2011
Winner Garry Balestracci has worked for the Electric Boat
Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, since 1974 and at Balestracci
Unlimited since 2000. He is the vice chair of the IRRSP Committee
and has been secretary, vice chair and chair of the Narragansett Bay
Section. He is certified as an advanced Radiation Safety Officer from
the Radiation Safety Academy. Outside of ASNT, Balestracci is currently
a member and former chair of the Nondestructive Testing Management
Association Government and Industry Affairs Committee. He is also
a member of the Nuclear Sector R Coordinating Council and the Federal
Working Group on Industrial Radiography. Previously, he was also a
member of the American National Standards Institute N43.9 Standards
Committee.
2011
Winner Brenda Collins is a regional sales manager for Magnaflux.
Prior to that, she was the president of TGW, Inc. and did sales for
Q.C. Technologies, Inc. In the past, Collins was on the ASNT Board
of Directors, and served as vice chair and chair of the Section Operations
Council. She is also a former vice chair and chair for the Northern
Indiana Section. Collins attended Indiana University – Purdue
University Indianapolis where she studied business. She is certified
ASNT NDT Level III in PT and MT.
2011
Winner Gregory A. Garcia currently works at Transportation
Technology Center, Inc. in Pueblo, Colorado, as a principal investigator.
Prior to that, he worked at Kaiser Space Products as a special press
engineer/supervisor, and at the Pueblo Depot Activity as an industrial
radiographer. Garcia has served as the president, chair and most recently
on the board of directors of the Colorado Section. Garcia served in
the United States Marine Corps from 1977 to 1981, where his final
rank was as an E-5 sergeant. He graduated from the University of Southern
Colorado in 1985 with a B.S. in metallurgical engineering technology.
In addition, Garcia is certified as a Level II in LT, PT, RT and ET,
and as a Level III in UT and MT. From 2001 to 2007, Garcia was a guest
lecturer at Colorado State University – Pueblo, and from 1992
to 1994 he served as a council chair for the Holy Family Parish. Currently,
Garcia is a lead karate instructor for the Boys and Girls Club of
Pueblo County, as well as a task force member on the Association of
American Railroads Tank Car Committee and American Railway Engineering
and Maintenance-of-Way Association Committee 4.
2011
Winner David R. Griffin works as a Level 3 services director
for Argyll Ruane, Ltd., located in Rotherham, U.K. Prior to that,
he was an NDT manager at Aurora Forging, Ltd. He has also worked as
a senior operator at British Steel River Don Works. Griffin is certified
Level III in ET, MT, PT, RT, UT and VT.
2011
Winner George M. Hopman currently works as a technical director
on the Quality Control Council of the United States, as well as president
of NDE Solutions, Inc., in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to that, he worked
as a Level III NDT engineer at Honeywell Engines and Systems, as a
Level III technician at Boeing Military Aircraft Company and as a
Level II technician at Conam Inspection, Inc. He is the current treasurer
for the Arizona Section, and was previously Section chair and secretary.
Hopman graduated in 1982 from Moraine Valley Community College with
an A.A.S. with honors in NDT. Hopman is on the ASTM
International E07 Committee, and chair of the E07.03 Liquid Penetrant
and Magnetic Particle Subcommittee. He is also a technical director
for the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. In addition, he
is a member of the American Society for Quality and the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers. Hopman is certified ASNT NDT Level III in
PT, RT, UT, MT and ET. He is published in the February 2009 issue
of Materials Evaluation with a “Back to Basics”
paper, titled “Monitoring Capability of Penetrant System Performance
Panels.”
2011
Winner Frederick (Skip) Hoyt works at BP America in Texas
City, Texas, as a supervisor/NDT subject matter expert. Previously,
he worked in Saudi Arabia at Saudi Aramco as a Level III inspection
specialist. He has also worked at Amoco Oil and Bix Testing Laboratories.
Hoyt is active within the Greater Houston Section, where he has served
as vice chair, secretary and treasurer, as well as chair of various
committees. He was also a reviewer for ASNT on a technical ET review.
Hoyt earned a degree in business management from Lamar University
in 1982, followed by a degree in NDT/welding technology from San Jacinto
College in 1991. He is certified ASNT NDT Level III in MT, PT, RT
and UT.
2011
Winner David A. Mandina is the president/owner of Mandina’s
Inspection Services, Inc., located in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. Before
that, Mandina worked as an NDT instructor at Votech Direct, as well
as a technician and RSO at various companies in Louisiana. He earned
a degree in basic methods of instruction (education) from Louisiana
State University in 1988. Mandina is certified ACCP Professional Level
III and ASNT NDT Level III in PT, RT, UT, MT and VT. In addition,
he is a current member of the American Welding Society, American Society
for Quality and the American Petroleum Institute. In the past, Mandina
has served as the secretary, treasurer, vice president and president
of the New Orleans Section. He was also on his Section’s Education
Committee, as well as on ASNT’s Visual Testing Committee.
2011
Winner William D. Meade works for the Boeing Company in Seattle,
Washington as a Boeing Level III/technical analyst Level 5. Prior
to that, he worked in Phoenix, Arizona, first as a Level III engineer
at Kachina Testing Laboratories, and then as a senior NDT engineer
at Allied Signal Aerospace. Meade graduated cum laude with an A.A.S.
in NDT and an A.S. in mathematics from Moraine Valley Community College
in 1988. He then graduated cum laude in 1990 with a B.S. in physics
from Lewis University. Meade is certified ASNT NDT Level III in RT,
UT and ET. He is a member of the ASTM E07 Committee.
2011
Winner Eddywayne Messmer has worked at Moraine Valley Community
College in Palos Hills, Illinois, since 1990. Prior to that, he was
a member of the United States Air Force, where he earned a certificate
in NDT. Messmer earned a B.S. in BOSCO from Eastern Illinois University,
followed by an A.S. in 1983 in instructor technology from Force Community
College, and an A.S. in metal tech from Community College in the Air
in 1985. He is certified Corporate Level III in PT, RT, UT, MT, AE
and VT. He is a member of the Chicago Section, where he has served
on the Section’s education and membership committees, and as
the chair and vice chair.
2011
Winner Marybeth Miceli is president of Miceli Infrastructure
Consulting, LLC in Los Angeles, California. Prior to that, she worked
as the C.O.O. at Matech Corporation. She has also worked as the director
of infrastructure engineering and business development, and as a quality
assurance manager/failure analysis engineer. Miceli earned a B.S.
in materials science and engineering from Johns Hopkins University
in 1999. During that time, she was awarded the Sonix Award in Immersion
Ultrasonics. In 2000, Miceli earned an M.S. in materials and science
and engineering from Virginia Tech. She was also awarded the ASNT
Fellowship Award. Other awards include the 2004 ASNT Young NDT Professional
Award and a 2002 Gold Medal for work conducted at Ground Zero. Miceli
has delivered many presentations, including a 2008 plenary address
for ASNT, a lecture at JetBlue University in 2003, the 2004 keynote
address for Rutgers Women in Science, and as a 2009 invited speaker
for the Department of Homeland Security. She has been an ASNT member
for 13 years and has been affiliated with the Greater Los Angeles
and Metro NY/Northern New Jersey Sections, where she served as Section
chair. Miceli also served as vice chair/secretary on SOC and as secretary
on the Penetrating Radiation Committee. She has also been a member
of the Governance, Infrastructure, High School Teacher Workshop, Infrared
Thermography and
e-Mentoring Committees. Additionally, Miceli was a director at large
on ASNT’s Board of Directors, 2007 – 2010. The November
2002 issue of Materials Evaluation ran a paper written by
Miceli, titled “IRT of FRP Bridge Decks.” She is a member
of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Women’s Transportation
Seminar, as well as a contributing writer for LA Streetsblog. In addition,
Miceli is a reviewer for the Journal of Bridge Engineering
and a flautist, choir member and assisting minister at St. Andrew’s
Church.
2011
Winner Lawrence H. Strouse is a railroad safety specialist
(hazardous materials) with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA),
U.S. Department of Transportation. Strouse performs quality program
auditing and engineering functions for FRA at companies that own and
operate railroad tank cars and tank car manufacturing and maintenance
facilities. Strouse’s career spans more than 30 years in the
railroad industry, beginning as an industrial radiographer with the
Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. He has also been manager
of quality assurance and welding engineering and corporate Level III
positions with GATX Corporation and director of engineering with GE
Rail Services. Strouse holds advanced degrees in engineering and business
and serves on various working groups with the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers, American Welding Society (AWS), American Society
for Quality (ASQ) and Association of American Railroads task forces.
Strouse is an ASNT NDT Level III in six methods, an AWS senior certified
welding inspector, and holds multiple ASQ certifications. He is a
registered professional engineer in the state of Illinois.
2011
Winner Mark F.A. Warchol is a principal engineer/scientist
at the Texas Research Institute at Austin. Previously, he worked as
a managing partner at Mfaw NDT, LLC and as a corporate Level III technical
supervisor and senior engineer at Alcoa, Inc. Warchol has been a member
of ASNT for more than 23 years, and has been affiliated with the Susquehanna,
Central Iowa and Pittsburgh Sections during that time. He has served
as chair on the Sonics Committee and Metals Committee, as well as
co-chair on the Ultrasonic Testing (UT) P&Q Committee. He was
also a member of the Aluminum and NDT Handbook Committees. In the
mid-1990s, Warchol presented at an ASNT conference on the subject
of “Aluminum Industry Needs.” He was also an editor for
the ASNT Level II Study Guide: Ultrasonic Testing Method
and the Nondestructive Testing Handbook, third edition: Volume
10, Nondestructive Testing Overview, as well as an editor
and contributing author for the Nondestructive Testing Handbook,
third edition: Volume 9, Visual Testing. He is honored in
“Who’s Who in Science and Engineering” and “Who’s
Who in the World,” and is a professional engineer. He developed
automatic angulation systems for large scale UT inspections, received
a UT molten metal inspection patent and three patents measuring gas
control, and helped to develop and install the first phased array
systems in Russia for aluminum plate inspection. He was also a session
chair at the 2004 World Conference on NDT in Montreal, Canada. He
is published in a number of technical journals, and is a member of
ASTM, Nadcap and Rotary International as a Paul Harris Fellow. Warchol
has an A.S.E.E.T./B.S.E.E. in electronics from Pennsylvania State
University and an M.S. in material science from the University of
Virginia.
About the ASNT Fellow Award
