Darrell Adams, Director of Sales, North America • Hangzhou Permanent Magnet Group (HPMG)

Darrell K. Adams has been working in the magnet industry since 1989. During the past 21 years he has held different executive and management positions within the magnet industry.  He began working with and developing Chinese magnet suppliers for the US market in the 90s when he was the General Manager of the Ogallala Electronics Division of Arnold Magnetic Technologies. He was certified in production and inventory management by The American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) in 1994. He holds a BA in Strategic Management from Maryville College (1990). And he received his MBA from the University of Tennessee (1996) where he was also initiated into the Sigma Iota Epsilon Honorary Management Fraternity. He currently is the Director of Sales of North America for Hangzhou Permanent Magnet Group of Hangzhou China.

Walt Benecki, President • Walter T. Benecki LLC

Walt Benecki is currently president of Walter T. Benecki LLC, a consultancy serving the worldwide magnetics industry.  Walt currently serves on the boards of the Electric Motor Education and Research Foundation (EMERF), the Motor and Motion Association (SMMA) and Bunting Magnetics Company.

Dr. Harrie Buswell, CEO • Buswell Energy LLC

Dr. Harrie Buswell is the CEO of Buswell Energy LLC. He has engaged in numerous teaching efforts ranging from 7th grade to graduate level. His experience in scientific instrumentation ranges from simple pH meters and heater setups to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometers with nearly 10,000 instruments analyzed during a 25 year period. Instruments that include singly or in combination electronics, refrigeration, mechanics, vacuum technology, hydraulics and pneumatics. His first patent was a refrigerative system, the 20 or so subsequent domestic and foreign patents and patent applications pending have been concerning electromagnetic coils with the physical relationship of magnetic and electric components. 

Lowell Christensen, Vice President of Engineering • TruTech Speciality Motors

Lowell Christensen is currently vice president of Engineering for TruTech Specialty Motors in Minneapolis, MN. Prior to joining TruTech Specialty Motors, Lowell worked as a motor design consultant. Mr. Christensen has a Bachelor of arts in Physics and Mathematics form Mankato State University and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Lowell has worked as the director of Engineering for MCG inc from 1992 to 2008. From 1978 to 1992 Lowell was employed by Electro Craft Corp. as a principle design engineer and Motor Engineering manager. From 1972 to 1978 Lowell was employed by Control Data Corp. as a design engineer in the cedar Engineering division and as a project engineer in the Aero Space Division.

Steve Constantinides, Director of Technology • Arnold Magnetic Technologies Corp.

Steve Constantinides is director of Technology at Arnold Magnetic Technologies Corporation. Steve solicits and performs research, engineering and project work associated with Arnold Magnetic Technologies’ permanent and soft magnetics businesses. He is a graduate of Alfred University in Ceramic Engineering.  Prior experience includes 12 years with Corning Inc. involved with glass ceramics, combustion systems design and manufacturing management systems. He then joined tungsten carbide manufacturer GTE Valenite (now Valenite LLC) and was responsible for modernization and operation of more than 40 vacuum and atmosphere heat-treating furnaces at plants in the US, Canada and France. In 1988 he joined Crucible Magnetics as manager of Technology and Quality Assurance. For the last 18 years, Steve has been employed at Arnold and has promoted the use of rare earth and bonded magnets and soft magnetic strip and foils through product and process development and applications engineering.

Keith A. Delaney, Executive Director • Rare Earth Industry and Technology Association (REITA)

For more than 25 years Mr. Delaney has specialized in the creation and management of strategic business alliances and technology partnerships focused on the commercialization of new technologies. At Engelhard Corporation (now BASF) and Molycorp Minerals LLC he has been at the center of such relationships in the petrochemical, industrial chemical, water treatment and food industries. His education includes a BS in Marketing and a MBA from Northern Illinois University.  He has been the Executive Director of REITA since the association’s founding in 2009.

Peter C. Dent, Vice President of Business Development • Electron Energy Corporation

Dent’s 25 year background in magnetics began in engineering for a subsidiary of Intermagnetics General Corporation in closed and open cycle cryogenic refrigerators supporting low and high temperature superconductive magnets for MRI, semiconductor and research applications. He was National Sales Manager for Lakeshore Cryotronics, specializing in cryogenic and magnetic measurement instrumentation and systems.  As Business Development Manager at Everson Tesla, Bethlehem, PA, Dent managed select projects and marketing and sales of large, high field, specialty coil wound resistive and superconducting magnets and systems. Since joining EEC in 2003, Dent has led the company’s business development efforts in rare earth magnets and their applications, including commercialization and applications development of government sponsored research. Dent has co-authored numerous papers on superconducting magnets for particle accelerators,  quasi-continuous magnets, magnetically confined fusion power program components, rare earth permanent magnet materials, design and applications. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University from 1981.

John Ebert, Business Manager • Yunsheng USA, Inc.

Ebert is the business manager for Yunsheng USA, Inc. He received Joint Honors B.S. Environmental Science and Computer Studies from the University of East Anglia, UK.  Industry experience includes Magnetics, HVACR, business consulting, IT, MIS, ecommerce, commodity futures, and forex. International trade experience includes Far-East, India-Pakistan, Italy, France, Balkans and Middle-East.

Joachim Gerster, Director of Research & Development • Vacuumschmelze GmbH und Co. KG

Dr. Joachim Gerster is Director of R&D of the Materials and Parts department, which is one of the three departments of Vacuumschmelze. He started his career at VAC in 1999. His main task was the soft magnetic CoFe-alloys. In 2003 he was appointed as the manager of the crystalline soft magnetic R&D group until he became Director of R&D in 2008. Prior to joining VAC in 1999, he was awarded as a Doctor (PhD) from the University of Jena, where he worked on highly sensitive magnetic SQUID-sensors from 1995 to 1999. He studied physics at the University of Tübingen from 1989 to 1995 and received the Diploma (Master) degree in 1995.

Bernd Gundelsweiler, Business Unit Manager • Kendrion Binder Magnete GmbH Passenger Car Systems

Bernd Gundelsweiler is Business Unit Manager of Kendrion Passenger Car Systems. He studied Precision Engineering at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. After earning his doctorate he started at Kendrion in 2003. He became Managing Director in 2007.

Samir R. Kagalwala, Chief Consultant • Power Magnetic Consultancy (PMC)

Samir Kagalwala has a unique combined experience in manufacturing and design of Wire Wound Components in Power Electronics. In over 30 years in the industry, he has set up magnetic manufacturing facilities, resolved short term and long term manufacturing issues meeting internal and external customer needs and bridged Design and Manufacturing for improved products and customers' satisfaction. He developed design rules and guidelines for manufacturing and helped increase manufacturing professionals' understanding of the design criteria. He worked for Philips Electronics, Motorola and Zenith Electronics in various capacities. He holds MBA from DePaul University, Chicago, B.S. in Electrical Engineering and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. At present, he is a chief consultant at San Diego based Power Magnetics Consultancy (PMC).

Philip Keller, Marketing & Product Management • Metrolab Technology SA

Philip Keller has been responsible for Marketing & Product Management at Metrolab, in Geneva Switzerland, since 2003. His career spans two continents, executive management as well as research positions and a variety of technology industries. He holds Masters degrees in Physics from Ohio State University and International Management from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.

Dmitri Litvinov, Professor of ECE • University of Houston

Dr. Litvinov holds a joint appointment as a Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, and Chemistry at the University of Houston which he joined in the fall of 2003 after a successful career at Seagate Technology where he served as a key member of the research team with the mission to implement perpendicular magnetic recording. Dr. Litvinov is an inventor/co-inventor on 25 utility patents that he filed while with Seagate Technology. For his contributions to Seagate, Dr. Litvinov was presented with 30 Technological Achievement Awards and was delegated by Seagate Technology to present at the 2001 Lake Arrowhead Conference – a meeting of top 40 magnetics industry leaders.

Ian London, Market Development & Energy Advisor • Avalon Rare Metals, Inc.

Ian London has more than 35 years of business experience, including terms as President & CEO of Ontario Hydro International Inc, a $100 million dollar per year business providing consulting and operating services to the utility sector, and CEO of Process Products Limited, a supplier of engineered machined components to power turbines, rail cars and MRI machines OEMs. At Avalon Rare Metals Inc. Ian is focused on the development of rare earth markets and relationships with industry groups. Ian also writes and speaks to a broad range of audiences interested in rare metals.

Hussam Maleh, Application Specialist • ElectroMagneticWorks, Inc.

Hussam Maleh is a graduate of McGill University (M. Eng. Electrical, B. Eng. Computer) in Montreal, Quebec. After specializing in computational electromagnetic analysis, he joined EMW in August of 2009. Since joining as an application specialist, he has aided in the sale and training of the software developed in EMW. He also took part in certain R&D tasks in improving the technologies developed. During his spell at McGill, he researched finite-element, element-free, and other numerical methods used in electrical engineering and electromagnetic analysis.

Karen Martirosyan, Associate Professor • University of Texas at Brownsville, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Dr. Martirosyan joined the University of Texas at Brownsville in 2010 as an associate professor in Physics. Prior to joining UTB he was a faculty member at the University of Houston. He earned his BS and MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA) and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the SEUA and ISMAN, Russian Academy of Sciences. Dr. Martirosyan’s research interests are focusing on the design and fabrication of a novel advanced multifunctional nano-tailored magnetic devices and systems. His research interest covers a broad spectrum of advanced materials, their design, fabrication, characterization and solid state phenomena. He has been the principal investigator and co-investigator for several Federal and State funded research projects totaling over $1.5 million for the last 5 years.

Dr. Yutaka Matsuura, Chief Enginner • NEOMAX Company, Hitachi Metals Ltd.

Yutaka Matsuura is Chief Engineer of Hitachi Metals Ltd. NEOMAX Company. He is one of the inventors of NdFeB sintered magnet. He joined Sumitomo Special Metals in 1977. He worked at R&D of Sumitomo Special Metals from 1997 to 1986, 1990-1992 and 2002-2007. In R&D, he studied SmCo magnet from 1977-1982, then started to develop NdFeB sintered magnet from 1982 which was the year that the original NdFeB sintered magnet patent was submitted to the Patent Office in Japan. He joined NdFeB sintered magnet factory from 1986 which is the year production of this magnets started. He worked at NdFeB sintered magnet production plant in 1986-1989 and 1992-1995. He also worked in the US as General Manager of Sumitomo Special Metals in 1995-2002 and as Magnet Material Division President of Hitachi Metals America in 2007-2009.

Hartmut Pagel, International Sales Director • MAGSYS magnet systeme GmbH

Hartmut Pagel studied physics at the University of Dortmund and graduated in 1992. Since 2000, he has been the International Sales manager at MAGSYS, where he is responsible for all national sales activities as well as international with an American subsidary and partners worldwide.

Ed Richardson, President • US Magnet Materials Association (USMMA)

Ed Richardson is the president of the USMMA and the vice president of Sales and Marketing for Thomas & Skinner, Inc. He has more than 15 years of experience in industrial manufacturing and business-to-business marketing. Ed has been widely quoted on the issue of China's dominance of magnets and rare earth elements in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and US News and World Report. He was also featured in a news segment on the same topic on Dan Rather Reports. Ed has consulted with US Senators, Congressman and the Department of Defense regarding China's threat to the United State's strategic interests.  He has a B.A. from DePauw University, where he was a Management Fellow, and an M.B.A. from Indiana University's Kelly School of Business.

Chris Riley, Technology Manager • Cobham Technical Services, Vector Fields Software

Chris Riley is Technology Manager for Vector Fields Software in Oxford UK, a business unit of Cobham Technical Services specializing in software for electromagnetic design.  He has worked in the field of electromagnetic design for more than 30 years since graduating in electrical engineering from University College, London in 1975.  He joined Vector Fields in 1986, after previous positions with GEC Power Engineering, Compeda and Liverpool University.  He is primarily concerned with applications of design software, with particular interest in electrical machines, magnetic and electric signatures from naval vessels and superconducting magnets.  He is the author of more than 50 papers and articles on electromagnetic design and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering Technology (formerly the Institution of Electrical Engineers).  He is currently serving a second period on the Institution’s executive committee for the Electromagnetics Knowledge and Technology Network.

Thomas Schliesch, Head of R&D • MAX BAERMANN GMBH

Thomas Schliesch graduated in Physics from university of Hamburg in 1988 and joined the Max Baermann GmbH, which is a well known manufacturer of bonded magnets in Germany, in 1989. Since 1993 he is head of research & development at Max Baermann GmbH. Thomas has filed various patents for permanent magnetic systems. A major part of his work he devoted to electromagnetic design and the development of specific methods for bonded permanent magnets. He is member of the IEEE Magnetics Society, the UK Magnetics Society as well as the International Compumag Society. Thomas has given many lectures at national and international conferences and released a multitude of articles about bonded permanent magnets.

Mark A. Smith, PE, Chief Executive Officer • Molycorp, Inc.

Mark A. Smith serves as president and CEO of Molycorp, Inc., and is a member of the Board of Directors and a shareholder. He has been involved in the operation and development of the Mountain Pass, California Rare Earth Facility for more than 24 years, and has more than 29 years of experience in the mining industry. Prior to leading Molycorp, Smith was the president and CEO of Chevron Mining Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation. Appointed to that position in April 2006, Smith oversaw all operations of Chevron Mining's five mines, including the Mountain Pass Rare Earth Facility.

Stephen Straus, VP, Commercialization and Strategy • Correlated Magnetics Research, LLC

Stephen Straus, VP of Commercialization and Strategy for Correlated Magnetics Research, leads the commercialization effort of the company’s groundbreaking invention. Prior to joining Correlated Magnetics, Mr. Straus has started, ran and successfully sold two companies and was also a General Partner at Austin Ventures, one of the largest venture capital firms in the country. Among other projects, Stephen participated in the launch of Austin-based ultrawideband startup Alereon, where he first met correlated magnetics inventor Larry Fullerton. After graduating from college, Mr. Straus was founder of The Solutions Group in Washington, D.C., a software and service company, serving as its chief executive officer for five years, until its acquisition by a venture-backed company.

Dr. Oliver Zimmermann, Physicist • STEINERT GmbH

Since 2010 Lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Cologne. Since 2008, responsible Manager for ANOFOL Windings at STEINERT, Cologne, Germany. One year scientist at European Science Center in Culham, UK: Studies of Magnetic turbulences in magnetic nuclear fusion devices. Two years Postdoctoral research at the Institute for Plasmaphysics, Research Center Juelich, Germany: Studies of Magnetic turbulences in magnetic nuclear fusion devices. Doctorate in physics 2004: Studies of Magnetic turbulences in magnetic nuclear fusion devices. Diploma 2001: Mesoscopic interfaces of semiconductors and superconductors.