I had no idea what I wanted to study in college, until my English teacher asked me a simple question; “What makes you feel most satisfied?” My immediate answer was, being able to step back and look at something that I had built. He told me to look into the plastics program at UMass Lowell. A two-minute conversation turned into my entire career. Fisher-Price Toys was the perfect place to start where I was able to experience every aspect of product development and manufacturing imaginable and of course we had to meet the holiday deadline.

I wanted to work with more challenging materials and processes so I moved into surgical devices where I discovered how slow product development could be. This led me to attending Boston University for a degree in innovation but more importantly it led me to WPI for program management and my PMP. Nypro, contract manufacturing, was the logical place for me where I could experience product innovation, globally, across all markets; automotive, packaging, consumer electronics and healthcare.

Innovation and technology sets products apart but the ability to launch safe, high-quality products on schedule sets companies apart. Very few companies can achieve both. Too many great ideas never make it to market due to poor execution. To help improve my success rate I began teaching Injection Molding for UMass, at Nypro’s satellite campus for UMass and WPI. I also turned the class into seminars for our customers. My classes are structured around the application of technology, ensuring product ideas make it to market along with an open-mindedness to innovation, as plastics are evolving on a daily basis.

I now lead engineering teams and a product development center across SMC, one of the world’s strongest, private contract manufacturers of healthcare products. Luckily our founder and CEO is also a Plastics Engineer that supports my need to stay connected to seeing a product to market. I never let my managerial responsibilities take me too far away from being an engineer!

Industry experience:

• 2017-Present: Vice President of Engineering and Product Development, SMC Ltd.
• 2015-2017: Vice President of Engineering- Northeast, Phillips Medisize/Koch Industries
• 2013-2015: Vice President of Operations, Daktari Diagnostics
• 1996-2013: Senior Director Global Program Management, Nypro/Jabil
• 1992-1996: Program Manager, Smith & Nephew Surgical
• 1990-1992: Process Engineer, West Pharmaceutical Services
• 1987-1990: Plastics Engineer, Fisher-Price
• 1984-1987: Plastics Engineering Intern, Millipore Corporation