Governance

Billy B. Bardin is the Global Climate Transition Director for Dow. He is accountable for the development of Dow’s strategy to transition to a carbon neutral future. His responsibilities include engaging Dow’s businesses, customers, and external stakeholders on efforts to reduce carbon emissions with a focus on value generation. He leads the coordination, prioritization, and organizational commitment to establish and execute Dow’s climate change strategy. Bardin leads the Dow Climate Program Management Office and Climate Steering Teams. Bardin began his career in 2000 with Union Carbide/Dow in the Catalyst Skill Center in South Charleston, W. Va. where he led alternative feedstock and catalytic process development programs. In 2001, he joined the Chemicals Sciences group within Core R&D, leading programs in the areas of alternative feedstocks, paraffin functionalization, and olefin partial oxidation. While in Chemical Sciences, Bardin relocated to Dow facilities in Midland, Mich.; Horgen, Switzerland; and Terneuzen, The Netherlands as leader for the development of Dow’s high throughput heterogeneous catalyst testing capability. In 2007, Bardin was named leader for the North American Production Support Group within the Hydrocarbons and Energy business in Freeport, Texas. He led efforts in cracker plant support and developed R&D programs in next generation cracker technology. In 2008 Bardin, accepted the combined role of R&D Director for Chemicals and The Dow Technology Licensing and Catalyst (DTLC) Business where he drove both internal R&D programs and technology/catalyst development efforts for licensee sales. In 2010, Bardin became R&D Director for the Feedstocks, Hydrocarbons and Chemicals businesses, leading the technology strategy for Dow’s hydrocarbons and alternative feedstock efforts and developing options to provide cost advantaged chemical feedstocks to Dow’s downstream product portfolio. Bardin was named Global Operations Technology Director in 2014 where he drove technology and innovation strategy within Manufacturing and Engineering (M&E), had oversight of all commercial technology performance, as well as development of technical talent across manufacturing and supporting operations. In 2016, he assumed additional responsibilities as the Manufacturing 4.0 Director. In 2020, Bardin was named Global Digitalization Director for Dow in which he was responsible for ensuring the development of a well-integrated and fully developed digital strategy to realize the vision of Digital Dow and the end-to-end connectivity necessary to make it a reality. He was named to his current climate leadership role in 2023. Bardin holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University, and a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia. He is a Registered, Professional Engineer (PE) with the West Virginia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers. Bardin is currently the President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). He was first elected to the Board of Directors for the AIChE in 2016 and is a Fellow of the Institute. Bardin is an executive member and past Chair of the Industrial Advisory Board for the School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University and a member of the advisory boards for the Departments of Chemical Engineering at the University of Virginia and North Carolina State University. Bardin was founding chair of the RAPID advanced manufacturing institute. He is currently vice-chair of the board of directors for the MxD advanced manufacturing institute. Bardin is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Leadership Council and the AspenTech Executive Advisory Board. In 2011, Bardin was named the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science Outstanding Young Graduate Alumnus and was selected for the National Academy of Engineers Frontiers of Engineering Program. Bardin and his teams have received multiple awards from the National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Leadership Council for work in talent development and advanced manufacturing. He was named as one of Smart Industry Magazines Top 50 Industrial Digital Transformation Leaders in 2018 and was recognized as a Visionary Digital Leader by the National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Leadership Council in 2021. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from N.C. State University Chemical Engineering in 2022.

Katy George is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, and the North American Leader and Global Co-Convenor of McKinsey’s Operations Practice, which includes the firm’s services in manufacturing and supply chain. George holds leadership roles across the firm, including its global governance board, the Shareholders Council, as well as the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey’s economic think tank, where her research interests often focus on manufacturing and economics trends in the United States and globally. George’s 23-years of client service have focused on operational performance improvement, operations strategy linked to business strategy, and operating model design. In recent years, George has focused on advanced technology development and adoption, the future of manufacturing and the future of work. She has also co-led McKinsey’s collaboration with the World Economic Forum around “Factories of the Future” (2017-2019).

Tony Hemmelgarn is President and CEO of Siemens Digital Industry Software. Prior to this appointment he served as the company’s executive vice president of Global Sales, Marketing and Services. Prior to that, Hemmelgarn was senior vice president and managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He has also held the United States country management position as well as serving as senior vice president of the Industry Vertical Organization. Previously, he spent eight years with Intergraph Corporation, an international software firm. He moved to Intergraph from Cad Cam Incorporated where he headed up the services division.

Mary Isbister is Owner of GenMet Corp., a custom metal fabricating company specializing in high value-added metal fabrications and enclosures, located in Mequon, Wisconsin. Isbister and her husband purchased the manufacturing company in 1999. In 2010, GenMet was awarded Fabricator of the Year by the National Fabricators and Manufacturers Association. A chemist by training, Isbister began her career at Pfizer, where she held positions in medicinal chemistry, clinical research, and senior organizational development. In 1997, she moved to Wisconsin and founded Synergy Solutions an organizational development and strategic planning consulting business, which she ran until 2001. Isbister serves on the National Institute for Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership Board of Directors, is a past chair of Wisconsin’s Council for Workforce Investment and a prior vice-chair of the U.S. Manufacturing Council.

John is currently Rolls-Royce North America’s Senior Vice President for LibertyWorks Research and Technology based at the Rolls-Royce Indianapolis, Indiana facility. He has 38 years of diverse aerospace experience including various capacities on over 70 different programs which included fixed wing, rotary wing, space systems and missiles. John leads the LibertyWorks business unit which serves as Rolls-Royce’s technology pipeline, innovation hub and rapid prototyping center for all US military services, DoD agencies, and NASA. In this role John has worked a variety of propulsion and power projects including hypersonics, supersonics, hybrid-electric propulsion, laser weapon power, distributed propulsion, and thermal management. John holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He is also a certified Program Manager, Researcher, and Tester. He is a member of the National Defense Industrial Association, Air Force Association, Stratofortress Association, and National Rocketry Association.

Gary L. Neidig is the President/CEO of Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies also known as ITAMCO. ITAMCO is a multi-faceted, advanced manufacturing company, with its core business in metal machining of precision gears and machined components. Mr. Neidig graduated from Bob Jones University with a B.S. in Business Management, and a Minor in Computer Science. He is an active coder, and has written Engineering as well as Business System applications. He has served in roles of (1979-2000) Customer Service, Engineering, and (2001 – present) Executive Management during his 42 years in manufacturing, while overseeing technology development for Advanced Manufacturing.

Shirish Pareek is a Chairman & CEO of Adaptec Solutions. Pareek also serves as Chairman of MiQ Partners, an advanced automation business with a focus on the life sciences industry. Previously, Pareek was the CEO and Founder of Hydraulex Global, which he grew into the largest hydraulics re-manufacturing business in America. Pareek was previously a business strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company. Pareek serves on the board of directors of ALOI Automation and DMI Industries and is currently on the Leadership Council of mForesight. He previously served on the U.S. Manufacturing Council, where he co-chaired the skills and workforce commission.

Alexis Lasselle Ross PhD is the President of Apex Defense Strategies, LLC, a strategic advisory firm that guides companies as they navigate the defense market. Ross founded Apex following a two-decade career as an executive in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, Ross performed strategic planning at General Dynamics, advising corporate leadership on managing critical issues and navigating government business. Prior to entering the private sector, Ross served in a variety of senior positions in both the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government. She served as the deputy chief of staff to Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper, advising the secretary and ensuring execution of Department of Defense policy, programs, organizational restructuring, and external communications. During her tenure, she performed the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, leading the department’s healthcare and human resources systems during the early response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, Ross served as the deputy assistant secretary of the army for strategy and acquisition reform, where she designed and implemented improvements to the Army acquisition system, including new policies on intellectual property and advanced manufacturing. Prior to her appointments to the Department of Defense, Ross served on the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives as a professional staff member specializing in government acquisition policy and acquisition reform. Ross also worked at the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission as a deputy director responsible for designing alternatives to the DOD healthcare system. Prior to her work on the Commission, Ross served for seven years as a civil servant advising senior Army leadership in the Pentagon. Ross began her career at the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives where she served in several capacities, including as a professional staff member on the Readiness Subcommittee. Ross is active in both the public policy and business communities by contributing her expertise on the Department of Defense’s acquisition system, the U.S. defense industrial base, and the planning and execution of large-scale change within complex organizations. She is a subject matter expert supporting the Army Science Board, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a senior fellow at the National Defense Industrial Association, a member of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS), and a principal at Pallas Advisors. Ross received a doctorate in public policy from George Mason University. She is a graduate of the Naval War College with a Master of Science degree in national security and strategic studies. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from Bucknell University.

Dr. Jocelyn Seng’s military career was centered around weapon systems development. She concurrently maintained a parallel civilian career, which included over 10 years as a patent-holding research scientist at Owens Corning. For the past fifteen years, Dr. Seng has consulted on national security strategy at the Institute for Defense Analyses, a national security policy think tank. Dr. Seng graduated from Massachusetts Institute for Technology with a bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering and from Stanford University with a doctorate in mechanical engineering. Her technical areas of expertise are in composite materials design, analysis, and manufacturing. Dr. Seng is also a distinguished graduate from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, now referred to as the Eisenhower School, National Defense University.

Ms. Carroll A. Thomas is the former Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). The MEP National Network helps U.S. manufacturers compete globally by accessing new technology and strengthening supply chains. With over 400 manufacturing extension locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, MEP services have a measurable track record of providing manufacturers enhanced growth, improved productivity, and expanded capacity. With more than 30 years of entrepreneurial and small business development experience, Thomas’s accomplished public and private sector career demonstrates her leadership expertise as a catalyst for creating effective partnerships and advocating economic development by supporting dynamic innovation ecosystems. Thomas currently serves on the boards of the Information Technology Innovation Foundation and the State Department Federal Credit Union. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Drexel University in Design and a Master of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University in International Business.

As Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation at University of Illinois System, Walsh works with the president to drive initiatives that support the economic development mission of the system’s universities. In this role, he collaborates with leadership across the universities, which have a nearly $1 billion portfolio of sponsored research, and with the leadership of Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) and Illinois Innovation Network (IIN). As Northwestern University’s vice president for research, Jay Walsh oversaw a multifaceted administrative team responsible for supporting the institutional research ecosystem. He also directed the development and implementation of University-wide, research-related strategic plans through leadership support for programs including the Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs); and the Northwestern-Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering (NAISE). Under Walsh’s leadership, the Northwestern | RESEARCH team made significant contributions to the development and support of Northwestern’s core research facilities and the 50+ University Research Institutes and Centers, including the Institute for Policy Research, the Buffett Institute for Global Studies, the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, the International Institute for Nanotechnology, and the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern. Additionally, Walsh has championed global impact programs, such as the Mandela Washington Fellowship-Young African Leadership Initiative and the program on Equality Development and Global Studies.