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Industry Advisory Board

The Advisory Board for the Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering department provides an essential connection to industry activities, innovations, and issues. With input from Board members, department leaders evaluate our curriculum and work to stay relevant to the needs our students will face as they enter the workforce.

Are you interested in being a part of our Industry Advisory Board? Contact our department chair, Dr. Todd Otanicar (toddotanicar@boisestae.edu).

IAB Members

  • Rick Koebbe

    Rick Koebbe

    President

    Mr. Koebbe has been President of PowerWorks Inc. since 1998, focused upon the development, ownership, and operation of clean, renewable wind and solar power projects.  Generally, our core business involves providing renewable wind and solar power on a wholesale basis to electric utilities – to that end, we perform the various project engineering and management services in-house, required to develop these wind and solar projects, including wind and solar studies, permitting, engineering, design, power marketing, finance, construction, equipment procurement and installation, operations and maintenance.  Mr. Koebbe manages an experienced team of engineering, finance, and operating staff.  During his career, Mr. Koebbe’s project engineering experience involved over 80 wind and solar projects, in 14 states and 50 countries around the world.  Mr. Koebbe holds a B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

    PowerWorks LLC

    Mr. Koebbe has been President of PowerWorks Inc. since 1998, focused upon the development, ownership, and operation of clean, renewable wind and solar power projects.  Generally, our core business involves providing renewable wind and solar power on a wholesale basis to electric utilities – to that end, we perform the various project engineering and management services in-house, required to develop these wind and solar projects, including wind and solar studies, permitting, engineering, design, power marketing, finance, construction, equipment procurement and installation, operations and maintenance.  Mr. Koebbe manages an experienced team of engineering, finance, and operating staff.  During his career, Mr. Koebbe’s project engineering experience involved over 80 wind and solar projects, in 14 states and 50 countries around the world.  Mr. Koebbe holds a B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

  • Michael Witt

    Michael Witt, P.E.

    Engineer/Co-Owner

    Mr. Witt received his BSME from University of Idaho in 1998. Started with Trus Joist (later bought by Weyerhaeuser) in 1998 as an EIT. Worked as a Design Engineer, Project Engineer and later Lead Engineer and Design Group Supervisor for the Manufacturing Support Group. Provided all of the engineered lumber manufacturing facilities with product and process development support as well as machine and full manufacturing line design. He obtained his Idaho PE license in 2004. Co-founded SGW Designworks, LLC in 2008; went full time from Weyerhaeuser to SGW in 2010.

    Mr. Witt received his BSME from University of Idaho in 1998. Started with Trus Joist (later bought by Weyerhaeuser) in 1998 as an EIT. Worked as a Design Engineer, Project Engineer and later Lead Engineer and Design Group Supervisor for the Manufacturing Support Group. Provided all of the engineered lumber manufacturing facilities with product and process development support as well as machine and full manufacturing line design. He obtained his Idaho PE license in 2004. Co-founded SGW Designworks, LLC in 2008; went full time from Weyerhaeuser to SGW in 2010.

  • Javier de Ana

    Javier de Ana, Ph.D.

    Sr. Director of Product Development

    Javier is the Sr. Director of Product Development at Advanced Chemotherapy Technologies, a drug delivery medical device startup. A former Fulbright Scholar, Javier is an entrepreneur and technical leader with over 17 years of experience in the medical device industry. He has developed products for large, medium and small size medical device companies. Co-founder of one medical device startup, he is now on his second startup focused on drug delivery for cancer treatment. Javier has a Ph.D. and Masters in Biomedical Engineering and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

    Advanced Chemotherapy Technologies

    Javier is the Sr. Director of Product Development at Advanced Chemotherapy Technologies, a drug delivery medical device startup. A former Fulbright Scholar, Javier is an entrepreneur and technical leader with over 17 years of experience in the medical device industry. He has developed products for large, medium and small size medical device companies. Co-founder of one medical device startup, he is now on his second startup focused on drug delivery for cancer treatment. Javier has a Ph.D. and Masters in Biomedical Engineering and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

  • Sarah Haight

    Sarah Haight, P.E.

    Engineering Research Support Manager

    Sarah joined Boise State for the second time as a faculty member in the fall of 2019 following her role at Versabuilt Robotics as Operations Manager and Senior Engineer. She currently works as the Engineering Research Support Manager. Other past roles include Operations and Engineering Manager at Rekluse Motor Sports where she oversaw the development, manufacturing, and testing of aftermarket motorcycle clutches. Formally as the Operations Manager, Sarah oversaw production, assembly and shipping. She has also designed and built locomotives with Motive Power and automobiles with Daimler Chrysler prior to teaching senior design at Boise State University. She earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boise State University and ME in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She is a professionally licensed engineer in the state of Idaho. Sarah decided to pursue engineering after positive mentoring from brilliant women in technology and hopes to bring her passion for problem solving, design and manufacturing to her students.

    Boise State University - College of Engineering

    Sarah joined Boise State for the second time as a faculty member in the fall of 2019 following her role at Versabuilt Robotics as Operations Manager and Senior Engineer. She currently works as the Engineering Research Support Manager. Other past roles include Operations and Engineering Manager at Rekluse Motor Sports where she oversaw the development, manufacturing, and testing of aftermarket motorcycle clutches. Formally as the Operations Manager, Sarah oversaw production, assembly and shipping. She has also designed and built locomotives with Motive Power and automobiles with Daimler Chrysler prior to teaching senior design at Boise State University. She earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boise State University and ME in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She is a professionally licensed engineer in the state of Idaho. Sarah decided to pursue engineering after positive mentoring from brilliant women in technology and hopes to bring her passion for problem solving, design and manufacturing to her students.

  • Shawn Hummel

    Shawn Hummel

    Manager, SIG Mechanical Design

    Shawn is currently the Mechanical Engineering manager in SIG (Systems Integration Group) at Micron Technology, Inc. SIG designs and oversees manufacturing of custom equipment for testing Micron devices (DRAM/NAND). The SIG Development Engineering team designs tester solutions using a cross discipline engineering team (Mechanical, Electrical, Controls/Mechatronics, and Software). This equipment is only used internally and installed at Micron locations worldwide. Prior to joining Micron, Shawn worked as a design engineer for Tactical Design Labs that produced injection molded holsters and tactical gear for Law Enforcement (LE)/Military. Shawn’s first experience in the Semiconductor industry was working as an automation design engineer at SCP Global Technologies. SCP designed automated wet benches for processing semiconductor wafers in front end manufacturing lines. Prior to SCP, Shawn worked as a mechanical engineer at KPC which was an OEM supplier in the RV industry. The products designed at KPC were primarily made from sheet metal and included automated/manual steps, battery/propane trays, and slide out rooms/cargo systems. Shawn received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Oregon Institute of Technology in 1998.

    Micron Technology, Inc.

    Shawn is currently the Mechanical Engineering manager in SIG (Systems Integration Group) at Micron Technology, Inc. SIG designs and oversees manufacturing of custom equipment for testing Micron devices (DRAM/NAND). The SIG Development Engineering team designs tester solutions using a cross discipline engineering team (Mechanical, Electrical, Controls/Mechatronics, and Software). This equipment is only used internally and installed at Micron locations worldwide. Prior to joining Micron, Shawn worked as a design engineer for Tactical Design Labs that produced injection molded holsters and tactical gear for Law Enforcement (LE)/Military. Shawn’s first experience in the Semiconductor industry was working as an automation design engineer at SCP Global Technologies. SCP designed automated wet benches for processing semiconductor wafers in front end manufacturing lines. Prior to SCP, Shawn worked as a mechanical engineer at KPC which was an OEM supplier in the RV industry. The products designed at KPC were primarily made from sheet metal and included automated/manual steps, battery/propane trays, and slide out rooms/cargo systems. Shawn received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Oregon Institute of Technology in 1998.

  • Ryan Okelberry, P.E.

    Ryan Okelberry, P.E.

    Co-Founder, Board Member

    House of Design Robotics
  • Nate Donald

    PFL MEP