2026 Manufacturing Education Summit Speakers

Russel Bradley is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), specializing in smart manufacturing education, manufacturing systems, and additive manufacturing. He co-founded and leads the development of MIT’s learning factory, FrED Factory, which makes hands-on manufacturing education accessible and replicable across universities. Through its international deployment across multiple institutes, the FrED Factory has reached and trained over 500 students, expanding access to experiential manufacturing education beyond MIT. He also serves on the boards of startups and non-profits in artificial intelligence (AI), sustainable energy, and additive manufacturing that advance technological innovation in Indonesia. He has received multiple honors, including the MIT Graduate Teaching Award, the MIT Graduate Student of Excellence Award, and the Tulip Interfaces Golden Spade Groundbreaker Award.

I am a roboticist specializing in dexterous robotic manipulation. My work spans robotic manipulation, teleoperation, perception, and optimization, with applications in manufacturing, agriculture, and education, bridging hardware and software to create more efficient, adaptable, and dexterous robots.

Dr. Brett Conner joined SME in October 2025 as Chief Manufacturing Officer, leading initiatives to advance manufacturing innovation and strengthen the nation’s industrial base. A recognized authority in additive and advanced manufacturing, he brings more than two decades of experience spanning industry, academia, and government. Before joining SME, Dr. Conner served as Senior Program Manager with PM2 Strategies, supporting the U.S. Department of Defense’s Manufacturing Technology Office and the Joint Additive Manufacturing Working Group in advancing joint additive and advanced manufacturing strategy. His career includes leadership roles with Alcoa and Honeywell FM&T, as well as tenure as professor and director of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center at Youngstown State University. Dr. Conner also served in the U.S. Air Force. He also co-founded the additive manufacturing startup Freshmade 3D. An America Makes Ambassador and recipient of multiple national honors, Dr. Conner holds eight U.S. patents. He earned his B.S. in Physics from the University of Missouri and his S.M. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Anis Fatima is an accomplished academic in Manufacturing Mechanical Engineering Technology at Michigan Tech with extensive experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership. She has developed and delivered numerous graduate and postgraduate courses, supervised multiple PhD and Master’s research projects, and established a strong research portfolio focused on the digitalization and sustainability of manufacturing processes and systems. Her work emphasizes process optimization, reduction of environmental impact, cost-effective manufacturing, productivity enhancement, and improvement of workers’ well-being through ergonomic design and cognitive engineering. She has successfully secured and managed funded research projects in both applied research and capacity building. Her leadership experience includes serving as ISO 9001 and ISO 45000 Area Coordinator, Manager of University Advancement and Financial Assistance, and as a convener or member of several departmental committees. She has actively contributed to programme design, course sequencing, preparation of self-assessment reports, and development of standard operating procedures, while also participating in accreditation processes aligned with Outcome-Based Education requirements. Recognized with teaching and research awards in the UK and the US, she continues to advance the field of manufacturing engineering through a strong integration of innovative research, high-quality teaching, and academic leadership.

Dr. Fidan is a Professor in the Department of Manufacturing and Engineering Technology at Tennessee Tech University, where he also serves as the Director of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program and the University Maker Space. With a distinguished career spanning academia, research, and industry collaboration, Dr. Fidan has made significant contributions to additive manufacturing and electronicsmanufacturing. Beyond his tenure at Tennessee Tech, he has held esteemed positions as a Research Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a Visiting Scholar at Pasadena City College, and a Fulbright Senior Scholar at Nigde University. Actively engaged in multiple professional organizations, he is a dedicated volunteer of SME, ASEE, ABET, and IEEE. Dr. Fidan's exemplary work has earned him more than three dozen prestigious awards at the university, state, national, and international levels. He serves on the executive editorial boards of several high-impact journals, including the Journal of Engineering Technology (ASEE), Progress in Additive Manufacturing (Springer), Transactions on Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology (IEEE), Inventions (MDPI), and the Journal of Advanced Technological Education (MNTEC). Dr. Fidan holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and completed his postdoctoral research at Stevens Institute of Technology.

Steve Dertien is EVP of Technology at PTC, where he drives strategic customer relationships and champions the adoption of technologies that solve some of the most demanding engineering and manufacturing challenges. A former PTC Chief Technology Officer, Steve brings deep expertise in emerging technologies, including cloud, generative AI, augmented reality, and IoT, with a focus on driving practical innovation across 3D CAD, systems engineering, manufacturing, and business process transformation. Outside his role at PTC, Steve is the corporate sponsor for the MIT Initiative for New Manufacturing and serves on the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council's Technology and Innovation Advisory Board. Steve holds a B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering Technology from Ferris State University.

Dr. Wei Guo, PE, CEM, is an R&D Staff Member in the Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Research and Analysis Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research focuses on optimizing energy and material efficiency for specialized manufacturing equipment and industrial processes. Dr. Guo serves as a Technical Account Manager for the DOE’s Better Plants program and leads the DOE ISEED manufacturing workforce development initiative. He has been instrumental in launching several DOE manufacturing workforce development programs, including Better Plants Virtual Trainings and Bootcamps. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Dr. John Irwin is a tenured Professor, Mechanical Engineering Technology and Chair of the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology Department in the College of Engineering, at Michigan Technological University. In addition, he is Director of the Research and Innovation in STEAM Education (RISE) Institute Center at Michigan Tech. He has a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Irwin is PI for an NSF S-STEM grant until 2025. He is experienced in the manufacturing industry as well as the teaching profession with five years in engineering design, several years part-time consulting in industry and over 30 total years of teaching. Dr. Irwin’s research focus is on teaching and learning in computer aided design, analysis, & manufacturing subjects. Areas of teaching expertise are Parametric Modeling, FEA Methods, Computer Aided Manufacturing, Statics, Strength of Materials, and Product Design and Development

Throughout her 25 years in manufacturing, Jeannine has worked at the intersection of technology, talent, and industry growth, advocating for the transformation of manufacturing through advancements in technologies and workforce innovation. Kunz previously served as SME’s Chief Workforce Development Officer, where she led national initiatives aimed at advancing the US manufacturing workforce. Her team focused on strategizing nationally while partnering locally to build a holistic approach to attracting, developing and retaining talent. This approach optimizes and scales effective local initiatives and programs to train current and future talent across the US in partnership with employers, educators, other non-profits and government. Kunz’s role as co-chair of the Smart Manufacturing Executive Council, a group of business and technology executives led by CESMII and SME focuses on strengthening the US’ competitiveness through smart manufacturing, has helped shape industry standards and fosters collaboration among leaders to integrate cutting-edge solutions like IoT, AI, and automation into manufacturing processes. In 2023, she was appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on Smart Manufacturing, where she contributed her expertise to develop a national strategy for advancing smart manufacturing.

A passionate advocate for the advancement of manufacturing, Kunz serves on several boards and committees that focus on both technology and workforce development. These include board positions for the Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group and the Coalition for Career Development, chair for the manufacturing division of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) workforce committee, and a member of the education and workforce committee for Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute. In 2023, Kunz was awarded the ARM Institute Champion Award in recognition of going above and beyond to advocate for her mission of strengthening manufacturing in the US. In addition to her leadership role in workforce development and technology integration, Kunz frequently speaks at industry events and appears in prominent media outlets such as CNBC, Forbes, IndustryWeek, and NPR Marketplace. Her insights and expertise extend to policy, having testified before Congress on issues related to the manufacturing workforce and the supply chain for the Department of Defense. Recognized for her contributions, Kunz was named one of “Crain’s Detroit Business” Notable Women in Manufacturing (2018) and Notable Women in Education Leadership (2019). Kunz has been an SME member since 2008 and continues to drive the organization’s mission to accelerate widespread adoption of manufacturing technologies and build North America’s talent and capabilities.

Dr. John Liu is the Director and Principal Investigator of the MIT Learning Engineering and Practice (LEAP) Group, which investigates the intersection of human-centered technologies and engineering workforce development. He is a Principal Research Scientist in MIT’s Mechanical Engineering department. He leads education and workforce development efforts for MIT’s new campus-wide Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM). He was the Director of the Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters program, an online certificate program that has now enrolled over 200,000 learners across the globe. His research has received recognition from ASEE, ACM CHI, and IEEE DEMOCon. He has co-authored dozens of publications and currently serves as an executive guest editor for Manufacturing Letters. Dr. Liu earned his B.S. in Applied Physics from Caltech and S.M. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, under an MIT-SUTD fellowship and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. His research is supported by the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Schmidt Futures, National Science Foundation, NAMTECH, and industry partners.

Dr. Marialice Mastronardi is a Research Scientist at MIT and a member of the MIT Learning Engineering and Practice (LEAP) Group. Dr. Mastronardi holds a Ph.D. in STEM Education from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.S. in Electronic Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano (Italy).

Laine Mears, PhD, PE, joined the Automotive Engineering faculty in July 2006 as an Assistant Professor at the CU-ICAR campus. He teaches the modeling and analysis of automotive manufacturing processes, as well as the integration of automation in manufacturing. He has performed research in Intelligent Machining Systems, manufacturing process control, and manufacturing equipment diagnostics. Current research is being conducted in model-based control of manufacturing processes and systems, as well as new approaches to precision positioning control, control of processing difficult-to-machine materials, and the development of novel processing techniques in metal injection molding and electrically assisted manufacturing. His work is supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Department of Energy through the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, and numerous industry partners. He previously served on the ASME Manufacturing Engineering Division Executive Board and the SME NAMRI Board of Directors.

Walt is a technology leader with over 35 years of experience leading professional teams in high-speed testing and manufacturing environments. Experienced in working across functions and organizational levels to develop and improve processes and in guiding teams to excellence. Skilled in hiring, developing, and coaching technical staff at all career levels.

Dr. Volzer joined SME in 2022 and currently serves as vice president of workforce development, where she leads the organization’s national strategy to close the manufacturing skills gap and expand economic opportunity through education, government collaboration, and public-private partnerships. Volzer brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education and 15 years of expertise working with federal, state and local agencies to align talent systems with emerging economic needs to SME. She is responsible for designing and launching the Manufacturing Imperative – Workforce Pipeline Challenge, a national program with local implementation in 19 states, 31 institutions, which has successfully united educational institutions, industry groups, and government partners to close the manufacturing skills gap and expand economic opportunity. Volzer is focused on strengthening relationships that advance SME and government’s shared priorities nationwide, and strategizing and delivering workforce programs that specifically support the U.S. Department of Defense. She shapes federal and state strategies, pursues funding opportunities, and fosters public-private partnerships, while aligning and amplifying SME’s existing workforce programs for maximum impact.

Dr. Christopher Williams is the L.S. Randolph Professor and the Electro-Mechanical Corporation Senior Faculty Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. He is the Director of the Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems (DREAMS) Laboratory. He is the former Director of the Macromolecules Innovation Institute and holds affiliate faculty appointments in the Department of Engineering Education and the Department of Material Science & Engineering.

His Additive Manufacturing (AM) expertise spans innovations in (i) AM processes and materials; (ii) design methodologies and tools to guide AM use (i.e., “Design for Additive Manufacturing”); and (iii) cyber-physical security for AM. He has co-authored over 185 peer-reviewed articles and has presented 85+ invited talks. He is a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2013). For his AM research contributions, he was awarded the 2012 International Outstanding Young Researcher in Freeform and Additive Manufacturing Award (FAME Jr. Award; presented by the International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium) and the 2010 Emerald Engineering Outstanding Doctoral Research Award in the area of Additive Manufacturing. His research contributions have been recognized by nine Best Paper awards at international design, manufacturing, and engineering education conferences. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Additive Manufacturing Community Advisors for SME.

Dr. Williams has also received several recognitions for his contributions at Virginia Tech. He received the Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Advising and the College of Engineering’s Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research in 2019. He received the John R. Jones III Faculty Fellowship in Mechanical Engineering in 2017 and was named a College of Engineering Faculty Fellow in 2015. For his contributions in the classroom, he received the 2014 W. S. “Pete” White Chair for Innovation in Engineering Education, the 2012 XCaliber Team Award, the 2012 Excellence in Access and Inclusion Award, the 2011 W. S. “Pete” White Award for Innovation in Engineering Education, and the 2009 Dean’s Award for Outreach Excellence.

Dr. Williams holds a PhD and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Georgia) and a BS with High Honors in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida).