Meet the Plastics Training Academy Faculty and Instructors
Click the instructor's name to jump directly to their bio.
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Donald Day
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Nick Vitelli
Brad Johnson
Mr. Bradley Johnson is a lecturer in engineering at Penn State Behrend. He received an A.S. in 1980 in engineering science from Alfred State College; a B.S. in 1983 and an M.E. in 1984 in chemical engineering from Virginia Tech; and earned an M.B.A. in 1993 from Gannon University. Mr. Johnson is a member of the American Society of Engineering Education (A.S.E.E.) and the Society of Plastics Engineers (S.P.E.). He serves on the board of directors for the Injection Molding Division of S.P.E.
Mr. Johnson came to Penn State Behrend with eleven years of industry experience: as a project engineer in manufacturing and then design/development at Osram Sylvania Incorporated, located in Warren, Pennsylvania; and, earlier, as a lab technician at Chemical Process and Supply Company, Dunkirk, NY; and as a plating engineering for Torpedo Wire & Strip, Inc., located in Pittsfield, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Johnson is the faculty coordinator for the Plastics Training Academy at Penn State Behrend. These training seminars are hosted through Community and Workforce Programs and serve the training needs of the plastics industry. He organizes the S.P.E. Injection Molding Conferences held at Penn State Behrend.
Mr Johnson is the recipient of the Engineer of the Year Award, presented by the Injection Molding Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers, 2011; Member of the Year Award, presented by the Northwest Pennsylvania section of the Society of Plastics Engineers, 2011; 2009 Engineer of the Year Award, Society of Plastics Engineers Injection Molding Division, awarded at the Society of Plastics Engineers Annual Technical Meeting ANTEC; and Division Chair Award, Society of Plastics Engineers Annual Technical Conference ANTEC, May 2007.
Jonathan Meckley
Mr. Jonathan Meckley retired as an associate professor of engineering from Penn State Behrend in 2022. He received an A.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology in 1988, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology in 1990, and a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology in 1990, all from Penn State Behrend.
In 1998, he received an M.S. in Plastics Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Mr. Meckley is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, the Society of Plastics Engineers (S.P.E.) and its Blow Molding Division, and the Professional Ski Instructors of America (P.S.I.A.). Mr. Meckley was nominated for the Council of Fellows Faculty Excellence in Outreach Award in both 2006 and 2007. He received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers Blow Molding Division in 2004. Mr. Meckley received the College Teaching Workshop Certificate in 2005.
Mr. Meckley came to Penn State Behrend after working in industry from 1989 through 1998. He previously worked as a process engineer for C & J Industries in Meadville, Pennsylvania, as a research associate for the Plastics Technical Center, and as a senior project engineer for the Plastics Technology Deployment Center, Erie. Mr. Meckley was a design engineer and co-owner of Innovative Design Services from 1992-1994. He is also a member of S.M.E.
Dr. Alicyn Rhoades
Dr. Alicyn Rhoades received a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering (2006) from The University of Southern Mississippi with a graduate minor program in Commercializing Technology. She previously received a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology (2001) from Penn State Behrend. Prior to joining Penn State Behrend in August 2012, Dr. Rhoades was employed as industrial marketing manager of thermoplastic urethanes at Bayer MaterialScience LLC from 2011-2012 and as innovation manager from 2009-2011. From 2007-2009 she was a research commercialization project manager at The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center.
Dr. Gary F. Smith
Dr. Gary F. Smith retired in 2020 as an assistant teaching professor of engineering in the Plastics Engineering Technology department at Penn State Behrend. He earned the B.S. in Mathematics, magna cum laude, in 1973, and the Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in May 1979 from the State University of New York at Albany.
Dr. Smith is a scientist with more than 29 years leading global technology innovation and setting business vision in engineering thermoplastic resins, composites, process, and product development from the lab to manufacturing to customer. He is recognized as the foremost expert in polyester with extensive experience in polycarbonate process and product technology. He was most recently employed at Adzel, Inc. in Forest, Virginia.
Dr. Smith came to Penn State Behrend with 25 patents, the Dan Fox Award from G.E. Plastics Worldwide, Technologist of the Year in 1988, as well as twelve G.E. managerial awards. He was awarded the 2016 School of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award, was nominated twice for the Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award ( 2016, 2017), and was nominated for the Guy W. Wilson Excellence in Academic Advising Award.
Sean Tucker
Sean Tucker is a graduate of the Penn State Behrend, with a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology. Sean has worked in the medical device industry for more than ten years in roles from process engineering, including design and development, maintenance management, production management, and quality/regulatory affairs.
Sean has worked with various plastic processes, including injection molding, injection blow molding, injection stretch blow molding, extrusion, and thermoforming. He also has experience working with metal forming processes, casting processes, high-speed assembly, manual assembly, and bio-processing.
Sean currently works as a Corporate Validation Manager for a leading international medical device company. In this capacity, Sean is responsible for the worldwide implementation of molding validation throughout the corporation as well as ongoing improvements in both process and molding validation for internal and external processes. He has been teaching courses internally on process and molding validation, as well as externally being the lead facilitator for validation for AdvaMed. Sean is a certified Master Molder III and a seasoned Six Sigma Black Belt.
Brian Young
Mr. Brian Young is associate professor of Plastics Engineering Technology at Penn State Behrend. He received both a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology in 1995 and an MFGSE, Master's in Manufacturing Engineering in 2005, from Penn State Behrend. Prior to his employment at Penn State Behrend, he worked for Omni Plastics and as an adjunct faculty member in our plastics program from 1996-2001. Mr. Young came to Penn State Behrend with sixteen years of industry experience.
Mr. Young is a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (S.P.E.) and the American Society for Engineering Education. He was awarded the College Teaching Workshop Certificate from Penn State Behrend's Center for Teaching and Educational Technologies in 2006. Mr. Young also received the Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award in 2007.
Jason Williams
Mr. Jason Williams is an assistant teaching professor of engineering in the Plastics Engineering Technology department at Penn State Behrend. He received both an A.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology in 1990 and a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology in 1992 from Penn State Behrend. Prior to his full-time employment at Penn State Behrend, he worked as an adjunct instructor at Penn State Behrend and also at Kent State University's Ashtabula campus.
Mr. Williams was employed as a CAD Operator at Knox Western from 1989-1991 and as a senior research associate at the Plastics Technology Deployment Center PTDC at Penn State Behrend from 1991-1996. He founded K Development, Inc., a design company focused on plastic product design and development, in 1996. He was responsible for technical sales, program management, and technical oversight. His projects ranged from simple reverse engineering to complete program and supply chain management. Mr. Williams has 16 years of industry experience.
Mr. Williams received the IDEA Gold Award, and the Medical Design Excellence Silver Award, and has five patents credited to him. Mr. Williams is head of the Medical Plastics Center of Excellence.