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FEATURE
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O C T O B E R
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HEAT TREATING SOCIETY NEWS
HTS NAMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS FOR 2016
The Heat Treating Society (HTS) board, at the recom-
mendation of the HTS Awards and Nominating Committee,
named new officers including
Jim Oakes
to serve as vice
president for the 2015–2017 term;
Nathan Chupka, Michael
Pershing,
and
CraigZimmerman,
to serveon theHTSBoard
for the 2015–2018 term;
Olga Rowan
for the 2015–2016 term
(filling the unexpired term of
Jim Oakes);
Rachel Sylvester
to serve as student board member for the 2015–2016 term;
and
Hannah Noll
to serve as young professional board
member for the 2015–2016 term. Terms begin September 1.
Continuing on the board are
Timothy De Hennis
(member),
Eric Hutton
(member),
Stephen Mashl, FASM
(member),
Jin Xia
(member), and
Zbigniew Zurecki, FASM
(member).
Roger Jones
becomes past president and
Stephen Kowals-
ki
becomes president on September 1.
Leaving the board are
Thomas Clements
(past presi-
dent),
William Disler
(member),
Robert Goldstein
(mem-
ber),
Richard Howell
(member),
Piyamanee Komolwit
(young professional board member), and
Lee Rothleutner
(student boardmember).
Stephen Kowalski
is president of
Kowalski Heat Treating Co., Cleve-
land, assuming the position in
1997 for the second-generation
family business. He earned his
B.Sc. degree in business adminis-
tration from Miami University in
1984. Kowalski is a member of the
Metal Treating Institute and was a
founding member of the ASM
Heat Treating Society. He served on the HTS board from
2003–2010, served as chair of the HTS Membership Commit-
tee from 2006–2013, and also served as chair of the ASM
Membership Committee from 2012–2013. Kowalski has
served on many nonprofit boards working to enhance pri-
vate and public partnerships. He has also worked with local,
state, and national employment organizations to develop
and implement training programs to enhance worker reten-
tion rates. Kowalski published several papers on furnace sys-
tems controls, high-pressure gas quenching, and govern-
ment financing of business development.
Jim Oakes
is vice president of
business development for Super
Systems Inc. (SSi), Cincinnati.
Since joining SSi in 2005, Oakes
has overseen marketing, helped
develop product innovation strat-
egies, and drives SSi’s commit-
ment to quality and continuous
improvement in the company’s
heat treating-related products. Prior to joining SSi, he
worked at Oracle Corp., Redwood City, Calif., helping organi-
zations leverage technology to become more competitive
and improve processes with enterprise software solutions.
Oakes serves on the Metal Treating Institute board and is a
member of several committees focused on bringing value
back to the members. He has been involved with ASM for
many years at the local chapter level and contributed to the
revised ASMHandbook on heat treating.
Nathan Chupka
is manufacturing
engineering supervisor for the
gear and shaft manufacturing op-
erations at John Deere Waterloo
Works. He started at JohnDeere in
1998 as a materials engineer and
became manufacturing engineer
in 2001 for the carburizing, carbo-
nitriding, press quenching, and
tempering operations, as well as
development and implementation of heat treatment pro-
cesses for drivetrain components. He was involved with the
startup of a new automated batch carburizing facility and
press quench operations from 2003–2006. In 2005, he be-
came manufacturing engineering supervisor for heat treat
operations. Recent activities involve developing heat treat-
ment training programs, supporting equipment installation
for new product introductions and capacity expansion, and
developing new heat treating technology. Chupka has been
amember of ASM since 1995 and amember of the Northeast
Iowa Chapter since 1998. He has served as chair and vice
chair for the local chapter.
Michael Pershing
held positions
at Caterpillar in heat treat engi-
neering, casting simulation de-
velopment, and gear materials
before becoming team leader for
heat treat R&D in 1998. Pershing
worked at Caterpillar’s Powder
Metal Focus Facility in Rockwood,
Tenn., from 2000–2003, then
joined the Oak Ridge National
Laboratory Materials Processing Group for three years be-
fore returning to Caterpillar’s Engine Materials Technology
group in 2006. He was engineeringmanager for East Peoria’s
Heat Treat Engineering for three years, and now is senior
heat treat technology steward. Pershing has been involved
with the Center for Heat Treating Excellence, WPI, Worces-
ter, Mass., since 2007, was board chairman from 2012–2014,
and received the CHTE Distinguished Service Award in 2014.
He also held several leadership positions in the Peoria and
Oak Ridge ASM Chapters, including Peoria Chapter chair for
2008–2009.