International Engineering Program

Advisory Council

The mission of the URI International Engineering Program (IEP) Advisory Council is to advise and assist the Executive Director with determining and pursuing the mission of the IEP.  We are grateful to the following lead volunteers who dedicate their time and expertise:

  • Mr. William J. Murray, Chair - Bill Murray is the retired CEO of Teknor Apex and the chair of the IEP Advisory Board.
  • Ms. Kristen Riley, Vice Chair - Kristen Riley is currently the education and training coordinator for the Pharmaceutical Development Institute (PDI) at the University of Rhode Island. and holds the role of vice chair of the IEP's advisory board. 
  • Mr. Erik Anderson - Erik Anderson is a model-based embedded software Engineer at IAV in Gifhorn, Germany.
  • Mr. Gary Baker - Gary A. Baker is a URI alumnus and the managing director at PlugShare in El Segundo, CA.
  • Dr. Winifred Brownell - Dr. Winifred Brownell is dean emerita of the College of Arts and Sciences at URI.
  • Mr. Shawn Drew - Shawn Drew is currently an E/E (Electrical/Electronics) Integrator with BMW Manufacturing Co. LLC in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
  • Mr. Mario Grande - Mario Grande is a URI alum (MBA ‘10) and currently serves as the Vice President and CFO of the Americas of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence.
  • Dr. Nevan C. Hanumara - Dr. Nevan Hanumara is a research scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
  • Ms. Robyn Johnson - Robyn Johnson works as a digital manufacturing mission inpat at Nestlé in Barcelona, Spain.
  • Ms. Sarah Koenig - Sarah Koenig currently works for Pratt & Whitney as the associate director of the Manufacturing Cost Modeling & Part Valuation Division.
  • Mr. Filip Losowski - Filip Losowski currently works for Inkbit in Massachusetts as its director of operations.
  • Dr.-Ing. Tobias Lührig - Dr.-Ing. Tobias Lührig is CEO of Bischof & Klein in Lengerich, Germany.
  • Dr. Nicola Massarotti - Dr. Nicola Massarotti is a full professor of fluid and thermal science at the Engineering Department of the Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope”.
  • Ms. Tonya McBride - Tonya McBride serves as commercial excellence chair at Avient Corporation, headquartered in Avon Lake, OH.
  • Mr. Gianfranco Milani - Gianfranco Milani is managing director at Grastim JV Srl, an energy service company based in Naples, Italy.
  • Mr. David Rego - David Rego is the director of global accounts at PI USA, headquartered in Auburn, MA.
  • Mr. Eric Sargent - Eric Sargent is principal product manager at MathWorks in Natick, MA.
  • Ms. Meghan Soens - Meghan Soens is the area vice president of GI sales at Boston Scientific in Marlborough, MA.
  • Mr. Gary Spengler - Gary Spengler serves as the director of the Feedstock for Chevron Renewable Energy Group in Houston.

Members Emeriti

  • Mr. Uwe Berner - Uwe Berner is the retired executive vice president of human resources and service companies as well as member of the ZF Friedrichshafen AG board.
  • Dr. Heidi Kirk Duffy - Dr. Heidi Kirk Duffy is a member emerita of the IEP Advisory Council and served as its chairperson from 1994 to 2019.
  • Dr. John Grandin - Dr. John Grandin is professor of German and IEP executive director emeritus.
  • Dr. Rolf-Dieter Schnelle - Dr. Schnelle, a former German diplomat, is a specialist on public diplomacy, foreign cultural policy, and transatlantic affairs.
  • Dr. Angus Taylor - Dr. Angus Taylor is the retired president and CEO of Hexagon Metrology North America, based in Quonset Point, North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
  • Dr. Raymond M. Wright, P.E. -   Dr. Raymond M. Wright is the dean emeritus of the University of Rhode Island College of Engineering, a position which he held from 2007 until 2021. A respected environmental engineer, Dr. Wright oversaw a college comprising more than 1,600 students and 65 faculty who together strive to solve some of society’s most vexing challenges. […]

Members in Rememberance

Hubertus Christ, Frank Curtin, James Feeney, William Silvia, Udo Schroff and Michael Byrnes accompanied the IEP as active board members from its very beginning and we are grateful for the passion and dedication they devoted to the IEP throughout their lives.