SCHAUMBURG, IL - Seven distinguished leaders will be honored by the American Foundry Society (AFS) for their outstanding contributions to the metalcasting industry. All awards will be bestowed during Metalcasting Congress 2026 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, MI. The Thomas W. Pangborn Gold Medal, William H. McFadden Gold Medal and William J. Grede Award will be bestowed at the annual banquet. The Scientific Merit and Service Citation Awards presentations will take place at the Volunteer Leadership Awards Luncheon. Both events will be held on Tuesday, April 14. AFS members are encouraged to register now for the events to help honor these accomplished individuals.
GOLD MEDALS
The William H. McFadden Gold Medal will be awarded to Daniel Oman (Retired) for his longstanding leadership in the EHS Division, his dedicated service as an instructor in environmental workshops, and his tremendous overall positive impact on foundries and their environmental stewardship. Oman is a Professional Engineer in numerous states with more than 40 years of experience in environmental management, specializing in solid and hazardous waste management, environmental compliance, remediation, and regulatory liability. He holds an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware.
The Thomas W. Pangborn Gold Medal goes to Robert C. Voight, Professor, Penn State University, University Park, PA for his outstanding scholarship as well as his tremendous impact in foundry education. He has inspired generations of students to become longtime metalcasting industry leaders. He's gained three decades of academic and professional experience in metallurgical engineering, materials development, and advanced manufacturing systems. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Voigt’s expertise spans cast metals and alloys, green sand casting, heat treatment, machinability, and manufacturing system control, with applications in automotive lightweighting, aerospace performance, and high-value engineered products.
AWARD OF SCIENTIFIC MERIT
The AFS Award of Scientific Merit will be presented to Adam Kopper, Technical Advisor, Mercury Marine, Fond du Lac, WI for his enormous contributions to the American Foundry Society Aluminum Division, Technical Council, and Research Board, as well as to the metalcasting industry through research, presentations, articles, and industry service. His scientific work has had a substantial positive impact on the industry. With nearly three decades of industry experience, he brings deep expertise in high-pressure die casting, lost foam casting, steel and aluminum alloys, and the application of machine learning and data analytics to manufacturing improvement. Dr. Kopper holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a B.S. from the University of Michigan.
Jitendra Shah, Founder and President, Product Development & Analysis, Naperville, IL, will also receive the AFS Award of Scientific Merit for his broad and positive impact across the industry in casting design and related disciplines. His scientific presentations, research, articles, and educational course instruction have led to meaningful advances in metalcasting and have inspired others to pursue similar endeavors. 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.
AFS SERVICE CITATIONS
Two AFS Service Citations will also be awarded. Wil Tinker, Director of Sales, Tinker Omega/Sinto America, Springfield, OH, will be awarded for his decades of service to the metalcasting industry as well as to AFS and its regional chapters. His longstanding commitment to helping foundry leaders understand solutions, solve problems, and take advantage of opportunities is deeply appreciated.
A Service Citation will also be awarded to Alexandria Trusov, Global Marketing Director, Alpha Resources, LLC, Stevensville, MI, for her dedication and outstanding contributions to the Management Council, Marketing Division, and Women in Metalcasting at AFS. She has set a commendable example for others to emulate through her superior service.
WILLIAM J. GREDE AWARD
Tracy Malpass, President and CEO of EJ, will receive the William J. Grede award for his dedicated leadership and industry service. Prior to this role, he served in many different areas at EJ including Executive VP, VP of Engineering Services and Facility Project Engineer. Malpass received his Mechanical Engineering Technology degree from Lake Superior State University. Malpass has been a respected industry leader for more than 30 years.
AFS will also recognize outgoing volunteer leaders and present other divisional honors at the Volunteer Leadership Awards Luncheon.
Registration for Metalcasting Congress 2026 is open now at this link. At registration, select the Banquet and Volunteer Leadership Awards Luncheon to help honor these accomplished individuals.