Your SME Membership Team

Dolores Gauthier began her career at SME in December 1999 as part of the customer service team. From 2000-05, Gauthier was the association manager for SME's former CASA, EM, MVA and RI associations, and was the community relations manager for the Automated Manufacturing & Community after the associations transitioned to technical communities. From 2005-08, she worked as the director of special events at the Michigan chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and from 2008-11 was promoted to the national director for LLS Canada working with corporations, volunteers and staff to implement fundraising programs and acquire sponsorships to support the mission. At present, Gauthier is a member and industry relations manager and the liaison for the AMA Community. She has a degree in accounting and is currently working toward her CMA certification. Click to connect

Joe LaRussa, PE, is currently SME's membership director. Prior to beginning his career at SME in 2010, LaRussa was a project manager – customer quality office for Chrysler Group LLC. Previously, he was a mobile electronics project manager at Visteon Corp. During his 11-year career at Visteon, LaRussa held various positions in product development, project management and manufacturing engineering, generating profitable revenue and achieving production cost savings. LaRussa holds a BS in electrical engineering, an MS in automotive systems engineering and an MS in engineering management. He has been an SME member since 1994, previously served as an SME Membership Consultant and was appointed to the SME Member Council in 2009. In 2008, he received the SAE Foundation's Young Manufacturing Leadership Award. Click to connect

Kathy Looman has an extensive background in machining and material removal. Looman graduated with a business degree and worked for a few years in an unrelated design profession. In the mid-1980s, she was the West Coast sales and service manager for Pope Spindle Corp. Looman managed a spindle rebuild center in Southern California, which rebuilt spindles from every major manufacturer's CNC as well as manual machine tools. She is very technically competent with regard to bearings, lubrication, tolerances and all aspects of precision spindles, and has a thorough understanding of the machining industry. Additionally, Looman was responsible for retrofit sales throughout the region. After a brief time in a consulting role, she worked as an account manager for key accounts at Bodycote Thermal Processing, an international metal processing company servicing customers in many industries, including aerospace, defense, automotive, medical and power generation. She became an SME member and industry relations manager in June 2011 and is the liaison to the Machining & Material Removal Community. Click to connect

Deborah Robbins has been an active SME member since 2006. Throughout her manufacturing career, she has held numerous volunteer leadership positions on local and regional levels. As an SME member and industry relations manager, Robbins works to directly support the Industrial Laser Technical Community. She is passionate about helping all SME members receive the most value from their membership. Click to connect

Margaret Satoh began her career at SME in April 2001 where she was responsible for SME's Customer Care Department from 2001-08. In 2004, her role was expanded to encompass member services. . Presently, she is the liaison to the Product & Process Design and Management Community, various member committees and councils, and is also responsible for the administration of our member units, utilizing her expertise in all facets of customer/member services. Satoh is also the staff lead for SME's Leadership Series. Prior to joining SME, she had a 20-year career at Ameritech with various leadership positions in service, sales and collections. Click to connect

Mark Stratton has been with SME since 1974. Since then, he has been involved in various parts of the organization, including conferencing, membership and the SME Education Foundation. Stratton is currently a member and industry relations manager for SME's Manufacturing Education & Research Community where he is helping the Role of SME in Higher Education Task Force implement SME's role in manufacturing, engineering and technology higher education. Click to connect

Jane Wellington began her career at SME in 1996. During that time, she has held various positions within SME in the expositions, technical associations and membership areas. Wellington is currently a member and industry relations manager for the PCC Community. Click to connect