Padraic Bean is a CWI/CWE as well as a AWS D1.6 Committee Member. He has 20 Years in the Industry.
• Lincoln Electric – Senior Customer Training Instructor
• Alstom / Bombardier Transportation – Responsible Welding Coordinator / CWI/ Machinist/ Welder
• Subaru Rally Team USA – Welder Fabricator
• Penske Racing – Welder Fabricator

Head of Engineering and Welding – Subsea Global Solutions
Uwe Aschemeier is a German born and educated Welding Engineer who has evolved through the metals industry by studying mechanical engineering and welding engineering at various advanced education institutions in Germany. Mr. Aschemeier worked for the German Welding Society at its Institute in Munich for several years prior to moving to the United States of America. He has continued his expertise development by working for the Chicago Manufacturing Center, a non-profit consulting organization as well as Charcas Engineering/Domson Engineering in Toronto, Canada. In 2000, he joined H.C. Nutting Company in Cincinnati, where he worked as a senior welding engineer, commercial diver, and consultant. After consulting for Miami Diver for several years in welding related topics, he joined Miami Diver LLC. (now Subsea Global Solutions) as their senior welding engineer and commercial diver in 2007. Over the next 10 years Mr. Aschemeier led the development of wet welding procedures to meet the class A requirements of AWS D3.6 through a JIP (joint industry project) with DNV/GL and the GL testing laboratory in Hamburg, Germany. Mr. Aschemeier serves as the US representative on the ISO/TC 44/SC 15 – Underwater welding subcommittee. He is the vice chair of AWS D3.6M Underwater Welding Code and serves on several other welding committees for AWS in different functions, member, chair or vice chair. He has authored and co-authored numerous welding and NDE related articles published in the “Welding Journal”, “Inspection Trends” and other national and international trade magazines. He also serves in the “Fachausschuss Unterwassertechnik” (Technical committee underwater technology) of the German Welding Society (DVS). For six years, he served on the AWS Board of Directors.

John Douglass is the Associate Director of the AWS Foundation, where he oversees the scholarship, grant, and graduate research fellowship programs, which collectively award more than $2.5 million annually to support welding education. Mr. Douglass joined AWS in 2015, working his first two years in the AWS Standards Development department, serving as Program Manager of the C3 Committee on Brazing & Soldering, D3 Committee on Marine Construction, B1 Committee on Methods of Inspection and D14 Committee on Machinery & Equipment. Prior to joining AWS he held positions in fundraising, public relations, event management, and community education at various government and non-profit organizations. He is a 2005 graduate of the University of Dayton and served in the U.S. Navy Reserve 2003-2009.r

Darrill A. Gaschler began working for the AWS in July 2017 as a Program Manager in the Standards Development Department. In May 2018, he transitioned into the role of Sr. Manager, Sections and Student Chapters where he continues to oversee the day-to-day operations of AWS’s 165 Sections and 120 Student Chapters. In this role, Darrill provides training and support to ensure the 1,000+ volunteers who lead AWS’s Sections and Student Chapters have the information and resources they need to effectively promote the AWS as it strives to be the preeminent global resource that enables welding professionals and the industries they serve to protect and improve lives.

Prior to joining the AWS, Darrill served as the first Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility for The Miami FC – establishing the Club’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Foundation platforms – and as Chief Operating Officer for HandsOn Miami – South Florida’s premier volunteer engagement organization.

Originally from Miami, FL, I went to college in New York City to peruse my degree in Economics from Fordham University. In that time, I also acquired a minor in Business Administration and upon graduation, I immersed myself in the family business back home in Miami, FL. During my time there, I have learned many different skills from multiple aspects of the company, but the urge to do more and learn beyond where I am kept presenting itself. I later began and completed the Leadership Miami Chamber of Commerce program in 2013, with my team winning 1st place for our local project.

After being in the business world for several years, I began to peruse something different and personally, more fulfilling. I began working more with my hands instead of behind a desk and began taking welding courses at night to later become educated and certified in different types of welding processes. With experience in structural welding, shipping container repairs, maintenance repair and aerospace fabrication, I became certified in many different welding processes. Later on, I went ahead and got my certification as a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) from the American Welding Society in 2020. I have also been teaching a Welding Technology course at Miami Lakes Educational Center & Technical College since November of 2020. In February of 2022, I began working full time for the Maintenance Department of the Miami Dade County Public School System as a Welder II, while continuing teaching a welding class at night to adult/vocational students.

J has been associated with welding processes over 30 years. His focus has been gas management and the oxyfuel processes. J has a degree in Welding Technology and Education, a published Author and has been associated with AWS for 37yrs. He serves on the AWS Board of Directors as District 17 Director. J is the Texas District Sales Manager for the HARRIS Products Group, a Lincoln Electric Co.

Been with HIWT for 8 years – started in 2014. Welder in the United States Marine Corps before joining the school.

• Combat veteran
• Have CWI/CWE
• Can teach 16 courses at the school (all major welding processes, oxy, pipefitting, blueprint reading, fab, etc.)
• Main job is curriculum development
• Teaching part time now
• Wife and 2 kids
• Grew up in Ohio

Dennis Peaton is a Program Manager at SkillsUSA, where Dennis leads the championships technical committee support and the move in and move out process from start to finish, including managing the technical standards, the state project support process and works with our Business, Partnership & Development team on securing donations and in-kind support.

Dennis has worked with all 600 plus business partners, including AWS, Lincoln Electric, Miller and others. Dennis helps business partners by either working with their teams on providing funding to our organization or in-kind donations to support our Championships. You can expect 100% transparency, no horror stories, and nasty surprises when working with Dennis.

Dennis is an avid supporter of the skilled trades as he is a cabinetmaker himself and is from the mighty state of Maryland. Please email dpeaton@skillsusa.org or go to skillsusa.org to contact Dennis.

• I have been in the welding industry since 1982
• Worked at a local welding supply in Ocala, Fl 1982 – 1990
• Worked at a national welding supply wholesaler 1990 – 2001
• Worked at Thermal Dynamics (Thermadyne) 2002-2013
• Worked at Hypertherm 2013 – Present
• My roles through the years have focused on working with the end users as well as authorized distributors to promote and sell the products represented.

Jeremy Whittemore started his career in 2006 doing both Non-Destructive / Destructive Testing and also welding. In 2007, he also started teaching night welding classes at the local Technical College. After spending several years working out in the field, he realized that he wanted to be a part of training our future workforce full time. In 2015, he became the Program Director and Lead Welding Instructor for the Advanced Welding Program for Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier City, La. A year later, there was an opportunity for him to move back home and run the welding program at River Parishes Community College in Gonzales, La. In July of 2017, he was nominated to attend the Instructor’s Institute. This was one of the best things that he was able to be a part of, as he has made lasting relationships from all over the country that to this day are some of his closest friends. He returned to private industry a couple years later and traveled all over the country doing training but couldn’t stay away from schools for very long, as he was asked to come back to River Parishes Community College. He is currently the Dean of Applied Sciences for River Parishes Community College, overseeing four campuses and all of the Industrial Crafts from Welding, to Process Technology, to HVAC to name a few.

Scott Witkowski is currently the Vice President of Republic Testing Laboratories. He has 30 years of experience in welding industry. He was the President & Founder of Maverick Testing Laboratories, the largest Independent Welder & Materials Testing Laboratory in the United States. Scott is a member of the following associations American Welding Society (AWS), ASME and API. He also volunteers on the AWS Conference committee and is the AWS Houston Section Educational Chair.