secure, data-driven quality across supply chains.
Ben Urick | nVariate, Inc.
Benjamin Urick, Ph.D., P.E., President of nVariate and lead of the ISO 10303 STEP T1 “Geometry and Topology” group. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, MS in Engineering Mechanics from UT Austin, MS and BS from U.C. Berkeley. His expertise is solid and geometric modeling, and CAx data exchange.
Zack Valdez | National Electrical Manufacturers Association
Zack Valdez, Ph.D., is Senior Director at National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), where he leads efforts to advance smart manufacturing standards, interoperable equipment data, and digital infrastructure for the electrified industry, supporting the transition to model-based enterprises across manufacturing value chains.
Mike Yan | OpenWerks, Inc.
Dr. Mike Yan, a researcher-turned-entrepreneur, developed a patent-pending federated learning approach at Georgia Tech and leads OpenWerks, a startup advancing AI-driven supply chain resilience.
Samuel Yang | RTX
Samuel Yang is a Sr Principal Engineer at RTX Technology Research Center. He is currently developing digital thread capabilities to enable MB-DMI and to capture insights from existing production data for design producibility assessment. Prior to RTRC, he has 18 years of design and test engineering experience in space propulsion.
Christian Zamiela | Auburn University
Christian Zamiela is a faculty member in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Auburn University whose research focuses on advancing systems engineering through developing digital thread capabilities and improving manufacturing system integration.