Advisory Boards
Industrial Advisory Boards
The Industrial Advisory Boards for Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Programs review the health of the department, advise the faculty on the general direction of the department, critically review the department strategic plans, help in developing new research directions and strengthen existing ones, advise the department on new faculty hires, identify potential sources of supplemental funding, and last but not least, help to develop, maintain and innovate the graduate and undergraduate curricula. The IABs meet once or twice per year for a full-day meeting.
Members of our advisory boards for program development are:
Mechanical Engineering Program
| Name | Position | Company |
|---|---|---|
| Thaer Almasri | Senior Operations Manager | eCMMS – White Oak Pack Center |
| Robert R. Croft, P.E. (VA/NC/TX/NH/GA/SC) | Project Engineering Manager, BOP Construction Support, Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4 | Stone & Webster, Inc |
| Jason Forsyth |
COO & Director of Engineering | Moseley Architects |
| C.A. Hodges | Senior Professional, Agency and Vendor Relations | Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond |
| Andrew Hutton, Ph.D. | Associate Director, Accelerator Division | Jefferson Lab |
| Poorna Mane, Ph.D. | Directory Strategic Programs (Product Development, Sustaining Engineering, Global Operations, Medical Devices) | Sonova Group |
| Patrick McElhinney | Principle Engineer | Altria Group Inc. |
| Zoubeida Ounaies, Ph.D. | Professor, College of Engineering | Penn State University |
| Jacob L. Pretko | Lead Scientist/Engineer II, Research & Development | DuPont Protection Solutions |
| Ritesh Shah | Americas Steam Power System Engineering Leader, Greater Richmond Region | GE Power |
| Pere Villar | Head of Service, USA | Alfa Laval Inc. |
| Jeffery Wilson |
Engineering Leader | VSP Technologies |
Nuclear Engineering Program
| Name | Position | Company |
|---|---|---|
| Sama Bilbao y León, Ph.D. | Director General | World Nuclear Organization |
| Dr. Hunter Andrews |
R&D Associate Staff Member, Isotope Applications Research Group; VCU Mechanical Engineering with Nuclear Concentration & Doctoral Programs Alumnus |
Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
| Deion Atkinson |
Project Manager, Advanced Reactor Licensing; VCU Mechanical Engineering with Nuclear Concentration Alumnus |
Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
| Ms. Brooke Bates |
University Partnership Coordinator, Nuclear Energy and Fuels; VCU Mechanical Engineering with Nuclear Concentration Alumna |
Dominion Energy |
| Mr. Tom Bergman | Vice President, Regulatory Affairs | NuScale Power |
| Dr. Jessica Bishop |
Engr. Systems Implementation Professional; VCU Mechanical Engineering with Nuclear Concentration Alumna | Sandia National Labs |
| Ms. Mary Cullen | Vice President, Nuclear Propulsion | Newport News Shipbuilding |
| Dr. Harold Dodds | Emeritus Professor, Nuclear Engineering | University of Tennessee |
| Mr. William (Barry) Fletcher | Vice President, Nuclear Propulsion (Retired) | Newport News Shipbuilding Consultant - NuScale Power and American Bureau of Shipping |
| Robert S. Freeman | Vice President, Contracts & Services-North America, Fuel Commercial & Customer Center | Framatome |
| Mr. John Harrell |
Director, Nuclear Engineering and Fuel Department | Dominion Energy |
| Dr. Eric Loewen |
Chief Engineer and Manager of the Chief Engineer's Office | GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy |
| Ms. Lisa Marshall |
Assistant Extension Professor & Director of Outreach, Retention and Engagement; Department of Nuclear Engineering | NC State University |
| Dr. David Pointer | Division Director (Interim), Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division | Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
| Dr. Finis Southworth | Chief Technology Officer (retired as of August 2015) | AREVA NP |
| Dr. Ammon Williams |
Research Specialist, Material Minimization, Security & International Safeguards; VCU MNE Doctoral Programs Alumnus | Idaho National Laboratory |
Ex Officio Members
Supathorn Phongikaroon, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of Nuclear Engineering Programs
VCU Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
John Speich, Ph.D.
Interim Chair and Professor
VCU Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering