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.

Walter J. Sperko, P.E. is President of Sperko Engineering Services, Inc, a consulting firm specializing in metal fabrication technology, including material selection, welding, heat treating, inspection, quality assurance, and failure analysis. He has particular experience in piping and pressure vessel fabrication, installation, maintenance, and repair. Previously, he was Quality Control Manager for RECO North Carolina, and he provided technical support in welding, metallurgy, and fabrication for the parent company, Richmond Engineering Company. He was also employed by ITT Grinnell Industrial Piping, Inc., responsible for technical interface between piping system designers and the fabrication shop, including all aspects of welding, fabrication, and Code interpretation. He also worked for EBASCO Services, Inc in the Materials Engineering and Quality Compliance Department.

Mr. Sperko is a past-Chairman of the ASME Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Standards Committee IX and a member of several subgroups. He is a member of ASME Subcommittee III, Nuclear Components, and its Subgroup on Materials, Fabrication, and Examination, Past-chairman of ASME B31.9, Building Services Piping, member of B31 Standards Committee, member of AWS Committee D10 on Pipe and Tube, and past-Chairman of AWS International Standards Activities Committee and US representative to ISO TC 44 and incoming TAC chairman.

He received his BA and BS in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He is a registered Professional Engineer in several states, and he holds six US patents. He is a Fellow of the ASME and a Counselor of the AWS.

Richard Campbell is a Bechtel Fellow with Bechtel Corporation’s Construction Welding and NDE group. He is an AWS SCWI, a CWB Level 2 Welding Inspector, and an ASNT NDT Level III Visual Testing Inspector. With a BS degree in Welding Engineering from LeTourneau University and a PhD in Materials Engineering from RPI, he has worked for more than 40 years in the welding industry, including construction, structures, pressure vessels, piping systems, and government projects. For 9 years he was chair of the AWS D1K Subcommittee on Stainless Steel Welding, responsible for publication of the AWS D1.6:2017 Structural Welding Code – Stainless Steel. He is also a member of the AWS D1 Committee on Structural Welding, the D1H Subcommittee on Sheet Steel, the AWS A2 Committee on Definitions and Symbols, and the AWS A2C Subcommittee on Symbols. Rich is vice chair of the ASME B31.3 Process Piping Code section committee, and member of numerous other ASME and AWS codes and standards committees, including Section IX’s subgroup on Qualification.

He has taught AWS CWI classes for over 25 years and has presented several seminars on welding codes, stainless steel welding, and welding symbols for AWS. Dr. Campbell is author of over 30 technical articles on welding or metallurgy. As an expert in stainless steel welding, he authored AWS’s The Professional’s Advisor on Welding of Stainless Steels, has penned several Just the Facts articles and a series of articles on welding symbols in the quarterly AWS publication Inspection Trends.

PRESENTATION: Weld Cracking – Why Did It Crack?
Cracking of welds and adjacent material is always a concern. Causes are not always apparent but usually are attributable to design, base metal, welding consumable or welding technique issues. Each of these areas will be examined and practical examples presented to illustrate why cracking occurred and possible remedies for prevention.
BIO: Involved in welding engineering applications and consulting for over 40 years, both domestic and internationally. Graduated from The Ohio State University in Welding Engineering and holds an International Welding Engineer diploma. A Professional Engineer in Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas plus Alberta, Canada. Life Member & Counselor – American Welding Society, Chair of AWS D10; Member on ISO/TC 44, Member on ASME Section IX – Welding and Brazing Qualifications, Former Chair of ASME SCII/IX Subgroup on Strength of Weldments, and member ASME SCII Working Group on Creep Strength-Enhanced Ferritic Steels. President of W. F. Newell & Associates, Inc., a firm that specializes in welding codes, application and processes; plus Co-Founder/Vice President – Engineering of Euroweld, Ltd. providing a variety of specialty welding consumables, training and consulting.

Todd joined Fickett Structural Solutions in 2019 as a Principle Engineer with the firm after serving for 27 years with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. During his years at MnDOT, Todd served as both the State’s Structural Metals Engineer and the State’s Bridge Inspection Engineer. Todd has 33 years of experience in steel fabrication and inspection. He continues to provides technical expertise in the areas of materials, fatigue, fracture, corrosion, fasteners, coatings, metallurgy, welding, specifications, NDT, etc. Todd has performed and participated in many failure and/or damage investigations, research projects, new product evaluations, quality control/assurance process reviews, and various transportation related industry studies. Todd has been fortunate enough to have been able to have extensive involvement, throughout his career, with industry focused professional organizations and committees focused on welding technology, quality control, design, research, fabrication, and inspection as it relates to steel bridge structures. Todd is a husband of 35 years to his lovely wife Rachel. He is a father of three grown and married children which have provided 6 grandchildren which currently are his primary focus in life. They are Charlotte, Bonnie, Gus, Walter, Frank, and Ted. When not taking care of something for one of them, Todd enjoys hunting, fishing, golf, outdoor activities, and his vintage tractors.

PRESENTATION: Visual Inspection Gauges
Learn how to correctly use the basic inspections tools included in the AWS Tool Kit for CWI’s. This class will go over handling inspection tools in order to remove any doubt as to your inspection results. We will also show how the inspection relates to the use of D1.1:2020 Table 8.1. We will also show some more specialized inspections tools and how to use them.

BIO: President of Arc-Tech Welding, Inc/Arc-Tech Welding Inspections since 1996. A career in welding beginning in 1975 has included many changes in position, location, and responsibilities. A certified welder and a Certified Welding Inspector. AWS CWI and Bolting, ICC Structural Steel Welding and Bolting, and ASNT VT & MT Level II certifications. AWS/AZ Section Chairman and Certification Committee Chairman 2010-2015. AWS Qualification and Certification Committee sub-committee, B1 Committee on Methods of Inspection, and IEC organizing committee. Author of several articles in AWS Inspections Trends.

Kimberley Hayes founded Valkim Technologies to support technology adoption in a safe, reliable manner with an emphasis on the inspection industry. During her more than 25 years in MT, PT, UT, ET and (RT), she was responsible for executing strategic and tactical initiatives to support oil and gas market research and new product development for Fortune 500 companies.

Kim has an MBA from Pepperdine University, BS-Jacksonville State University and Green Belt-California State. She recently completed a certificate from MIT in AI/ML Business Strategy and is obtaining a certificate from University of Texas-Austin in AI/ML for Business Applications. Her current activities in codes/standards include American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) where she is Chairperson of Assisted Analysis, Voting member Surface, UAS, MUS, former Vice Chair-FMC/TFM; ECA in lieu of MT/PT. She is also supporting AI/ML effort in AMPP and ASTM. She is also heavily involved in SPRINT Robotics and shares the Vice Chair on ASNT NDE 4.0.

Gary is a 1982 Industrial Engineering Graduate from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career in the Air Compressor Group of Ingersoll-Rand Company, developing and providing engineered equipment solutions to Industrial Owners and Contractors around the world.

Mr. Lewis joined Miller Electric in 2000 as the Director of Business Development, to help establish and launch a new business, focusing on customer driven Welding and integrated product solutions, including a revolutionary introduction of induction heating technology for field heat treatment. In 2006 Gary joined Superheat FGH, as Global Director of Business Development and Innovation; collaborating with Industry experts, Power Companies, Refiners, Engineering Contractors, and Fabricators to revolutionize and improve Quality and Awareness of Field Heat Treatment as an essential variable in welding and life management strategies.

As President of Lewis Reliability Resources, he is now connecting Technical Resources in Engineering, Welding, Material Science and NDE to Energy Owners, Contractors and Fabricators where knowledge, expertise and resources are diminishing to retirement, restructuring, downsizing and lost knowledge.

Gary is a member of AWS, ASME, ASM and the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

Cal Pepper is the owner and senior consultant at C. E. Pepper & Associates in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He has spent the last 47 years in inspection (CWI since 1977) and quality, engineering, and project & construction management, and education. He has experience both in the U.S. and Internationally, serves on the AWS Q&C and Handbook Committees, is an AWS Life Member, and District – 9 Director, and has published over 30 articles relating to inspection and quality.

Mr. Pepper is a U.S. Navy veteran and a graduate of Louisiana State University in Nuclear Engineering, is a CWI, certified by ASQ as a Certified Quality Auditor, and by ASNT ACCP as VT Level II. He is a Life Member of AWS and a recipient of the AWS Honorary Member and Distinguished Member Awards.

Mr. Travis Adams is currently the team lead for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Technical Center of Expertise (TCX) in Welding and Metallurgy. He has worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 24 years specializing in the design of Hydraulic Steel Structures.

Mr. Adams has designed numerous Hydraulic Steel Structures including bulkheads, Tainter gates, and miter gates. In addition to designing structures, Mr. Adams has performed hundreds of Hydraulic Steel Structures inspections throughout USACE. Mr. Adams has designed and supervised fit-for service analysis and repairs to numerous Hydraulic Steel Structures in order to maintain and rehabilitate existing structures.

Mr. Adams is the primary technical proponent for all Structural Steel Guide Specifications in the Corps of Engineers and is the primary author of Guide Specification 055920 “Fabrication of Hydraulic Steel Structures”. Mr. Adams was a team member and primary author of PIANC Working Group 189 “Fatigue in Hydraulic Steel Structures”. Mr. Adams is currently serving as the secretary and primary author of the chapter on Gates, Valves, and Temporary Closure Structures for PIANC WG 206 “Design of Navigation Locks.”

Mr. Adams has a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Portland and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Oregon.

Anna Petroski is president of sister companies Atema and DOT Quality Services (a certification body). The companies provide fabrication technical support consulting and QA/QC and certification services to a variety of industry sectors. Clients may include owners of major bridge facilities, State Departments of Transportation and Agencies, construction managers, large contractors, fabricators and erectors seeking improvement and certification assistance for AISC, AWS, ISO 9001, ISO 3834 and inspection and welding quality assistance and improvement.

Over 30 years in the steel industry including forgings, and structural steel.
AWS CWI for 21 years.
ASQ CQA for 13 years.
SSPC BCI Level 2 (expired)
Perform QMS audits for AISC / QMC as a contract auditor going on 17 years; over 1260 audits worldwide of which over 390 were complex coating certifications
Task group member of AISC 420-10 Standard

Duane K. Miller, Sc.D., P.E., is a recognized authority on the design and performance of welded connections. He is a popular speaker on the subject and has lectured around the world. In 2015, he was named an AWS Fellow. He received the American Institute of Steel Construction’s T. R. Higgins Lectureship Award in 2001, the AISC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and became the eighth recipient of the AISC Robert P. Stupp Award for Leadership Excellence in 2016; he became the first recipient of the AISC Steel Conference Speaker Award in 2018. He was appointed an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta in 2019. He has authored or co-authored texts and chapters of many handbooks, including the AISC Design Guide on Welding and the Mark’s Handbook of Engineering, 12th Edition. He has appeared as a subject expert on the History Channel and Discovery Channel.

Dr. Miller earned a B.S. degree in Welding Engineering from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, an M.S. in Materials Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from LeTourneau University in 1997. He is a former Chair of the AWS D1 Structural Welding Code Committee. He was the first Chair of the Seismic Welding Subcommittee and is a former co-chair of the AASHTO-AWS D1.5 Bridge Welding Code Committee. His current technical involvement includes membership on the AWS D1 and D14 committees, and the AISC Specification Committee. He is a Professional Engineer, and formerly a Certified Welding Inspector and Qualified Welder.

Larry Martof is the Director for Quality Management Company which provides the auditing services for several programs including the AISC certification programs. He has been a quality professional for over thirty years and has degrees in Nuclear Engineering, INdustrial Engineering, and Quality Management. Larry is also a Lead Auditor for ISO 9001, NQA-1 and other programs, as well as, a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Master. LArry resides in North Carolina with his amazing wife and two wonderful Goldens, Daisy Duke and Cooper.

PRESENTATION: Metallurgy 101
Covered in this Session will be a basic overview of modern steelmaking processes involved in the production of W, MC, C, M, L, S, and piling shapes.
Areas covered include:
• Electric Arc Furnace Operations.
• Ladle Metallurgy Furnace Operations.
• Continuous Casting.
• Rolling Operations.
• Testing and Metallurgy

American Welding Society D1I and D1M Committee Member

BIO: American Welding Society CWENG and CWI
ASTM A1.02 Committee Member
AISC Night School Presenter
26+ years Steel Industry Experience

Mr. Duke has been involved in the ironworking industry since 1998. Having worked in the field, and now as management, he has been on both the Quality Control and Quality Assurance side of projects. He is currently the Corporate Quality Control and Risk Manager for Williams Erection Company and Atlanta Steel Erectors.

Todd Alwood is the Director of Membership Certification with AISC and oversees program activities for each department. He promotes AISC Certification to the construction industry and helps educate engineers, architects, and owners to its benefits. Todd has been with the Association for over 20 years, and before joining AISC, Todd was a consulting engineer.

Michael Gannon, S.E., P.E., is a Senior Engineer at the American Institute of Steel Construction. As secretary of the AISC Task Committee 9 on Seismic Systems and the AISC Manual Subcommittee M3 on the Seismic Manual, Mr. Gannon works with industry experts to plan and develop various AISC standards and publications. These include ANSI/AISC 341 Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings and the AISC Seismic Design Manual.

Prior to joining AISC, Mr. Gannon worked for over eight years as a consulting structural engineer with a primary focus in steel connection design and construction engineering. Michael’s education includes a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a M.S. in Engineering, Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Bob Shaw is President of the Steel Structures Technology Center, Inc., a consulting engineering firm in Howell, Michigan, founded in 1990. Bob has 48 years’ experience in steel construction, is a registered professional engineer, and is an ICC Certified Special Inspector for Structural Steel and Bolting and for Structural Welding Inspection. Bob serves on numerous standards committees, including AISC, AWS D1 – chairing the AWS D1.8 committee, RCSC – serving as vice-chair, ASTM F16, and ISO – leading the development of a new six-part ISO standard on the construction of structural steelwork. He also chairs the International Institute of Welding’s Commission XVIII on Quality Management. His consulting work is primarily “when things may be wrong or have gone wrong.”

Lee A. Pielaet of Pioneer Steel Services, Inc. was a contract auditor for 14+ years for AISC’s Certification programs and also reviewing those participants for compliance with appropriate AWS D1’s. Lee is an ASQ Certified Quality Auditor as well as a CWI-CWE, Lee has conducted over 1100 audits of steel fabricators and erectors in more than thirty countries. Lee’s company Pioneer Steel Services, Inc. has changed its business model and is now “Helping Companies Achieve, Manage and Upgrade their AISC Certifications.” In the first three years, Pioneer Steel Services has 76+ clients and growing.

After welding school (1980), Lee worked as a Roustabout in Williston, N.D., among other jobs, until stettling down in 1988 for a 15 year run of structural steel fabrication, inspection, and drafting in Missoula, Montana. Then another nearly 15 years of contract auditing for the American Institute of Steel Constructions certification programs. Just over four years ago, he started Helping Companies Achieve, Manage, and Upgrade their AISC Certifications with his new company Pioneer Steel Services, Inc. www.pioneersteelservices.com or at lpielaet@pioneersteelservices.com

Jason Gramlick is an Inspector with over 25 years of construction and welding experience in both public and private sectors, and experience with quality control and quality assurance inspection programs of petro-chemical, power-plant, buildings, bridges, as well experience in the commercial diving industry and US military.

He currently works for the State of California Dept of Transportation (Caltrans) source inspection and structural materials engineering program, his duties include all aspects of projects related to fabrication of structural steel items.

He holds certifications with the American Welding Society,
Certified Welding Inspector & Certified Radiographic Interpreter
American Society for Non-Destructive testing,
Level II, UT, MT, PT, VT
Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing

Mr. Wilcox works with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in the Materials Engineering and Testing Services (METS) subdivision of Engineering Services. He is the Senior Bridge Engineer for the Sacramento Branch of the Office of Quality Assurance and Source Inspection within METS and is the Chair of the METS Welding and Steel Committee.
Mr. Wilcox got his BS in Civil Engineering in 2000 from the California State University, Chico and started working with Caltrans on the West span retrofit of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (SFOBB). In 2002 he transferred to the New East Span SFOBB project where he worked the next 12 years on all phases of the project to its completion.

In 2014 Mr. Wilcox transferred to METS where he spent time as the METS Representative for various counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been in the Senior Bridge Engineer role for 1 year and counting.

While not at work Jason enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter as well as hiking, fishing, camping, playing guitar, and traveling.

Ms. Gilmer is a nationally recognized steel fabrication expert with over 20 years of experience in structural steel bridge fabrication and coating, providing engineering, technical consultation, QA/QC inspection, and quality management related to bridge projects. She is a highly regarded contributor to many bridge-related codes and standards. With her experience as both a Texas DOT engineer and a steel fabrication shop quality manager, Ms. Gilmer offers a multifaceted perspective on fabrication issues. She now is the DOT Staff Engineer for TUV Rheinland of North America.

I am a Structural Engineer with over 30 years of experience with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). My responsibilities with that agency included development, implementation, and maintenance of the USACE Hydraulic Steel Structures (HSS) and Bridge Safety Programs, design and evaluation of flood control, navigation, and other water control projects, design and evaluation of HSS and bridges, and inspection of HSS, bridges, and dams. Additional responsibilities included criteria and guidance development, training class development and instruction, and research development and implementation.

Daly is an NDT expert specialized in advanced applications and training. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a Master of Science degree in Applied Science and is certified UT and PAUT level III. With a broad range of international experience, he has participated in numerous inspection projects in the nuclear, oil & gas, and steel structure industries. Daly joined Olympus in 2019 as Global Markets, Oil and Gas and Energies Director. He is involved in business development and NDT product and solutions global support.

Ronnie Medlock is Vice President – Technical Services, at High Steel Structures LLC in Lancaster PA and is responsible for quality control and fabrication and inspection technology advancements. High Steel produces fabricated steel products for steel I-girder, tub girder, arch, truss and stay-cable bridges. Ronnie has been a member of the AWS D1 Committee since 1993, where he is currently chair of the Bridge subcommittee and vice chair of the D1 main committee; Ronnie also chairs the AASHTO/NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration and the NSBA Technical Committee. Ronnie is from El Paso, Texas and earned BS and MS degrees at UT Austin.

Nikita Iliushkin is the CEO and co-founder of Skygauge Robotics. Since 2016, his team reinvented how drones fly to expand the commercial applications of drones. Under his guidance, the team focused on ultrasonic testing at height as the first use case of the technology. These inspections traditionally require workers to use high-risk methods like ropes or scaffolding. He saw that, by using the Skygauge, these jobs could be performed 5-20 times faster and safer because workers stay on the ground. He assembled an elite group of drone pilots, UT inspectors, and industrial clients to help bring the Skygauge to market. His discussions with all stakeholders have given him a comprehensive understanding to safely implement this technology at industrial sites.

Zeki Gokce has been working in the advance NDT field for over 15 years. He has worked with various surface techniques including ACFM, Eddy current as well as EMATS and Guided Wave Ultrasonic Testing. Zeki holds several ASNT Level III as well as BS ad MS in Mechanical Engineering.

Ms. Erica Schumacher has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Rutgers University plus over 20 years of NDT experience in both commercial and military environments, and years of experience in manufacturing and quality assurance. She was previously qualified as a NAVSEA 250-1500-1 and MIL-STD-2132 test examiner in PT, MT, UT and RT. She is Vice President of Extende Inc, distributor of CIVA NDE simulation software and TraiNDE NDE Simulators, where she supports customers throughout the US and Canada.

Chace Hulon is the Inspection & Rehabilitation Practice Leader for the global infrastructure advisory firm Moffatt & Nichol. He oversees a team of 50 field engineers and technicians across America that serves the transportation industry, ports & terminals, oil & gas industry, and marinas. As a professional engineer, a commercial diver, and a professional rope access technician, Chace has dedicated his 17-year career toward the advancement of specialty access methods and the improvement of data collection methods.

Jeffrey Gazarek has 16 years in the structural inspection industry as an ADCI certified mixed gas dive supervisor, a SPRAT certified rope access technician, an NHI certified bridge inspector, an ASNT certified NDT technician, COSS certified safety specialist. Jeffrey is a manager of the M&N equipment maintenance program, he serves as Chairman of the M&N field safety committee, and he is a member of the ADCI Board of Directors. He has led the implementation of our internal NDT training and certification program.

Steven Armstrong is a professional engineer with 7 years of field inspection experience. He manages the statewide ancillary structures inspection program for LADOTD, in which he has led the development of the Standard Operating Procedures for the project and has co-authored M&N’s internal NDT Written Practice. Steven has also led the development of our drone inspection program as a FAA certified remote pilot.

Ricky L. Morgan is the Vice President of FlawTech America, LLC.in Concord, North Carolina USA. He has over 34 years of experience in providing NDT Inspections to the Amusement Park, Construction, Infrastructure, Marine, Petro-chemical and Power Industries. He was integral to the evaluation of hundreds of Buildings in the Los Angeles area after the 1994 Northridge Earth Quake. Some of his most recent landmark projects include the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Las Vegas High Roller, Disney Star Wars “Galaxy’s Edge for both Parks and the New Rams/Charger Stadium. He is a Past President and Chairperson of ASNT. Past Chair of the Greater Los Angeles Section (2000) and currently on the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Section (2020-2022). He is currently serving on the ASNT Board of Directors (Director at Large, Ethics Advisory, Leadership Development Committees, etc.) Section Operations Council, Infrastructure Committee, Ultrasonic Committee – Vice Chair & Coordinator for the 4th edition of the UT Handbook; GPR Committee, Technician Advisory Committee and the SNT-TC-1A Review Committee among others. He has received the ASNT Lou DeValerio Technician of the Year Award in 1998, ASNT Fellow in 2003, ASNT Mentoring Award in 2009 and the ASNT Phillip D. Johnson Honorary Member Award in 2016. He is a 25-year member of the American Welding Society and CWI since 1996. He is also a member of the British Institute for NDT.