A Year-Round Program of Learning and Mentoring
The mission of the School of Engineering is to prepare students for professional practice and graduate studies through rigorous design-oriented programs. The Executive in Residence program furthers this mission by inviting executives at the cutting edge of business to share their experience and expertise with students and faculty.
Appointed by the James R. Meehl Director of the School of Engineering to a renewable one-year term, the Executive in Residence brings enthusiasm and industry perspective to the classroom environment, research projects, and learning-by-doing opportunities. Building relationships with industry leaders can lead to career opportunities for students. While the School of Engineering hosts engineering professionals as adjunct professors and conference participants each year, the Executive in Residence maintains long-term relationships with the school.
The activities of the Executive in Residence include:
- Speaking engagements
- Workshops
- Career advising
- Participation in advisory boards
- Mentoring
- Assisting students and faculty members with networking
Executive in Residence
Kurt Duska | [email protected]
Kurt Duska has been involved with plastics for more than 45 years, including both injection molding and recycling. As the owner/president of Engineered Plastics LLC, he grew the business to include starting two plastics recycling facilities, one in Erie, Pennsylvania (2006), and the other in Sanford, North Carolina (2012).
In 2010, Kurt was a founding member of the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, which included ten of the largest medical manufacturers and Waste Management to reduce medical waste. In 2010, Kurt started a plastics recycling program at the Cleveland Clinic that helped drive sustainability in the medical field.
Kurt’s focus was to develop circular programs for waste plastic by engineering solutions and creating demand from end customers. This ranged from manufacturers in food, medical, packaging, and fiber optics to personal care. Often the scrap was converted to usable plastic that was molded at Engineered Plastics. With success in helping brands and manufacturers improve sustainability, he began trials and studies to support niche post-consumer recycling (PCR) programs.
After retiring from Engineered Plastics, Kurt grew his consulting business, Kurt Duska Sales & Consulting, and focused on sustainability. These programs included supporting recycling facilities startups, developing facilities/brands recycling programs, utilization of recycled content, and research and development on typically non-recyclable plastics. Kurt has depended on Penn State Behrend’s plastic lab and staff to challenge the existing concepts of recycling.
Kurt volunteers for the Pennsylvania Department of International Business Development and the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center, and often presents on manufacturing sustainability.
Highlights are:
- 2011 – Awarded Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence
- 2022 – William M. Heenan Recycling Markets Development Award
- 2023 – Plastics News Notable Leaders in Sustainability