President
Erica Powell Bell
Partner | General Counsel
Ervin Policy Group LLC
For more than a decade, Erica Bell has represented and advised corporations, providing both strategic and practical legal counsel. She has supported automotive organizations in key areas of their businesses including commercial transactions, OEM relationships, compliance, employment and labor, intellectual property, product safety, corporate governance, litigation, and M&A. Holding Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Detroit Mercy, Bell is a former president of the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association and former president of the Business Law Association at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Bell previously served as Vice President, Regulatory Compliance and Sustainability at Harman International. Before joining Harman, Bell served as in-house counsel for Mobex Global and Brose North America, where she was responsible for legal and regulatory matters in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Prior to joining Brose, Bell served as general counsel for a global corporate consulting firm and as in-house counsel for Behr America (now Mahle Industries). SME Member Since 2022
Vice President
Robert Komljenovic
SME Education Foundation Board of Directors
Robby Komljenovic is the former Chairman, CEO and Managing Board Member of Acieta. Originally born and educated in Germany, Robby has 34+ years of experience in the machine tool systems and automation industry, serving in leadership positions for over two decades. Armed with a strong technical background in Mechanical and Application Engineering, Robby additionally learned the importance of effective business development and culture-based leadership. After moving to the US in 1993, Robby quickly adapted to the American business culture and learned how to manage domestic and global sales teams, as well as deliver positive P&L results. Prior to joining Acieta, Robby has served in several executive roles in three different German machine tool companies located here in the USA. His proven team leadership track record and expertise, continues to lead Acieta's relentless drive to deliver cutting-edge automation solutions, making manufacturing businesses more competitive in both local and global markets. Throughout his career, Robby has and continues to serve on other volunteer boards and committees such as for the German American Chamber of Commerce and the Association for Advanced Manufacturing Technology. Robby has been an active SME member since 2010. SME Member since 2010
Secretary/ Treasurer
Andrew Jones
Seizert Capital Partners
Andy Jones joined Seizert Capital Partners as an investment analyst in 2009 and became a portfolio manager in 2012. Previously, he worked as a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors and a financial analyst with GMAC Financial Services. He began his career at Douglas C. Lane and Associates, a registered investment advisory firm in New York City.
Jones earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Bucknell University in 2004. SME member since 2021
Director
Frank W. Ervin, III
SME Education Foundation Board of Directors
Ervin Policy Group LLC
Frank Ervin has more than 35 years of experience in government relations, public policy, legislative and regulatory legislation, and rulemaking. Additionally, Ervin has worked to build global business structures in the U.S. and abroad, including Mexico, Japan, South America, Europe and Asia involving a variety of customers. He has led the government relations and business development units of the major automobile manufacturers and Tier 1, 2 and 3 automotive suppliers worldwide. In 2018, Ervin was named to the newly created position of group vice president – government affairs at the Piston Group LLC where he was responsible for the organization's government relations and economic development activities. Prior to joining the Piston Group, Ervin served as vice president of specialized minority business enterprise services and executive director of the Detroit Minority Business Development Agency Center at the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, overseeing all aspects of the development minority businesses including MBE certification. Previously, he had been the senior director – government affairs at Magna International, working with all its business units on matters involving and needing legislative and regulatory relations assistance. Ervin was also responsible for building and maintaining positive company relations with members of Congress, state and local legislators, as well as officials and their staff to help create a positive leadership image and business climate for Magna International Inc. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in international business. Ervin is also a Vietnam veteran, as part of his service with the U.S. Navy. He has also served on various boards of directors, such as The Organization for International Investment, Oakland County (MI) Workforce Development and Southeastern Michigan United Way. Presently, Ervin served as a director with the Western Golf Evans Scholarship Foundation. SME Member Since 2021
Director
Valerie Freeman
Washington Park High School
Valerie Freeman is a manufacturing and robotics pathway teacher at Washington Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin, . A native of Pontiac, Michigan, Freeman attended Tennessee State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical and computer engineering.
After working in her field of study, Freeman and her family relocated to Racine, Wisconsin. There, she took an unconventional path to her career and started an after-school tutoring program at her local church to help inner-city students with STEM classes. The program grew to include assisting adults in earning their GEDs, and it was through this work that Freeman discovered her passion for teaching.
Although initially hesitant, Freeman pursued a teaching career after encouragement from parents who believed her talents could impact more young people. She applied and was hired by the Racine Unified School District in 2014. Recently, she was honored with the district’s Encore Award for teaching excellence.
Outside of teaching, Freeman enjoys reading and coaching varsity softball at Park High School. She also values time with her family—her husband of 13 years and their two sons—who help her stay balanced. SME Member since 2021
Director
Matt Hilgendorf
Acme Industries
Matthew L. Hilgendorf is the chief operating officer at Acme Industries in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. He previously served as vice president of operations for Atkore International, overseeing daily operations across more than 10 manufacturing facilities, workforce development, lean initiatives, and the enterprise resource planning systems transformation.
Earlier in his career at Atkore, Hilgendorf held roles managing several manufacturing sites and leading the Atkore Business System. Before joining Atkore, he was the supplier development and quality manager at Black Horse LLC, a joint venture between Caterpillar Inc. and Ariel Corp., where he led quality, sourcing, and operational excellence efforts. His tenure at Caterpillar included leadership positions in operations, quality, and supply chain. During his quality career, he spent five years as a chief metrologist.
Hilgendorf holds bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and manufacturing engineering from Kettering University and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
An SME endowment member, Hilgendorf is an active donor to the SME Education Foundation and a member of its scholarship committee. He has been active at the international level since 2006, serving three terms on the SME Board of Directors in 2012, 2015, and 2017. He also led the SME Member Council in 2014. In 2018, Hilgendorf was named an SME Marcus B. Crotts Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer. SME Member Since 2002.
Director
Joe Kann
Cobble Creek Solutions
Joe Kann is president of Cobble Creek Solutions, a consulting firm focused on growth opportunities in industrial markets and emerging technologies.
Kann joined Rockwell Automation in 1986, holding roles in research, business leadership, and global market strategy. As vice president of global business development, he grew the role into a team managing over 140 partnerships, including alliances with Cisco and Microsoft, and supported more than a dozen acquisitions worldwide. He retired from Rockwell in 2017 and founded Cobble Creek Solutions.
Kann holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He serves on the advisory board for the University of Illinois’ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and chairs the SME Education Foundation’s Strategic Planning Committee.
An SME member since 1984, Kann joined the SME Education Foundation Board in 2018.
Director
Arthur McClellan
Lear Corporation
Arthur McClellan is director of supplier diversity and development at Lear Corporation. Throughout his career, he has held various roles, including head of supplier diversity at Valeo, managing partner at Diversity In Promotions, and director of business development at Rickman Enterprise Group. He has also worked at General Motors as purchasing manager, supplier diversity manager, and senior buyer, and held the role of purchasing director at the City of Pontiac and vice president of land acquisition at Farbman Group.
McClellan served as a city councilman for Pontiac from 2003 to 2009, including as president from 2006 to 2009. He is currently on the boards of Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County, CARE House of Oakland County, the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, the Pontiac Alumni Foundation, and Detroit Community Schools.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in general studies and a master’s in urban planning from the University of Michigan, as well as an MBA from the University of Phoenix. SME Member since 2021
Director
Mark Michalski, LSME
Sizzle and Stem Digital Media
Mark L. Michalski was the chief operations systems officer – global operations for MKS Instruments, where he led strategies in process development, new product introduction, and information technologies. He oversaw the implementation of the Visual Factory cross-platform solution for data analytics, SPC, and shop-floor management visualization.
Prior to MKS, Michalski held roles as director of operations at Bel Fuse, vice president of operations at Acumentrics Corp., and senior technical management positions at Zoll Medical and BBN Advanced Computers.
Michalski studied manufacturing and operations engineering at Northeastern and Lowell Universities. He has held numerous leadership positions within SME, including chapter officer and chair of Boston Chapter 33, chair of the Manufacturing Enterprise Council, and member of several committees including the International Director/Member Council Nominating Committees and the International Awards, Innovation, and Business Development Committees. He has also served as an SME Education Foundation scholarship reviewer since 2013.
A frequent speaker at SME Leadership Series events, Michalski has presented at more than 30 events across the U.S. He is a recipient of the 2010 SME Award of Merit. Since 2010, Michalski has served on the SME Board of Directors, including as 2019 SME president and 2020 immediate past president. In 2022, he began serving on the SME Education Foundation Board of Directors. SME Member Since 1992
Director
John Miller
Siemens PLM Software
John Miller is senior vice president of Mainstream Engineering Software for Siemens Digital Industries Software, responsible for leading the development and go-to-market efforts for products like Solid Edge on a global scale. He partners with sales, product, and marketing teams to target and develop strategic and geographic growth opportunities.
With over 31 years of experience in industry software, Miller joined Siemens from Electronic Data Systems (EDS), where he completed the Engineering Systems Engineer program and worked with Unigraphics for his first full-time assignment. He has since held several roles at Siemens PLM Software, including vice president of strategy and vice president of R&D operations.
Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering systems from Kettering University (formerly GMI) and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Michigan. He joined the SME Education Foundation in 2015 and serves on the Workforce Development and Strategic Planning committees.SME Member since 2015.
Director
Christopher Rake
FIRST
Chris Rake is executive vice president and COO of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing STEM education through mentor-based research and robotics programs. He leads efforts to grow FIRST programs worldwide and oversees strategic planning and development for FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition, including the organization of two annual World Championships.
Before joining FIRST, Rake spent 19 years as a chief engineer at NI, where he led complex cross-team initiatives in data acquisition, embedded control, and industrial systems. His background includes board-level design, programmable logic design, firmware design, manufacturing test software design, and project management.
Outside of work, Rake volunteers as a mentor with FIRST and as a unit leader with the Boy Scouts of America. He is also passionate about photography.
Rake holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, with Highest Honors, from the Georgia Institute of Technology. SME Member since 2021
Director
Selin Sirinterlikci
General Motors
Selin Sirinterlikci is an MBA candidate at Harvard Business School, graduating in 2025. She holds BS/MS degrees in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Since 2018, she has held engineering and corporate strategy roles at General Motors.
At HBS, Sirinterlikci serves as co-president and co-founder of the Infrastructure Club, co-chief admissions ambassador, and academics vice president of the Women's Student Association.
A former SME-EF Family Scholarship recipient, she has been a scholarship reviewer for the SME-EF Scholarship Committee since 2021
Director
JoAnne Williams, JD
Fairfield University
JoAnne Williams joined Fairfield University in 2022, where she holds executive responsibility for planning, development, and management of the university’s financial, physical, and technological resources, as well as auxiliary services.
A native of Costa Rica, Williams’ personal and professional experiences have taken her to live and work in countries around the world, including Central America, Europe, and the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and has held applied engineering, software development, finance, and administrative roles at Citgo, General Motors, Unigraphics Solutions, and other firms before transitioning to higher education.
After earning her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Williams pursued her lifelong interest in higher education, holding academic roles at Clemson, Cornell, Rutgers, Columbia, and other universities. SME Member since 2022