Keynote Speakers
Donato Callahan
After graduating as high-school valedictorian, Donato pursued B.S. in Biology at Boise State University where he became one of three biology majors in the country to win the highly competitive Department of Defense SMART Scholarship Award. In his senior year, he started a real estate investing company (which didn’t work out) but taught him the necessary skills to try again. Then, in the Fall of 2021, Donato started working as a geospatial analyst for the department of defense, bought his first property on his 22nd birthday, started a real estate company that has grown to 172 units and $15M in assets, and became the CEO of his software company BrightInvestor which was raised over $350,000 in seed capital and garnered thousands of users.
Donato has since retired from the Department of Defense and spends his days growing his software company and acquiring apartment complexes for a half a billion dollar investment firm.
Donato in his free time enjoys weight lifting, fine cigars, and traveling.
Introducing…Donato Callahan!
Dr Paola Pittoni
Dr Paola G. Pittoni is an Associate Teaching Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University. She
received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and her
B.S. in Energy Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano. Her research interests include wetting, droplet evaporation
and impact, and multiphase thermal-fluid dynamics.
Supported by the encouragement of her students and her everlasting passion for teaching, Dr. Pittoni received
several Awards in her ten-years-long ISU career, such as the Iowa State University Award for Early Achievement in
Teaching, the College of Engineering Superior Engineering Teacher Award, and three Mechanical Engineering
Professor of the Year Awards.
She is the Academic Advisor for Women in Mechanical Engineering (WiME), Pi Tau Sigma- The Mechanical
Engineering Honor Society, and Iowa State SAE International, fostering outreach activities and events to promote
STEM Education, and diversity in Engineering
Session Speakers
Dr. Emmanuel Agba
Dr. Emmanuel Agba is a teaching professor at Iowa State University in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. With a strong foundation in Mechanical Engineering and a career spanning academia and industry, Dr. Agba’s journey began in Nigeria, where he completed his undergraduate and Master of Engineering degrees in Mechanical Engineering in 1984 and 1988, respectively. He honed his skills at companies like Ringin Motors Nigeria Ltd and Starline Nig. Ltd before earning his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Robotics and Computer Aided Design from Florida Atlantic University in 1991. His teaching career commenced at Mississippi State University, and in 1999, he transitioned to Ford Motor Company, where he led transformative initiatives in computer-aided processes. Driven by his passion for educating the next generation of engineers, he joined Iowa State University in 2009. Dr. Agba’s multifaceted expertise encompasses automotive and plastics industries, virtual manufacturing technologies, and product lifecycle management. He is Six Sigma certified and holds the title of Registered Professional Engineer. Recognized for his contributions, he has received numerous accolades, including the VP’s Award for Outstanding 6-Sigma Contribution (2008) and the MTA/SME Best Paper award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (1999). With a commitment to innovation, he has implemented new technologies for process improvement and cost reduction. Beyond his distinguished career, Dr. Agba serves as a consultant and educator with the GLG Council, sharing his valuable insights. When not engaged in academia or industry, he finds fulfillment in home maintenance and quality time with his family
Eric Bluth
My name is Eric Bluth and I graduated from Iowa State University in 1981 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. I also have an MBA from the University of Iowa. I retired 8 years ago and I currently live in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and I’m a permanent resident of Mexico. At this point in my life, I love to enjoy my hobbies of travel, golf, and of course Scuba Diving. I earned my Scuba certification as an elective at Iowa State my senior year and have been a Divemaster for over 25 years. So, how did I get here. I worked for 2 private equity groups that purchased and sold 2 refineries in the United States. I served as Chief Operating Officer and Refinery General Manager for both entities. I had my own consulting business, Bluth Price and Associates, and I have worked in numerous different roles in chemical plants and refineries. Those roles have included Engineering/Technical, Operations, Trading, Health/Safety/Environmental. In addition to all of that, I provided oversite to a company going through bankruptcy and managed a multi-million dollar insurance settlement. None of this was in my plan, career goals, or in my wildest imagination when I finished Iowa State. What an unexpected and amazing adventure.
Brandon Clark
Brandon is a Student Success & Retention Coordinator for the Leadership through Engineering Academic Diversity Program (LEAD). In this role, he provides programming and services designed to cultivate the academic, professional, and socio-cultural engagement, growth, and success of multicultural, international, and women scholars in the College of Engineering.
Alex Faucz
Alexander Faucz is a metallurgical process/product engineer at Arconic in Davenport Iowa. He graduated from Iowa State University in December of 2021 with a bachelors in materials engineering and a minor in chemistry. During college Alex was involved in Triangle Fraternity and a past member of Engineering Leaders of Tomorrow. He also had internships/co-ops at Wellman Dynamics, Collins Aerospace, and OshKosh Corporation.
Blake Gleason
My name is Blake Gleason and I am a third-year mechanical engineer. Through hard work
and dedication I have become the co-president of Engineers Week, am a head peer mentor
of the department of mechanical engineering learning communities, and am involved in
many other clubs/organizations around campus. I have had 2 internships thus far with the
Waldinger Corporation and Ryan Companies, two fantastic companies in the construction
industry
Rob Hanson
Rob Hanson is the energy manager at Carleton College in Minnesota, where he works to power the campus cleanly and efficiently. Some notable energy projects he works on involve electric vehicles, wind and solar energy generation, and heat pumps. Prior to working at Carleton College, Rob lived in Chicago while working in the energy efficiency industry. He has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a masters degree in Energy Systems Engineering, both from Iowa State. While on campus, he was a tour guide for the College of Engineering, a Cyclone Aide, president of the Society of International Engineers, and a Community Adviser in Friley Hall. In his spare time, he enjoys swimming, reading, and gardening
Andrew Jesus
Andrew Jesus is a driven and multi-talented individual who is currently a junior studying Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Computer Science.
He enjoys various activities that reflect his love for the outdoors and innovation. He is an avid pilot and takes to the skies whenever he can, whether for leisure or to sharpen his skills as an aerospace engineer. Additionally, Andrew is an accomplished snowboarder and wake surfer, and he loves to capture the beauty of his adventures through his photography.
In addition to his recreational pursuits, Andrew is a dedicated coach for a robotics team, guiding young minds toward discovering their passion for technology. He is also the Director of a non-profit organization, where he works tirelessly to improve the lives of underprivileged children in his community.
Professionally, Andrew has been working with Collins Aerospace since being hired by them freshman year. This includes a Co-Op in Richardson, Texas, and an internship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He works part time over the school year at the Ames offices and is a student ambassador lead for the company. Representing Collins Aerospace at various events around campus.
Dr. Ryan Lott
Dr. Ryan Lott currently serves as the Principal Data Scientist for the Asset Valuation Team at John Deere Financial. This role is responsible for leading and developing production level inferential models across a wide range of applications. In this highly collaborative role, Ryan is tasked with working with a large end-user base within the confines of a Smart Industrial/Agile technological environment while also innovating new modeling techniques. Ryan is also heavily involved in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at John Deere through serving on the ABLE’d and Community Pipeline Employee Resource Groups in addition to new employee recruiting. Ryan earned his bachelor’s in Psychology, M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies, and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University (research interests were Quantitative Psychology, Adolescence and Biopsychology). Ryan also was a post-doctoral fellow at Auburn University. Ryan enjoys attending as many Iowa State sporting events as possible
Nicole Martindale
Nicole Martindale is currently a graduate student at Iowa State University obtaining her master’s degree in Environmental Engineering. In the Spring of 2022, she graduated from ISU with her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in sustainability. After interning at Fox-Strand Associates and HDR, she has acquired a passion for water and wastewater treatment plant design and construction. On the weekends, she is a student operator at the Ames Water Treatment Plant. After graduating with her master’s degree in Fall 2023, Nicole will be working as a consulting engineer in the water industry. Currently, Nicole is the president and co-founder of the Water Professionals Student Chapter. Since freshman year, she has also been highly involved in the Society of Women, Tau Beta Pi Engineering National Honor Society, American Water Works Association (AWWA), Water Environment Federation (WEF), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and ISU Running Club.
Kellie Olson
Kellie is an ISU alum. She has been with Engineering Career Services for 10 years in various roles, and is currently serving as Director. She is passionate about helping students improve their career development skills and learn how to effectively market themselves to potential employers. Kellie has worked with hundreds of engineering employers on their recruiting efforts during her career, and likes to pass along knowledge to students on how to best connect with them. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, reading, and playing with her dog Dany.
Leslie Potter
Leslie Potter is an Iowa State University College of Engineering Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. She is a proud alum of the same department; after graduating in 1991, she worked at John Deere for seven years supporting the production of big green and yellow equipment: tractors, loaders, backhoes and more. She earned her MS in IE from Penn State University in 1996 and joined the ISU faculty in 2001. Since then, she has assisted over 3500 students with finding their path while taking her courses, including 1st-year programming/problem-solving, 2nd-year process improvements, capstone design, and others. Leslie believes in paying things forward; she has invested many years volunteering as a high school robotics coach, a 4-H leader, and a mentor for aspiring engineers. As co-author of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists 4th Edition with Finkelstein and Aune, she fully embraces her left-brain right-brain tussle, and loves to “make,” whether on a shopfloor, in the kitchen, or at a craft table. She is married to an engineer (32 years!) and they have three sons (all engineers!) and two doofy dogs (not engineers).
Dr. Raj Raman
D. Raj Raman is Morrill Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department at Iowa State University. Raman holds a BS in Electrical Engineering (RIT, 1986) and doctorate in Agricultural and Biological Engineering (Cornell University, 1994); prior to coming to Iowa State University (ISU), he was a faculty member at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, from 1993 – 2005. Raman’s research has encompassed waste management, insect detection, and technoeconomic modelling of bioprocessing and waste-treatment systems. He has developed new graduate and undergraduate degree programs, overseen accreditation of multiple engineering degree programs at ISU, and taught courses across the curriculum, from first-year engineering problem solving & computing to capstone design. Over 220 students have participated in summer research programs (e.g., NSF REU sites) that he has directed, with two of these sites associated with large externally-funded interdisciplinary research efforts led by ISU. He has contributed to the literature in areas of curriculum, student risk characterization, and mentoring, and has been recognized with national teaching honors including the Farrall Young Educator Award and the Massey-Ferguson Gold Medal Teaching Award. Since 2017, Raman has worked closely with Dr. Ken Moore (Distinguished Professor of Agronomy) on a transdisciplinary project focused on perennial groundcover. In fall 2021, that effort (RegenPGC) received $10M in funding in the form of Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant program from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Raman now serves as Project Director for RegenPGC.
Dr. KP Williams
Leadership Philosophy: Leadership is an inclusive process by which we create more desirable places to learn, live, work, and build community.
Kyle Patrick (KP) Williams joined the Iowa State University Leadership Studies program faculty in the Fall of 2018. KP teaches an array of courses including LD ST 122, 270, 291, 301, 322, 333 and 370, as well as LAS 151 (LAS Dean’s Leadership Seminar).
KP earned his Ph.D. (2019) in Education, Leadership Studies concentration, in the Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies at Chapman University. KP’s dissertation research was an arts-based study that used narrative inquiry and poetry to story the authentic leadership development of millennial gay men. KP’s scholarly interests focus on Arts-Based Leadership Education and Research and research on community development and leadership, generational leadership, and LGBTQIA+ leadership.
KP earned a bachelor’s degree (2010) in Community and Leadership Development at the University of Kentucky and a Master’s degree (2012) in Leadership, Public Policy, and Social Issues from the Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, OH. From 2010-2012, KP served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member and Leader with the Campus Compact projects in South Carolina and Kentucky. After graduate school and national service, KP served as a Visiting Service-Learning Tutor at Lingnan University in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong; Senior Program Coordinator for Academic Community Engagement at Tulane University’s Center for Public Service; Graduate Assistant for Civic Engagement Initiatives at Chapman University; and instructor in the Anteater Leadership Academy at University of California, Irvine.
Dr. Kelly Winfrey
Dr. Kelly Winfrey is an associate professor at Iowa State University specializing in political communication, leadership, and gender studies. She is the interim director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at ISU and has worked with the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics.