External Advisory Board

The External Advisory Board for the Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology provides valuable guidance and information related to current practices and emerging trends in the industries where our graduates work.

Advisory board members come from a wide variety of industries and bring with them a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences. This wealth of knowledge is used to keep our curriculum current and help us make sure that we are preparing our students for the challenges of the global workplace.

The board generally meets each semester and the members participate in Senior Project presentations as evaluators, meet with students to get feedback on their experiences, and provide general advice and mentoring.

We are very appreciative of the efforts of our board members and the benefits they provide to our students and the entire department.

Directory

Matthew J. Barens

Global Quality Manager

Perlick Corporation

Milwaukee, WI
'05 ME MTU

Term end date: May 2026

Jason M. Biehl

Senior Process Engineer
Global Propulsion Systems

General Motors

Warren, MI
'94 Metallurgical Eng (Conc: Mat Sci Eng) MTU

Term end date: May 2026

Brian Hartwig

Director, Application Engineering & Development Lab

Kohler—Engines

New Holstein, WI
'87 ACME Institute of Technology; '04 SLC

Term end date: May 2027

Leanne R. Jensen

Associate Technical Fellow
Human Factors— Airplane Level Engineering Integration

The Boeing Company

Everett, WA
'01 AAS MDET; '09 BS MET MTU; '11 Walden University; '20 Capella University

Term end date: May 2026

John A. Kolacz

Senior Weld Manufacturing Engineer

CNH Industrial—St. Nazianz

St. Nazianz, WI
'12 INT MTU

Term end date: May 2025

Dustin S. Lindstrom

Application Engineer Technical Specialist

Cummins, Inc.

Shoreview, MN
'08 MEE MTU

Term end date: May 2026

Steven P. Onsager

Equipment and Process Consultant

Thermal Insite, LLC

North Prairie, WI
'80 MG MTU

Term end date: May 2026

Mitchell H. Terhune

Engineering Manager

Oilgear

Traverse City, MI
'06 MET MTU

Term end date: May 2027

 



John C. Westman

Engineering Manager

Pettibone/Traverse Lift, LLC

Baraga, MI
'99 MDET; '01 ET-MET MTU

Term end date: May 2025

Joseph K. Williams

Lab Group Manager Global Manufacturing Robotics & Automation Research

General Motors

Warren, MI

'22 BS MET; '24 MBA MTU

Term end date: May 2027

Kayla M. Wilson

Senior Reliability Engineer, Lighting and Lifestyle - Air Movement and Jobsite Cleanup

Milwaukee Tool

Milwaukee, WI

'18 BS MET (Minor: Data Acquisition and Industrial Control); '24 MS Manufacturing Eng MTU

Term end date: May 2027