Learn more about the scholarships and grants supported by the AWS Foundation, as well as how to apply.
We Move Welding Forward
We Move Welding Forward
Founded in 1919, the American Welding Society is a nonprofit organization with a global mission: to advance the science, technology, and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes worldwide, including brazing, soldering, and thermal spraying.
By fostering knowledge, embracing change, and providing real-world opportunities through scholarships, fellowships, and workforce development, AWS provides the tools to help members succeed—and to inspire future generations of welding professionals.
The AWS Foundation
The AWS Foundation
Supporting The Welding Community
The AWS Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Welding Society. The Foundation ensures the growth of the industry through career programs, scholarships, and grants to institutions that offer welding education and training.
Get Involved
Get Involved
There are lots of ways for members to get involved with the American Welding Society: Member Network, Sections, Student Chapters, and more.
Our Programs and Culture
AWS Governance
AWS Governance
Our leaders have in-depth knowledge to support experienced welders, prospective students, and independent welding shop owners. AWS Members can also nominate candidates for president, vice president, and director-at-large; you can also have a say in our standards by joining a technical committee. See the details below.
AWS Leadership / Governance
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Officers
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Directors at Large
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District Directors
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Future Leaders
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Past Presidents
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Volunteer Directory
On behalf of the entire AWS organization, welcome! We hope you’ll take a few moments to learn more about each of us and how we’re working as a united team to help you reach your goals successfully.
- You may be an experienced welder or a prospective student exploring a possible welding career
- You may be an equipment or manufacturing company president or independent welding shop owner
- Or perhaps you’re educating our next welding generation
Regardless of your personal connection to welding, you all have an important stake in seeing our industry continue to grow and thrive.
Our AWS officers have the in-depth knowledge to support your efforts. Each office has decades of leadership experience representing every facet of our industry. From senior level engineering and certified inspector rolls, to spearheading standards committees, to running successful manufacturing, equipment and other welding-related businesses, AWS officers have the background to support your goals.
We hope you’ll get to know all of us better and continue to partner with us in our mission: to advance the science, technology and people of welding for ourselves and the next generation.
Richard L. Holdren
President, AWS
ARC Specialties Technical Services / Welding Consultants LLC
Richard L. Holdren was elected to serve as President after serving three years as Vice President. He is a senior welding engineer at ARC Specialties Technical Services, president/principal welding engineer at Welding Consultants LLC, and owner of Holdren Engineering LLC. He has served over 40 years as an AWS member and chair of numerous AWS certification, education, and technical committees. He also served as director-at-large. He is an AWS Counselor, Life Member, Senior CWI (SCWI), and Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng).
Dr. D. Joshua Burgess
Vice President, AWS
Sr. Program Manager - Metallurgical & Welding
Tennessee Valley Authority
Dr. D. Joshua Burgess was elected to serve as Vice President. He is senior program manager of metallurgical and welding at the Tennessee Valley Authority. Throughout his 22-year membership with AWS, he has served the Society in many capacities at the board, Section, and committee levels. This includes serving as chair of the Northeast Tennessee Section in 2013 and Dist. 8 director from 2013 to 2019. He is also an AWS CWI and AWS Level III Expert Welder.
Kerry E. Shatell
Vice President, AWS
Senior Welding Engineer - Retired
Kerry E. Shatell was elected to serve as Vice President and is retired from Pacific Gas & Electric Co., where he worked as a senior advising welding engineer. A 27-year member of AWS, he has served the organization in multiple capacities, including director-at-large for three years; chair of the CWI Lifetime Achievement Award Committee; Dist. 22 director from 2013 to 2015 and 2016 to 2019; and chair, vice chair, treasurer, newsletter editor, and executive board member of the Sacramento Valley Section. He is also an AWS CWI and CWEng.
J. Jones
Vice President, AWS
J. Jones was elected to serve as Vice President, and is district sales manager at The Harris Products Group. Throughout his over 35-year membership with AWS, he has held leadership roles at the Section and national levels. This includes serving as executive committee director in 2019 and AWS Dist. 17 director for 15 years. He is also an AWS CWE.
Mary Bihrle
Treasurer, AWS
Mary Bihrle was elected to serve as Treasurer. She is retired from Hypertherm Inc., where she worked as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2013 to 2018. Prior to that, she worked as the company’s director of global finance from 2010 to 2013 and the director of internal controls from 2009 to 2013. Bihrle has been an AWS volunteer for more than five years, serving on the Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees.
Nicholas Peterson
Welding Engineer/Curriculum Developer for Miller Electric Mfg.
Lynn Showalter
Chief Welding Engineer Newport News Shipbuilding, Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries
Timothy C. Kinnaman | District Director 1
Welding Consultant / Inspector / Educator
Justin Mixon | District Director 2
Founder/Manager of Operations, Empirical Testing and Inspection, LLC, and Assistant Director of Quality, Crystal Steel Fabricators, Inc.
Bradley Brandmeir | District Director 3
Welding Instructor, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute
Dr. Anver Classens | District Director 4
Welding Consultant, A.E. Classens & Associates
Daryl E. Peterson | District Director 5
Quality Manager Central Maintenance and Welding
Ronald H. Stahura | District Director 6
Marketing /Sales, ESAB Welding & Cutting Products
Roger Hilty | District Director 7
Co-owner, Hilty Sign & Fabrication Co.
James Thompson | District Director 8
Welding Educator, Wallace State Community College
Thomas W. Kostreba | District Director 10
Welding Instructor, Erie High School
Wesley Doneth | District Director 11
Regional Strategic Product Manager, Fronius USA & Fronius International GmbH
Benjamin Newcomb | District Director 12
Welding Instructor, Madison College
Ronald Ashelford | District Director 13
Welding Instructor and CWI, Rock Valley College
Dr. Travis Jumper, Ph.D. | District Director 14
Technical Welding Specialist, ILMO Products
Dale Szabla | District Director 15
Senior Manufacturing Engineering Supervisor, nVent HOFFMAN Enclosures
Jeffrey Jones | District Director 16
Director of Railcar Shops for Herzog Railroad Services Inc.
Caitlyn Brown | District Director 18
Lead Instructor and Operations Manager, MadSkills Certified Welding Services
Denis Clark | District Director 20
DEClark Welding Engineering, PLLC
Nicholas Martinez | District Director 21
Salt River Project
Alex Driscoll
2025 – 2027
Alex is a welding instructor at Catoosa County College and Career Academy in Ringgold, GA. He earned his AAS in Welding Engineering Technologies from Chattanooga State Community College and is a CWI/CWE. Alex is heavily involved with the AWS Chattanooga Section and is the current Chair.
Erin Lalinsky
2025 – 2027
Erin graduated from Ferris State University with a bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering Technology. She is the Welding Engineer in charge of the Kuka Robotics USA Tech Center, a certified welding inspector, and a future chair (in 2029) of the AWS Detroit Section.
Edward Peterson
2024 – 2026
Edward Peterson is a degreed Welding Engineer with a B.S. from LeTourneau University in Longview, TX, is an AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), and is a past chair of the AWS Houston Section. He currently works for Laser Welding Solutions, LLC., a laser cladding and build-to-print job shop, as their Welding Engineer and Manager of Quality Control. Edward is involved in the development of the codes covering metal additive manufacturing as Vice Chair of the AWS D20 main committee and an active member of the AWS D20B and the API 20S subcommittees.
Jonathan Hiebl
2023 – 2025
Jonathan is a welding teacher at Chippewa Falls High School in Wisconsin who excels in developing strong, student centered, career and technical education (CTE) programs through community supported projects, business and industry partnerships, and specialized facilities and equipment. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UW-Stout in Technology Education while working as a welder and fitter in the sanitary process industry.
Michael A. Krupnicki
AWS President 2023-24
Executive Director
Rochester Arc + Flame Center
Michael Krupnicki is the owner of the Rochester Arc + Flame Center, a private welding, smithing, and glass arts school. He was previously involved with Mahany Welding Supply for 37 years. An AWS Life Member, his more than 35-year involvement includes supervising Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) exams and serving as District 6 Director. He also served as Chair and Treasurer of the Rochester Section.
Dr. W. Richard Polanin
AWS President 2022
President, WRP Associates
CoPI The National Center for Welding Education and Training (Weld-Ed)
Dr. Richard Polanin is a retired professor and program chair of the manufacturing engineering technology and welding technology programs at Illinois Central College, where he continues to teach. He is currently the co-principal investigator for Weld-Ed, chair of the AWS Peoria Section, vice chair of the International Institute of Welding Commission XIV, and president of WRP Associates. He is also involved in several AWS committees.
See the Volunteer Directory here.
Note: To access the AWS Volunteer directory, you must be an AWS committee member.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How do I nominate candidates for President, Vice President, and Director-at-Large?
AWS members who wish to nominate candidates for President, Vice President, and Director-at-Large on the AWS Board of Directors for the term starting Jan. 1, 2027, may either:
- Send their nominations electronically by July 15, 2025 to:
Malisa Mercado at (mmercado@aws.org)
C/o Michael Krupnicki
Chairman, National Nominating Committee
or
- Present their nominations in person at the open session of the National Nominating Committee meeting scheduled for 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois during the 2025 FABTECH Show.
Nominations must be accompanied by biographical material on each candidate, including a written statement by the candidate as to their willingness and ability to serve if nominated and elected, letters of support, plus a 5-by-7-inch head-and-shoulders color photograph.
Note: Persons who present their nominations at the Show are responsible to provide 20 copies of the biographical materials and written statement.
. - Send their nominations electronically by July 15, 2025 to:
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Who are the past Future Leaders?
2022-2024
Robert Watson, Welding Engineer, General Motors Corporation
Brandy Killeen, Program Director & Welding Instructor, West Virginia Northern Community College2020-2023
Hannah Wolf, Instructor for Related Metals & Metal Fabrication, Madison College2020-21
Andrea Orr, Research Engineer, Ford Motor Company2020
Gabrielle Bettengnies, Mechanical Design Engineer, System Technologies Inc.2019
Mitchell Grams, PhD. Candidate at Canadian Centre for Welding and Joining, University of Alberta Victoria Shekastehband, Intern, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. -
Where can I find a list of Scholarship and Grant recipients?Check out the list of Scholarship and Grant recipients in the AWS Impact Report.
Inside D. Fred Bovie Library and Museum
Work at AWS
Work at AWS
We’re committed to giving everyone the opportunity to learn, develop, and grow. Learn about open positions with our organization here.