AMUG Officers, Directors and Advisors

President

Shannon VanDeren
Layered Manufacturing and Consulting
President@amug.com

Shannon has led her company, Layered Manufacturing and Consulting, as an AM enthusiast and evangelist, and continues to create impact by identifying applications for innovation, ideation, cost savings, throughput, and manufacturing efficiencies.

Through her AM journey, she has built strategic partnerships and strong customer relationships within our community.  She has led the AMUG Medical Track for the past 8 years and was recognized by our peers with the Distinguished Innovator Operator (DINO) Award in 2017.

Shannon contributes to the AM community with other industry organizations as well… ensuring our community grows in health and application.

Vice President & Director

Tim Bell
Sciath aiM Forge Inc.
dspex@amug.com

Secretary & Director

Heather Natal
GoEngineer
Secretary@amug.com

Heather Natal graduated from the University of Illinois – Chicago with a BA in Communications, minoring in French and International Relations. Upon graduation, she took on a role with a CNC manufacturer and got her first glimpse into the world of industrial manufacturing. This has fueled her passion for educating both sides of the conversation on how these technologies fit together to allow for great possibilities for the future of manufacturing.

For the past 20 years, Heather has worked in progressive Marketing and Communications roles for various global companies on both the additive and traditional sides of manufacturing. She is currently the Marketing Product Manager for Manufacturing Solutions at GoEngineer.

Treasurer & Director

Robin Van Bragt
Eagle Plastics Plus LLC
Treasurer@amug.com

Robin will serve as Treasurer on the AMUG Board as of July 1, 2023, after attending what is now known as AMUG since 2001.

She is President of Eagle Plastics Plus LLC, a start-to-finish product development company ranging from concept/CAD design to in-house injection molding using 3d printing for design verification, prototypes and patterns for silicone molds. After attending her first AMUG conference, she was inspired to learn how to build parts on their in-house SLA machines. She was honored to receive the DINO award in 2021 and one of the only three recipients that are second-generation DINOs.

While the 3D printing process is intriguing and ever-challenging, the business side of things has also been a passion of hers and is excited to give back to the AMUG organization in this capacity.

Director at Large

Bruce LeMaster
Obsidian Solutions Group, LLC
DatLarge@amug.com

Director, Education & Conference

Ed Graham
Prototek
DConfEd@amug.com

Ed Graham is an additive manufacturing industry leader with a true passion for the future of manufacturing.  Over his years in the industry he has developed and led new strategies and technology to move additive manufacturing towards end-use production.  His emphasis is on operational efficiency initiatives in post processing, quality, and automation.

In his leadership roles at Prototek (formerly ProtoCAM), Ed has supported and empowered staff to help establish a company culture that is energizing and rewarding.

Director, Events & Hospitality

Thomas Sorovetz
T. A. Sorovetz, LLC
EventManager@amug.com

Thomas has been with Stellantis, formerly FCA, LLC, for more than 34 years, with 24 years as Supervisor – Vehicle Engineering Development, Rapid Prototyping Development, Wood, Plastic, CNC, and Carbon Fiber Shops. He has over 35 years of experience in automotive design and engineering and more than 30 years of experience in rapid prototyping/additive manufacturing. Along with publishing numerous articles in the field of rapid prototyping, rapid tooling, additive manufacturing and photoelastic stress analysis using stereolithography, he has been a presenter/speaker at many technical conferences.

Thomas has been on the AMUG Executive Board as Event Manager since 1993. He is the recipient of the AMUG Distinguished INnovative Operator (DINO) Award, the AMUG President’s Award, and the AMUG Distinguished Service Award for his 25+ years on the Executive Board. In addition to his service to AMUG, Thomas has served as an SME advisor on several committees spanning 25 years, including the Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing Conference, Rapid Prototyping Association of SME, AUTOFACT Advisory Board; and, he was co-chair of the Bright Minds Mentor Program. Currently, Thomas is an advisor for the RAPID + TCT Conference and he holds the Rapid Technologies and Additive Manufacturing Master level certificate. In 2007, Thomas was voted by his industry peers as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Rapid Product Development and Rapid Manufacturing by TCT Magazine (UK). TCT Magazine is the leader in RP/AM and RP/AM related technologies.

Director, Membership

Claire Belson Barnes
Markforged
dmembership@amug.com

Claire Belson Barnes graduated from the University of Alabama with MS and BS degrees in chemical engineering. She spent more than five years managing metal additive manufacturing in the control valve and industrial automation space for Emerson. During that time, Claire completed an expatriate assignment and fell in love with Singapore. She has also led a team of engineers improving the manufacturing of printed medical devices at a high-growth orthodontic startup. Currently, Claire is a senior application engineer at Markforged.

Claire started her AMUG career as the recipient of the Guy E. Bourdeau scholarship and has enjoyed volunteering on several committees over the years. She is excited to return to the Director of Membership position and continue contributing to the success of AMUG!