Jimi Hale is an Ironworker, and member of Ironworkers LU #5 Washington, DC. He has served the Local as an Instructor ( welding, and several other subjects) for 13+ years. Additionally, Jimi has served as a CWI since 2009, certifying D1.5 Bridge Code Unlimited Qualified Welders. Before joining the Ironworkers, Jimi was a NASCAR (Busch, and Cup) Fabricator for 15 years on several teams. Jimi has been an AWS member since 2003, and promotes AWS membership at every opportunity. He enjoys volunteering to help at the AWS trailer at The National Science Fair in Washington DC.

Dale Spilker is a welding instructor at T.H. Badger Technical School (Arcadia High School) in Accomack County, Virginia. Dale was raised on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, where he learned to weld at the same school at which he now teaches. After graduating high school, Dale moved to Newport News, Virginia to gain experience in the field of welding. From 2007-2017, he held positions as a welder/fitter with Liebherr Mining, as well as Liebherr Nenzing Cranes. He also served as a welding instructor at Thomas Nelson Community College, a welding supervisor with Huntington Ingalls Industries and field sales representative for Nelson Stud Welding. In 2017, Dale returned to the Eastern Shore of Virginia, taking over as a welding instructor at the school that taught him the trade, in order to help guide young students into the welding community.

Andrie McFadden, is a high school welding instructor at Marion E. Barnes Career Center at T.W. Josey High School, Augusta, Georgia. He prepares students from various schools in the Richmond County School System in grades 9-12 to become industry-ready professionals. In addition to his school responsibilities, he is an adjunct welding instructor at Augusta Technical College where he trains post-secondary students to become welders or to harness their current welding skills and techniques to enter the workforce. Mr. McFadden is an Army veteran with over 25 years in the welding industry having served in various lead positions in the United States and abroad. He has eight years as a public-school teacher and holds professional educator licenses from both the state of South Carolina and Georgia.

Joseph Schmidt Welding Professor @ Niagara County Community College Sanborn New York past 4+ years. He teaches MIG, TIG and Stick welding for the students, coordinates with other adjuncts teaching certification, fabrication, gas welding. He has taken on the design of the new welding lab facility, along with specifying all equipment that has and is being ordered, making it a state of the art welding and metal fabrication shop. He has been welding since 1978 – 82 in family run metal fabrication business, last 30 years on concert touring doing fabrication for Brown United out of Duarte California. Recently in the Fall of 2020 was elected to District 6 Niagara as a board member.

Lee Yates Sr is a welding adjunct at Columbus State Community College, in Columbus Ohio. He also works as a welding supervisor for the night shift for Komar Industries. He has been welding for about 10 year and teaching for two years now. He looks forward to extending his teaching career.

Lydell Jones is a welding instructor at Peabody Magnet High School in Alexandria, Louisiana. Jones is a former welding instructor at Central Louisiana Technical Community College also in Alexandria, Louisiana. Lydell has over 27 years of welding experience and 8 years as a welding instructor.

Derrick Lett is a welding instructor at Reid State Technical College in Evergreen, Al. where he trains students for the welding industry. He has been employed at the college for 12 years and has been welding for 20 years. He holds an Associates degree in Industrial Electronics. Derrick has been a member of the American Welding Society since 2018 and is currently holding the position of 2nd Vice Chair for the Mobile Section District 9.

Lyle Taylor is the Metal Fabrication Instructor at Erie County Technical School in Erie, PA where he just completed his first year teaching. With 15 years of industry experience prior to teaching, Lyle spent the majority of his career in quality assurance as a Level II SNT-TC-1A Inspector while specializing in metrology, and was also a certified 6G TIG welder. He is currently pursuing his Career and Technical Teaching degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Chris Ewing is relatively new to teaching, but not to welding education. He is currently teaching high schoolers at the William D. Ford Career Technical Center and Henry Ford College; from both of which he is an alumnus. Chris also teaches welding to students of all ages and backgrounds at LIFT, a military partner and private sector technology company in Detroit, MI. He has held several welding certifications throughout his career, and has completed a 4-year apprenticeship, his associate degree in Plant Maintenance Trades, and recently acquired his CWI. He is supported by his wife of over 15 years, and his 3 kids. His passion aside from welding and education, lies with acting, some of which can be found by searching his name on IMDB.

Bio Coming Soon

BIO

Jared Haulk, is a professor and faculty chair for the welding program at Ivy Tech Community College, Anderson, Indiana, where they train students and prepare students for a welding career and help prep them for modern welding jobs in the industry. Jared has 8 years of experience in the welding industry with a focus in fabrication and custom welding projects.

Bryan Stastny is a welding instructor at North Valley Career and Technology Center (NVCTC) NVCTC exists to provide career and technical education to high school students and adults living in the Grafton, ND area. For the past 14 years he has taught welding, CDL, emerging technology and machine tooling to area students, some of whom travel from neighboring rural communities to attend his classes. He was instrumental in starting the adult CDL program and also provides adult welding instruction. Bryan holds a degree in Diesel Technology and has worked in the welding field for over 30 years.

John Knapp is a Welding Coordinator and Instructor/Life Changer at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska where he prepares, provides and instructs all lecture and laboratory welding topics according to required curriculum. He mentors adjunct, fulltime welding instructors, lab assistants on daily responsibilities and serves as a CWE/CWI, providing testing and customized training for full time students, businesses and industry. He had worked in the field as a pipe and structural welder and inspector prior to teaching at Private and Career Tech schools in Oklahoma. John has been responsible for the design of numerous welding facilities in Nebraska and Oklahoma and everywhere he goes enrollments double. He was also instrumental in the starting of the first AWS Accredited Test Facility in Oklahoma. John constantly promotes the welding and manufacturing industries and the Image of welding and serves on the Nebraska AWS Board and AWS SENSE committee. He was also on the committee that helped revised the current SENSE Guide and also on revision committees on welding curriculum for NCCER and MAVCC.

David Ringgold is welding instructor at Tyler Junior College in East Texas. He has been an instructor in the welding technology program for 7 years. He also is alumni, the class of 2012. He started his welding career in the oil and gas industry. He spent several years welding/fitting high pressure piping and pressure vessels. He started his teaching career in August 2014. During his time as an instructor he has received his AWS CWE. He also holds an Associate of Welding Technology.

Caity “Madskills” Brown is the owner of Madskills Certified Welding Services, a specialty welding and inspection training company based in Houston. Caity earned her AAS in Welding Technology at Casper College in 2007 and her AWS CWI in 2015. Miss Madskills also serves on the AWS Houston Section Board and volunteers with the Texas High School Welding Series.

Howard Holland is a coordinator for the welding technologies program at Walla Walla Community College in Clarkston, Washington. Howard trains students to be structural welders in the welding industry. Howard also sits on the advisory committees board for Clarkston High School and Pomeroy High School. Howard is a certified welding inspector and has 34 years in the steel industry.

Kevin Dowell is a welding instructor with the Community College of Denver. Past chair of the program, currently oversees the non credit program. Develops and delivers training to meet local industry needs. As a CWI and CWE, provides input and support to the ongoing development of credit program.

Hope Struse is an instructor at Cochise Community College in Cochise County (southern AZ). This is her 2nd year as a full time instructor at the college. She has taught classes varying from basic arc welding to pipe and structural.

Dave Vetrano is a welding instructor and advanced manufacturing program coordinator at Chabot College in Hayward California. He is an AWS Certified Welding Inspector and holds a Bachelors of Science in Manufacturing and Management form San Francisco State University.