Interested in helping the AFS Institute drive the direction of our growing skills training program? There are opportunities for course facilitation and curriculum development in both volunteer and paid capacities. Course facilitation requires industry knowledge and the ability to be comfortable leading small to large groups in person and online via Zoom. The Institute provides you with the course materials and online training to hone your skills of managing the delivery of professionally developed curriculum. Course preparation and facilitation is paid with a competitive hourly rate. Auditing a class is required (and unpaid) prior to being assigned a stand-alone teaching assignment. For more information, contact Jen Christian at jchristian@afsinc.org or complete this quick form.
Current AFS Institute Instructors
 | Doug DeSmit ASK Chemicals Doug DeSmit is the Technical Service Manager for ASK Chemicals and has been working in the metalcasting industry since 1974. DeSmit oversees the training of all new Technical Representatives as well as maintaining training for ASK Chemicals. |
 | Luke Dix Profound Alloys Luke Dix earned a B.S. in manufacturing technology with an emphasis in metalcasting from the University of Northern Iowa. He received his M.S. in metallurgical engineering from the University of Alabama. Currently the regional sales manager for Profound Alloys, Dix previously was a regional sales manager for Miller and Company and a melting engineer and assistant superintendent for American Cast Iron Pipe Company. |
 | Walter Evans Walter J. Evans Consulting Walter Evans is the owner of Walter J. Evans Consulting where he works with the AFS Institute in developing new courses and teaching current ones. Evans worked for the Ford Motor Company for 30 years as a supervisor and staff technical specialist. Prior to working at Ford, Evans completed his PhD in metallurgy at Case Western University. |
 | Patrick Frazier ME Global Inc. Patrick Frazier has worked in Human Resources since 2007 and joined ME Global’s Tempe Foundry as the HR Manager in 2017. In June 2023 he was promoted into his current role, Director of Organizational Development. This is a new role within the organization where his primary focus has been on developing a streamlined training process, supporting training coordinators to assist onsite at both of their foundries. He has also created and maintained a succession planning exercise for the leadership team to use as an ongoing process to ensure the continued development and retainment of high potential employees. Frazier has additional HR experience in the manufacturing industry (Semiconductor & Aerospace). He has a passion for teaching and working with college students and post-graduates in the field of human resources. In 2024, Frazier attended the Institute’s Introduction to Supervisor Development class where he was an active participant, and he also joined the Talent and Development Division within AFS. |
 | Dr. Sudesh Kannan Foundry Consultant Seasoned foundry veteran Dr. Sudesh Kannan delivers real-world solutions to transform your operations. Tap into his 20+ years of global foundry support to optimize your processes and reduce costly errors. His hands-on work with foundry suppliers like Selee, Praxair, and St. Gobain and their foundry customers ensures practical, actionable insights. Advance your understanding with his extensive technical publications and research background. |
 | Patrick Kluesner Sr. Product Engineer, Grede Castings Patrick Kluesner graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology Management from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and currently works for Grede Castings. Previously, Patrick served as a Training Engineer at MAGMA where he taught basic and advanced simulation techniques, with an emphasis on HPDC and sand casting. When he wasn't teaching, he was also responsible for creating content for seminars, webinars, and online tutorials for defect analysis and resolution. |
 | Brandon Lamoncha Humtown Products Brandon Lamoncha is sales manager/director of additive manufacturing for Humtown Products (Columbiana, Ohio), where he has worked for more than 20 years. Starting as a computer aided machinist (CAM), Lamoncha learned to produce tooling for aerospace, engine components, glass molds, and other foundry products. Most recently, Brandon has focused on 3D sand printing and establishing Humtown’s 3D printer facility in partnership with Youngstown State University and America Makes. |
 | Edward Marczyszak Retired Since starting his metalcasting career in 1973, Edward Marczyszak has worked in all facets of foundry work, including coremaker, material handler, green sand molder, production manager, and president/general manager. He has implemented lean manufacturing and safety programs in several plants. |
 | Randy Oehrlein Carley Foundry Inc. Randy Oehrlein has been involved with numerous foundry engineering tasks since 1974 and has been with Carley Foundry since 1999. He serves as VP of Engineering, overseeing a multi-disciplined team of engineers. He is active at the national level in the AFS Aluminum and Research Committees and has given presentations in specialty conferences. |
 | Dave Palmer, P.E. Twin Disc Dave Palmer has a B.S. in materials engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and an M.S. in materials engineering from UW-Milwaukee. He works for Twin Disc in the role of Metallurgical Engineer. Dave previously worked for BRP-US Inc as supplier quality development engineer, with a focus on castings and coatings. Dave also worked for Modine Manufacturing Co for several years. He is an experienced teacher and has worked for both producers and end-users of metal castings. Dave serves as Secretary-Elect for the AFS Aluminum and Light Metals Division. |
 | Sairam Ravi Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Division Sairam Ravi is a Director of Process Development for Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Division and is experienced with green sand, no-bake, cold-box and permanent mold processes. Sairam previously worked for UNI (University of Northern Iowa) where he worked on applied research projects related to the advancement and development of foundry technologies. Over the course of his career, he has worked with several suppliers and OEMs in developing processes for equipment and materials. |
 | Russ Rosmait
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 | Dr. Kumar Sadayappan CANMET-MATERIALS Dr. Kumar Sadayappan is a senior research scientist since 1996 at CANMET Materials, Natural Resources Canada. He started his metal casting career in 1986 and obtained his doctoral degree at Indian Institute of Science in 1994. His research activities include alloy development, solidification processing, and process-structure-property correlation studies of non-ferrous metals. Dr. Sadayappan is a member of the copper Division of AFS since 1997. He was involved in the development of lead-free copper alloys for plumbing applications for which Dr. Sadayappan received AFS Technology Transfer Award twice. He is also a recipient of AFS Penton gold Medal, AFS Scientific Merit Award, and ASM Fellowship for his contributions to Non-Ferrous alloy metallurgy. |
 | Ted Schorn Enkei America, Inc. Ted Schorn is currently responsible for quality and technology for Enkei America’s North American operations as Vice President. He has worked in the field of quality over 35 years, spanning automotive, aerospace and medical markets. Ted also operates his own consulting firm, Schorn Consulting, LLC which provides training, management consulting and expert witness services. Ted’s areas of special expertise include quality management, wheel design and engineering, foundry safety and visual inspection. He has degrees in Physics and Mathematics and is the author of two books: Understanding the Wheel Fastening System on Trailers (RVIA/NATM) and Improving the Effectiveness of Visual Inspection (AFS). Ted is frequently called on to speak on both technical and management topics and has authored over 40 technical articles. Ted is a recent Thomas W. Pangborn Gold Medal award recipient. He was also awarded the Scientific Merit Award by AFS, was the 2005 Hoyt Memorial Lecturer and has been the recipient of the Ray Witt Management Paper Award three times. He served on the AFS board of directors 2011 – 2015, chaired the Division Council and the Engineering Division, serving on the Quality Systems committee over 25 years. Ted serves as President of the Lean Network, Inc. an association of Honda suppliers. |
 | Jiten Shah Product Development and Analysis LLC Jiten Shah is founder and president of Product Development & Analysis (PDA) LLC. He has over 30 years of metalcasting design and manufacturing experience and is proficient in computer aided engineering tools, including process simulation and 3D scanning. Shah specializes in product and process development, redesign for optimization, reverse engineering, additive digital manufacturing and value engineering of metal castings. |
 | Ken Way Miller and Company Ken Way has a B.S. in materials science and engineering from Purdue University. He is the Vice President of Sales and Technical Services for Miller and Company. Way's other experience includes working as an engineering manager, senior plant metallurgist, laboratory manager and melting supervisor at Intermet Corporation; and as a technical, operations and quality manager for Citation Corp. |
 | Jim White Expert Consultant With over 20 years' experience in the foundry industry working for Caterpillar Inc. Jim White was responsible for developing processes for iron castings, advanced product quality planning (APQP), design for manufacturability, and continuous improvement at Caterpillar’s Cast Metals Organization. The second half of Mr. White’s career was spent at Caterpillar’s Purchasing Division, providing leadership and technical expertise to both non-ferrous and ferrous casting suppliers. Eventually Mr. White would lead a team of purchasing professionals responsible for $200 million in world-wide casting spend. His unique blend of experience as both a casting producer and purchaser gives him a unique perspective on the Casting Industry. Mr. White has addressed the AFS Executive Conference, and Casting Congress concerning the state of the foundry industry from the purchaser’s perspective. White is the 2010 recipient of the Childress-Loebler Lifetime Achievement Award. |