Our Team.

Dawne Hickton is the Chair and CEO of Cumberland Additive, Inc., an innovative specialty metals additive manufacturing company specializing in new technologies for printing hard metals for aerospace, space and defense. She is also former Jacobs Corporate Executive Vice President & President of Critical Mission Solutions focused on providing support to NASA and other aerospace entities. Prior to joining Jacobs, Dawne served as the CEO of Pittsburgh-based RTI International Metals working with the metal industry and unions to provide titanium to the government and private companies. During her time as CEO at RTI International Metals, Inc., she was twice recognized by STEMconnector, a consortium of businesses that connects thought leaders on issues related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). She was named one of the top 100 CEO's in STEM and, separately, she was named one of the top 100 Women in STEM. She is the founder of the international organization, Women in Titanium which provides mentoring and scholarships to young women in the material sciences. Dawne is a Trustee for the University of Pittsburgh and is a past Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Dawne earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh and is a graduate of the University of Rochester. She is married with six children and resides in Pittsburgh, PA.

Dr. Sharon Feng is the Director of Corporate Science and Technology at PPG Industries, a leading global manufacturer of high performance materials. In her current role, she leads the global flagship R&D center in the US as well as a network of labs across Europe, Asia and South America. Her responsibilities include developing and executing innovation strategies that enable differentiated business growth and ensure sustainable technological leadership in targeted market segments. Recently, she has been responsible for the digital transformation of R&D functions by strategically applying AI and Machine learning to improve innovation efficiency as well as speed to market. In addition, she has been a member of the board of directors for Koppers Holding LLC, a publicly traded mid cap carbon material company for 13 years, where she chairs the Sustainability Committee and serves as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance committee as well as the Management Development and Compensation Committee. Before joining PPG, Sharon had more than 20 years of leadership experience working in the materials industry with diverse roles in R&D, marketing, business development, open innovation and other corporate functions in multi-nationals such as Covestro and Lanxess. Between 2012 and 2018, she also served as the executive director and Sr. Associate Dean of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Lab. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from MIT.

Mr. Lackey is a retired executive with BNY Mellon whose career focused on institutional clients, risk management, M&A and shareholder relations. He spent one third of his time working overseas, including six years managing the Bank’s activities in Asia as Chairman of BNY Mellon in Asia Pacific. . He also served on the Board and Audit Committee of Wing Hang Bank. In retirement he has focused on education, particularly related to global issues. He is an adjunct professor with Chatham University teaching Global Business. He serves on the national board for the World Affairs Councils of America, the board of The Neighborhood Academy and chairs the board for the Cooper Siegel Library.

Wes was a global executive at the IBM corporation. He has held several senior executive positions throughout Asia, Europe, and the US. He was responsible for multiple global lines of business, global sales and operations, The Venture Capital Group, and global business development assignments for emerging markets. He also chaired IBM’s Asian Diversity group. Today, Wes advises global corporations on business development, DE&I initiatives, and leadership development programs. He is also a guest lecturer at multiple universities throughout Japan and co-founded and developed Stanford University’s Asian Leadership Program. Wes has degrees from NYU’s Stern School Of Business. He was a member of IBM’s Certified Client Director Profession through the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.