On Wednesday, October 29th at Noon Eastern time, we’ll be announcing the winners of the 2025 LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program). You may register for the live announcement here: 2025 LEAP Awards — Winners Announcement.
What we feel sets this awards program apart from so many others is the involvement of the engineering community. Each year, our editorial team assembles a top-notch independent judging panel, comprised of a cross-section of OEM design engineers and academics — this year it included 11 professionals. No one here at WTWH Media chooses the winners; we leave that to the judges, to keep the process ethical and genuine. I am pleased to introduce our esteemed judging panel for 2025:
Sam John
President
Innovative Products Inc.
Sam John is the President of Innovative Products, Inc. USA, where he leads the design and manufacturing of custom-built automatic machines for a wide range of industries. In his role, he oversees project design and execution, resolves complex engineering and manufacturing challenges, manages budgets, conducts project meetings, and delivers proposals and progress reports. Over the course of his career, Sam has collaborated with esteemed clients including Medtronic, Tinker Air Force Base, GE Oil & Gas, Autocraft, and AVARA Pharmaceutical Services. Prior to his current role, he held key positions at Sorb Technology (now Fresenius) and Akzo-Nobel, where he contributed to advancing engineering solutions and operational excellence.
Sam holds an MBA from Oklahoma City University, a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, a degree in Electronics and Computer Technology from Oklahoma State University, a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calicut. He also specializes in control systems and was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Coming from a humble background to now successfully running a thriving business has been a dream come true. Sam’s journey is driven by a lifelong passion for innovation and problem-solving. His commitment to engineering excellence and his belief in the power of innovation continue to inspire the next generation of thinkers and creators.
Michael E. Joyner C.I.D.+
President, CEO
Town Line Technologies LLC
Mike Joyner’s career began fresh out of high school in 1978. His lifetime of work covers music equipment, pro-audio, industrial controls, medical equipment, and broadband cable delivery systems, with the majority spent working on image sensors (CID, CMOS) and video cameras. His work has resulted in dozens of patents related to image sensor design.
1980-1988 worked on medical X-ray tube cameras at Syracuse Scientific. Another 8 years with cameras using CID Imagers at CIDTEC, a spin off from GE Park in Syracuse, NY 1998, Company Founder Photon Vision Systems, Inc ( Panavision Imaging, LLC. in 2003) Primary duties: Image Sensor Design and Layout Engineer, designing CMOS linear and 2D array sensors for the motion picture industry, high res UDTV(4XHDTV), scientific, machine vision, and consumer markets. Mike founded Town Line Technologies, LLC at the end of 2012 after the sale of Panavision Imaging. He continues his focus on consulting, Image Sensors, IC, and PCB contract work.
He is an IEEE Photonics Society Member, a lifelong musician, avid outdoorsmen, outdoor writer, and a published author, with three titles currently in print.
Medhat Khalil
Director of Professional Education/Research Dev.
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Dr. Medhat Khalil has been working as the Director of Professional Education & Research Development at the Applied Technology Center, Milwaukee School of Engineering for 20 years. Khalil has a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Military Technical College, Cairo, Egypt, and a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cairo University. Khalil has a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Post-Doctoral Industrial Research Fellowship from Concordia University in Montreal. Khalil authored several textbooks in the field of fluid power. He participated in many technical conferences and published several reviewed technical papers. Medhat has been certified by the International Fluid Power Society (IFPS) as a Certified Fluid Power Hydraulic Specialist (CFPHS) and Certified Fluid Power Accredited Instructor (CFPAI).
Khalil is a member of many institutions, such as the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power Engineering Research Center (CCEFP), listed Fluid Power Consultant by the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA), and listed professional instructor by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the National American Die Casting Association (NADCA). He has been assigned as the chair of the education committee for the International Fluid Power Exposition since 2017. Khalil has a balanced academic and industrial experience. He developed and taught countless courses for industry professionals worldwide (U.S., Canada, India, Mexico, KSA, UAE). Khalil had worked for several worldwide recognized industrial organizations, such as Rexroth in Germany and CAE in Canada. He has designed several hydraulic systems and developed analytical and educational software. Medhat also has vast experience in modeling and simulation of dynamic systems using Matlab-Simulink. He was the designer and founder of the Universal Fluid Power Trainers. Khalil was the recipient of the “Otto Maha Pioneers in Fluid Power” award in 2012 and the “IFPS-Hall of Fame” award in 2021.
Andy Larson
President
Custom Automation Inc.
Andy Larson grew up on a dairy farm where there is much to learn about staying with a project until it is done. Larson is a P.E. in Minnesota and has a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Minnesota. This background has guided the founder and president of Custom Automation Inc. to be what it is today. The company is located in Blaine, Minn.
The purpose of Custom Automation, for its 30-year existence, is to design and build one-of-a-kind factory automation machines. The machines, using components like those in the LEAP competition, are used to increase throughput and reduce costs. Many of the 200+ machines built over the years have assembled or processed medical devices, including ophthalmic lenses and pacemaker components. Other machines have assembled a wide variety of consumer products.
Amar Maniar
Associate Principal
Arup
Amar Maniar is a Professional Engineer licensed in multiple states and an IEEE Senior Member with a focus on electrical infrastructure. He is also a Chartered Engineer in the U.K., specializing in simplifying complex requirements into streamlined design approaches. Maniar has extensive experience designing various electrical systems from sustainability-focused building-integrated, utility-interactive solar power systems and avant-garde lighting control systems, to critical life safety systems such as fire detection & alarm systems, among others. Maniar has designed electrical systems for public infrastructure, data centers, and research organizations, to name a few sectors. He keeps his technical proficiency and knowledge relevant by achieving and maintaining pertinent certifications & credentials. In his free time, he has mentored high school students on electrical design and entrepreneurship. Additionally, ha has authored technical articles and actively contributed his expertise to the first-ever Waterfront Code Committee in New York City and to the IEEE’s Energy Policy Committee.
Thomas E. Manley
Manager of Machine Design
Steris Corp.
Thomas Manley is the Manager of Machine Design at Steris Corp., where he directs and designs the Automation Machinery for all Steris Manufacturing Plants. He is the designer of 14 U.S. Patents for various companies he has worked for. Manley has worked with high-profile companies such as Harley-Davidson, American Axle, Meritor, Caterpillar, and Ford Motor Co., among others. He now supports the Steris Manufacturing Plants by implementing automation systems and small right-sized machines into all of Steris’ plants while adhering to strict budgets and goals.
Tatiana Minav
Assistant Professor – Hybrid Drives
Tampere University
Tatiana Minav (ASME and IEEE member) is Associate professor in IHA–Innovative Hydraulics and Automation lab, Tampere University, Finland. She has more than 18 years of experience working on improving the efficiency of non-road mobile working machines. She has authored 140 scientific publications. Her current interests include zonal hydraulics, electro-hydrostatic and electro-mechanical actuators, sensorless position control with direct electric drive in hydraulic systems, AI-based condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, thermal management, energy balance, and energy recovery systems in non-road mobile working machines.
Jody Muelaner
Muelaner Engineering
Muelaner has designed sawmills and medical devices, optimized uncertainty in aerospace manufacturing systems, and created innovative laser instruments. He has written technical reports for Rolls-Royce, SAE International, and Airbus, and has been published in many peer-reviewed journals as well as government reports. He currently leads a U.K.-government-funded project to develop a game-changing e-bike: betterbicycles.org. Muelaner also covers developments across engineering for the media, with a particular interest in decarbonization technologies.
Michael Traskos
President
Lectromec
Michael Traskos has been with Lectromec since 2004 and is the president and lead engineer. Traskos led projects covering aerospace electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS) at every level, including material/component/system-level testing, system design principles, EWIS certification, and assessing aging aircraft fleet wiring systems’ health and predicting remaining reliable service life. Traskos was a key contributor to the USAF’s military handbook on aircraft wiring system fleet life assessment and life extension. In recent years, he has worked on several electrified aircraft projects, helping to define the path for certification of high-voltage wiring systems.
He has written more than 300 articles/papers on aircraft electrical systems and supporting technologies, presented research findings to industry groups, holds a patent on EWIS risk assessment, and is a contributing author to the latest revision of the Digital Avionics Handbook. MTraskos is currently a former chairman of the SAE committee for aerospace wire system installation (SAE AE-8A), vice-chairman of the SAE committee on wire and cables standards (SAE AE-8D), vice-chairman of an interagency aerospace electrical system science and technology forum, and an FAA Designated Engineering Representative. He earned a Bachelor’s in both computer science and physics, and his Master’s in applied physics.
Daniel Zammit
Senior Systems Engineer
University of Malta
Daniel Zammit started the engineering adventure in 1998 when he attended the City & Guilds courses Technician Diploma in Applied Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, followed by the Advanced Technician Diploma in Applied Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, both at the “Mikilang Sapiano” Technical Institute in Paola, Malta. Both courses consisted of a mix of academic, technical, and hands-on modules, including an apprenticeship training period.
The apprenticeship was done at Multi Packaging Limited, a leading corrugated carton factory in Malta, with the role of apprentice maintenance technician. Subsequently, after obtaining the City & Guilds technician qualifications, he was employed full time with the maintenance team. The work consisted of troubleshooting, maintenance, and installation of the factory machinery and utilities — a mix of electrical, electronic, and mechanical works.
Zammit continued his studies at the University of Malta and received the B.Eng, M.Sc., and Ph.D degrees in Electrical Engineering in 2007, 2012, and 2022, respectively. After obtaining the B.Eng degree, he worked as a Process Engineer at Carlo Gavazzi Ltd. He worked on introducing new and optimized assembly processes, introducing equipment in production lines manufacturing Solid State Relays, as well as investigating and troubleshooting device failures to optimize the production/assembly of the manufactured devices. Zammit also worked as a Laboratory Tutor with the Department of Industrial Electrical Power Conversion at the University of Malta, where he tutored undergrad engineering students in the laboratory during experiments and practical work. Zammit is currently a Senior Systems Engineer with the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Malta. There, he manages the department’s laboratories and equipment, as well as provides technical and academic support during research, experiments, and practical work.
He completed doctoral studies in 2022, obtaining a Ph.D. degree in DC Microgrids. His research interests include power electronics, grid-connected inverters, power converters, and microgrids. He has published a number of academic papers and articles in these fields.
Mark Zebrowski
Founder
Lean Simulation LLC
Mark Zebrowski spent 35 years working on various CAE, NVH, and vehicle attribute programs at Ford Motor Co. and was a technical manager for 15 years prior to his “retirement” in 2005. He is currently an independent consultant specializing in the business justification of simulation and integration of analysis into efficient product and process development, and is the founder of Lean Simulation LLC. He advises international organizations in simulation as a contributing author/reviewer at the ASSESS Think Tank at NAFEMS, the National Association for Finite Elements Methods and Standards. Presenting at numerous conferences over the years, he was awarded the Best Workshop presenter by a vote of the attendees at the 2018 CAASE (Conference on Advanced Analysis and Simulation in Engineering) Conference in Cleveland. He has been married to Marlene for 55 years, has two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren.
A warm thank you goes out to this year’s judging panel members for all of their hard work! Hope to see you all on Wednesday for the big announcement!
Filed Under: LEAP Awards, Factory automation, Awards • acquisitions, Assembly automation, NEWS • PROFILES • EDITORIALS
