Experience

Henkel, Rocky Hill, CT — 2019-Present

• Current Role: Global Key Account Manager — Aerospace
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Develop and execute the overall global strategy for a critical Aerospace account
  • Manage a core team to drive sales growth through customer engagement and satisfaction
  • Champion product development programs based on market analysis and customer needs
  • Advise executive leadership on strategic opportunities focused on driving long term growth

United Technologies Research Center, East Hartford, CT — 2010-2019

• Role: Technology/Program Manager and Polymeric Materials Engineer
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Secured research funding through grants and proposals to drive key technology initiatives
  • Engaged with technical leadership to create technology development strategies
  • Lead technical innovation centered on polymer materials and applications
  • Advised senior leadership on technical opportunities and risks related to polymer materials
  • Supported corporate wide technical improvement activities involving polymeric materials

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD

• National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow — Polymers Division — 2009-2010

Summary

First allow me to share with you my definition of leadership, adapted specific to SPE.

SPE Leadership: A Presence within SPE, which strives to maximize the Collaboration of our Chapter leaders and members, toward the advancement of SPE's mission and Vision to provide networking and knowledge to our members, Chapters, and our Industry.

There are three key elements to this definition that I believe are critical to the success of a SPE leader and I have provided specific evidence highlighting a few of my qualifications.

Presence can only be earned through demonstration of knowledge, experience, and trust.

• 15 years in the polymers/plastics industry
• Experienced team leader able to deliver on key technical, operational and sales goals
• Over 50 filed patents, 8 granted patents, and 10 peer-reviewed publications
• Co-Chair of the first ever Plastics In virtual event
• Chair of the Sections Committee charged with driving two-way communication with our Section leaders and the Executive Board

Collaboration is paramount to drive our Society forward at the pace of our changing industry while concurrently allowing for productive discussion and refinement of ideas and actions.

• Spearheaded several collaborative programs with companies, universities, and government agencies to drive innovation
• Helped facilitate the first SPE Roundtable at ANTEC® 2019 that brought Chapter leaders together to share common experiences

Vision to see the future potential of our Society and establish measurable milestones that ensure SPE remains relevant and successful for decades to come.

• Help establish SPE's Communities forums and Regional Interest Group models to provide different options to organize under SPE
• Leverage virtual capabilities to supplement SPE's traditional products and services
• Be at the forefront of emerging technology scouting to enable SPE to pioneer the dissemination of information through meaningful discussion and events

Education:

• Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from University of Massachusetts — Amherst
• B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin — Stevens Point

SPE Positions Held

• SPE Vice President - Chapters (2020 – Present)
• SPE Vice President - Sections (2018 – 2020)
• SPE Sections Committee Member (2017 – 2018)
• Connecticut Section Councilor (2017 – 2018)
• Connecticut Section Board Member (2016 – Present)
• Connecticut Section Annual Student Scholarship Golf Outing Chair (2016 – Present)
• SPE Member (2006 – Present)

Additional Information

It has been a distinct honor and privilege to serve SPE and the members of our Society for the past three years on the Executive Board. We have faced tremendous change over these years, but we have adapted and have come out stronger as a Society. That being said, there is a great deal of work to do in order to fully understand the implications of all that has changed and to optimize how we function as a Society and to promote future growth and success of our Chapters and SPE as a whole.

One area that needs to be optimized is the role of Vice President - Chapters. This new role within SPE, combines the responsibilities of two previous roles: VP of Divisions and VP of Sections. Careful consideration will be required to better define the roles and responsibilities of this position to enable those serving in this position to navigate the complexity of effectively engaging with all Chapters, Council, and the Executive Board. My professional experience working in organizationally complex companies, setting up new program initiatives, spearheading continuous improvement campaigns, and redefining global account strategies are key experiential assets that I will leverage to help define the role of Vice President - Chapters and how best to engage with our global and technology-diverse organization.

While definition of the role is a foundational activity, the metric of success for this role should be measured by the progress made in empowering our Chapters to address their biggest challenges such as:

• Member engagement, retention, and growth
• Identification and development of future Chapter leaders
• Modes and methods of effective communication
• Financial stability / sustainability

As Vice President - Chapters, it would be my personal obligation to engage with our Chapters to further understand these common themes and help to develop and distribute the tools needed to promote the health, prosperity, and engagement of our Chapters and the Society as a whole.