AMBayArea Members
AMBayArea Leadership
Summit 2021 Sponsor Opportunities
Summit 2020 – Canceled
Summit 2019 Recap
Ambassador Request Form
Ambassador Careers Represented
Become an Ambassador Partner
Online Manufacturing Career Guide
Online Manufacturing Course Catalog
The AMBayArea Board of Directors is comprised of executives from a variety of manufacturing industries, sub-regions, and non-manufacturing support organizations who are dedicated to ensure the Bay Area is a leader in the industry.
Claudia Wentworth
Founder, JobDog, LLC – Bay Area
Claudia Wentworth has led multiple companies guiding vision and strategic direction in sustainable technologies. As a C-level executive and founder, she has provided financial direction, manufacturing knowledge, online training and startup expertise leading to financial stability and profitability in the business. Claudia has served on numerous manufacturing and solar industry association boards and was active in the solar industry as the co-founder of Quick Mount PV, an industry-changing rooftop solar panel mounting manufacturer. Prior to Quick Mount PV, she had been in the green building and construction industries for more than 20 years.
Karen Burns
Assurance Partner, Sensiba San Filippo LLP – Pleasanton
Karen Burns, CPA, is an Assurance Partner with Sensiba San Filippo LLP, a leading regional CPA and business advisory firm. She has nearly 30 years of experience providing financial and business consulting services to companies in a variety of industries, with a particular passion for the manufacturing and food and beverage sectors. She has great depth of experience working with rapidly growing manufacturing companies, from start-ups to multigenerational family businesses, helping them to identify opportunities, challenges, and trends. Burns also founded the East Bay Manufacturing Group in 2011 (which later merged to become AMBayArea).
Gene Russell
President and CEO, The Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence – San Ramon
Gene Russell is President and CEO of Manex and has over 30 years of senior executive strategic planning, operational management, and consulting experience in the manufacturing and technology sector. With his extensive knowledge of manufacturing operations, he has developed and implemented key strategic initiatives for companies, allowing them to improve performance and achieve profitable growth. He has a strong background in sales and business development and a keen understanding of manufacturing strategies in the global environment.
Stephen Tessler
Executive Vice President and Director of Sales, California Bank of Commerce – Oakland
Stephen Tessler is an Executive Vice President and Director of Sales, California Bank of Commerce, a leading regional bank. Tessler has more than twenty-five years of banking experience and ten years of public accounting experience.
Jose Carrascal
Site Director, Corteva Agriscience™ – Pittsburg
Jose Carrascal is the Pittsburg, California Site Director for Corteva Agriscience™. Carrascal has more than 20 years of experience in plant operations, supply chain, environmental health and safety, and asset management. He is a board member and co-chair of the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County, and a member of the Earn and Learn East Bay Steering Committee.
Colin Christian
Vice President of Operations, Construction Electrical Products/Southwire Company – Livermore
Colin Christian is the Vice President of Operations for Construction Electrical Products, a Southwire Company. He received his Master of Science in Manufacturing Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology. Prior to Construction Electrical Products, Colin was Managing Director and CEO/Founder of MacArthur Engineering Pvt. Ltd and previously served as Director of Operations for Lex Products Corporation.
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – Livermore
Patrick Dempsey is Director of Strategic Partnerships for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). He has more than 30 years of experience in delivering advanced manufacturing, energy, utility infrastructure, and cybersecurity capabilities to the nation. He is currently focused on developing public-private partnerships that benefit industry and the U.S. national-security enterprise the LLNL supports. Patrick is a California-registered professional mechanical engineer with a degree in mechanical engineering from California State University and an MBA from the University of California Berkeley Haas School and Columbia Business School.
Jeffrey Hamlin
Managing Vice President, Heffernan Insurance Brokers – San Francisco
Jeffrey Hamlin is the Managing Vice President for Heffernan Insurance Brokers, one of the nation's largest independent insurance brokerage firms. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Sandy Hunter
President & Owner, Hunter Hawk Incorporated – Concord
Sandy Hunter is founder and president of Hunter Hawk Inc, which was established in 1994 and specializes in custom precision manufacturing and fabrication of critical mechanical components for 24/7 production industries. Hunter Hawk's customers include oil-refining/production, bio-pharmaceuticals, mining, utilities, municipals, and military. Hunter has been actively involved with Women Business Enterprise National Council and WBEC-Pacific since 2004. She is an ongoing supporter of SME, Women in Manufacturing, STEAM, National Girls Collaborative Project, and other organizations supporting girls in nontraditional career paths.
Regional Director, Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development – Bay Area
Mark Martin, Ph.D., is the Bay Area Regional Director for Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development for the California Community Colleges. Dr. Martin has more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing and engineering, including product development, manufacturing and design research, teaching and workforce development.
Glen Ottinger
President, ThermoFusion Inc. – Hayward
Glen Ottinger is President of ThermoFusion Inc., a Hayward-based manufacturer that provides heating and brazing services. During his 12 years with ThermoFusion, Glen has managed everything from business development, operations, finances, materials engineering, quality assurance and sales. He received his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley – Walter A. Haas School of Business and his Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Penn State University.
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