AMUG elects three members to its board of directors
April 29, 2022
The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced the election of three new members to its board of directors. Mark Abshire will act as president; Shannon VanDeren, vice president and Jason Dickman, director of membership. The two-year term for these positions will commence on July 1, 2022.
“It is a pleasure to welcome experienced and seasoned members to our board,” stated Carl Dekker, AMUG’s current president. “This is a time of growth, and it brings a lot of work that I feel these additions will be able to address as we continue to expand our membership. Their experience within the organisation and history in our industry will give them the foundations to support great advancements in our organisation.”
Dekker also expressed gratitude for the two board members that are stepping down from their positions, Andrew Allshorn, vice president, and Bill Macy, director of membership. “We have had very challenging endeavours over the recent pandemic years,” he continued. “It was a pleasure to work with Andrew and Bill as we overcame these challenging times. Their efforts have helped build the foundations our new board can build upon and helped generate a growing organisation that will prevail the test of time.”
The balance of the AMUG board includes four elected positions with one year remaining in its terms, the past president position and two appointed positions. The 2022-2023 AMUG Board members are:
- President: Mark Abshire
- Past president: Carl Dekker, Met-L-Flo
- Vice president: Shannon VanDeren, Layered Manufacturing and Consulting
- Treasurer: Vince Anewenter, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)
- Secretary: Leslie Frost, 6K, Inc.
- Director of membership: Jason Dickman, ClassIQmfg.com
- Director of education & conference: Jordan Weston, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)
- Director of business development: Tim Bell, Siemens Digital Industries USA
- Director of events and hospitality: Thomas Sorovetz
- Director at large: Gary Rabinovitz, Reebok International
Mark Abshire and Shannon VanDeren will also be officers of the corporation. The other officers are Leslie Frost, Secretary, and Vince Anewenter, Treasurer.
Mark Abshire, who recently retired from Computer Aided Technology, has filled many roles over the thirty-two years that he has attended the AMUG conference. At the board level, he has served as vice president (2011 and 2012) and secretary (2013), and he has supported the board as an advisor and as registrar. He is a member of the registration committee and a former member of the nomination committee and other volunteer roles span from presenter to Technical Competition judge to AMUGexpo organiser. Abshire is also a recipient of AMUG’s highest honour, the President’s Award for exceptional service.
Abshire said, “With over thirty years as an AMUG member and almost half of those years working on the AMUG Board of Directors in various positions and several committees, my business retirement did not mean ending a relationship with this users group. But rather, it offered an opportunity to give back and serve this community that has been an integral part of a successful lifetime career. My goal as president is to ensure that AMUG’s growth and direction are sustainable while providing a path forward for a new generation to follow with success.”
Shannon VanDeren, president of Layered Manufacturing and Consulting, will hold the position of vice president. For eight years, she has served as the AMUG Track Leader for the medical portion of the AMUG Conference program. VanDeren is a member of the DINO Selection Committee and past industry liaison. Her other volunteer activities include serving as an advisor for SME’s additive manufacturing activities and as a member of 3D Metal Printing’s advisory board.
VanDeren commented, “After having orchestrated the content and contributions from OEMs and attendees to populate the medical track, it seems a natural transition to serve AMUG in a broader scope. The vice president role has great focus in blending the offerings, intellect and experience between our user community and the OEMs that support those efforts.”
The newly elected director of membership, Jason Dickman, is the CTO of ClassIQmfg.com. He has attended the AMUG Conference since 1995 and participated as a speaker, moderator, Technical Competition judge, and competitor in the Technical Competition. Dickman’s legacy includes the creation of the digital dinosaur, via 3D scanning, that is additively manufactured and mounted on all AMUG DINO awards presented over the past twenty-five years.
Dickman said, “I felt that I had more to give to AMUG in return for what it has given me. I ran for office because I am at a place in my life where I can dedicate the time needed to fulfil the duties of a member of the board.”
The board’s primary responsibilities will include building the programme for the 2023 conference, soliciting support from businesses in the Additive Manufacturing industry, and overseeing the event’s day-to-day activities. The five-day conference will feature the AMUGexpo, hands-on workshops, training labs, instructional sessions, technical presentations, and an off-site dinner.
The 2023 AMUG conference will be held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, from March 19–23.
