Over the years, many graduates of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology have “landed” jobs at Collins Aerospace Electric Power Systems division in Rockford, Illinois. Collins Aerospace recently entered a new partnership with CEET that will help grow the college’s programming focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion and will help Collins as it seeks to expand diversity and inclusion within the aerospace engineering industry.
Collins Aerospace representatives will be on campus at the Engineering Building to meet engineering students and introduce them to career opportunities in the aerospace industry. A day of informational sessions and meet-and-greet events are planned for Thursday, March 10, 2022.
Javier Arellano, Engineer, Test and Validation
BS Electrical Engineering 2019
Javier works on the architecture of the next generation of test stand software, Test Execution Synchronous Software Architecture (TESSA) along with helping the team with electrical set up/design for development testing of generators. He said what he enjoys most about working at Collins is that it never feels like work! “To me, it feels like I come to work to learn new things and to ‘play’ with things I enjoy doing. Also, I feel like I’m in control of my future with Collins. I joined the group as an Electrical Engineer, but I’ve had the opportunity to learn Software Architecture design, which I really enjoy,” he said.
He added that the interesting project he has worked on is the one he is currently working on, TESSA.
He is excited about being part of a team that will make a significant impact in the aerospace industry. The first implementation of TESSA will be used in a new wind tunnel.
He said the degree he earned at NIU”s CEET has been vital to his work at Collins Aerospace. “The degree teaches you the fundamentals of electrical design, which I’ve used in all the work I’ve done thus far. I also believe that the degree gives you the tools to learn complex concepts,” he said.
Loren Gayden, Senior Project Engineer
BS Mechanical Engineering ’08
Loren’s role is as a project engineer working to support customer certification through interfacing with the engineering team and program office. “Each day presents different tasks from answering customer requests to working with the engineering team to close out required customer deliverables such as product drawings, test reports, and other customer requests,” she said.
What she loves about her job is that every day is different. “Almost every day presents new opportunities to overcome. I enjoy and am most appreciative for the supportive team I work on in overcoming those opportunities.”
She calls her degree in mechanical engineering a “toolbox” that provides her with a variety of “tools” that she applies to her work. She explained that “project engineering is a little understanding of most engineering disciplines, which allows me to work on such an engineering diverse project. i.e. thermal, structures, circuits, etc.”
Cindy Gomez, Systems Engineer (future!)
BS Electrical Engineering – expected May ’22
Although she has not yet graduated, Cindy has already secured a full-time position as a Systems Engineer with Collins Aerospace after she interned in the summer of 2021 in Cedar Rapids, IA where she was a Systems Engineering Intern in the Mission Systems business unit.
She said she enjoyed her experience as an intern. “I was able to work on-site with the Dismounted Assured Position, Navigation, Timing (PNT) System (DAPS) and Mounted Assured PNT System (MAPS) by testing them to the Department of Defense standards,” she said. “Another great thing about Collins is the diverse group of people that I met and got to work with. I met engineers at different levels of their careers and shadowed them while working on the DAPS and MAPS projects. Within the short time that I was there, I felt a part of my team and felt a part of the Collins family. There were also a lot of lunch and learns I got to attend during that were fun,
educational, and exciting. One lunch and learn we had Stephen Timm, President of Collins Aerospace, join all the interns/co-ops for a call where we got to ask him questions!”
Cindy said that during my internship she ran scripts using Matlab, simulation software that she used in various classes throughout her education at NIU. She said she also learned problem-solving skills at NIU that helped her at Collins. “I ran various tests for military handheld equipment and if it wasn’t functioning the way it is expected I would have to find ways to fix the issue. This process always reminded me of a hard homework problem that I would have to tackle different ways to solve the problem,” she said. “To understand how the Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) devices work we discussed the topic by using many lecture topics that I learned in my classes at NIU. For example, we talked about how the Fourier Transform was related to a PNT device’s functionality. Fourier Transform is one of the main topics talked about in signal processing to turn a signal in time to into a frequency spectrum.”
Lisa Jimenez, Senior Manager, Strategy
BA in Business Administration ’09, MBA ’13
Lisa supports the business unit leadership team, which develops and executes strategic objectives and leads key projects to support the strategic and financial plan. She also supports performance management, business reviews and organizational communications.
She has loved the opportunity for constant learning and growth that Collins provides. “In my previous role on the Contracts team, I worked with both foreign and domestic
external customers on a cross-functional program team. We worked together to address day-to-day program needs and build good customer relationships,” she said. “I appreciate that each day is a bit different and with it there are new challenges and opportunities. Throughout my time with Collins, I have felt supported and challenged in ways that helped my professional development.”
Lisa said that her NIU education helped provide her with important skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and teamwork. NIU also offered her the chance to apply her knowledge to real-world situations.
Ashlee North, Reach Manager
BS Mathematics ’08, MS Engineering Management ’20
Ashlee manages projects to ensure and improve global and local chemical regulation compliance on all Electric Power Systems products. She enjoys the endless opportunities for growth and development that Collins Aerospace provides. “Every position that I have held within Collins has included collaboration with various functions giving me insight to processes and
products outside of my work scope,” she said. “I have several mentors that are always willing to help me build the skill set needed for my career goals. They have helped me get involved with projects outside of my roles and responsibilities which has led me to develop a good vision for my future aspirations. Managers are trained to listen to employees and help shape their role to fit the individual’s needs/wants which I feel is the key to success for the company.”
Her undergraduate degree provided her with data analytics, coding and problem-solving skills. As a graduate student, she learned to become an effective and efficient leader. “I use those skills daily in my interactions with both colleagues and customers,” said Ashlee. “I was also able to use my master’s project to help the company improve a process to achieve the target metrics that we had consistently missed for many years.”
Chad Springer, IPT Lead Power Generation Test & Validation
BS Mechanical Engineering ’19
Chad is a project team lead that oversees test setups for development and qualification testing on commercial and military applications on the generator product line.
He said what he enjoys about working at Collins Aerospace is “knowing that
I’m contributing to the advancement of technology within the aerospace industry. Being able to design, test and produce hardware that is essential to flight and that supports transportation for billions of people all over the world is a rewarding endeavor. The future of air travel is trending to a more electrified aircraft and our team is looking to be an integral part of this movement.”
He credits his education at NIU’s CEET for helping him achieve success on the job. The courses taught him problem-solving techniques, process-oriented thinking, and organizational methods. “From a technical standpoint, it helped me understand the terminology and other more complex scientific concepts that I would not have otherwise known or acquired if I hadn’t taken courses on these topics,” he said.
Samantha Stovall, Director of Engineering Product & Processes
BS Manufacturing Engineering Technology ’94
MS Industrial Management ’95
Samantha manages compliance for Electric Power Systems Engineering, including configuration management, records, processes and procedures, quality, CORE for engineering, and digital tools. She said that what she loves about her job is the diverse work experience as well as her team of coworkers. She has worked on so many interesting projects over the years at
Collins that she finds it difficult to name just one.
“All of the projects allowed me to grow my career in different areas,” she said. “The F35 and V22 programs were the most challenging and most rewarding. The products on both programs were very diverse. Over the course of my career, I have always been inspired by the technical performance of our parts on an airplane. The fact that we protect our families and keep troops out of harm’s way motivates me.”
She said her degrees provided her with the technical knowledge she needed for her job. “While at NIU, I joined the NIU co-op program and was hired by Sundstrand,” she said. “The connection to what I was learning in the classroom and being able to apply that to the work I was doing helped to guide me to jobs that fit my skills. NIU was the building block of my future in engineering.”
Adrian Vandergrift, Advisory Engineer in the Electric Power Systems Embedded Controls Group
BS in Electrical Engineering ’95
Adrian’s job is to advise and consult with design engineers regarding designs or internal processes. “I support failure investigations, technology projects, and process reviews and changes within EPS and other Collins Aerospace business units,” he said.
He said that the people he works with are what he enjoys most about
his job. “We have people with a wide array of skill sets and disciplines, and because Collins fosters a collaborative work environment, we’re all constantly learning from each other.”
He believes that NIU’s engineering program is well balanced between theory and practical application. “NIU prepared me well to work in the real world of engineering by first understanding what engineering companies do and then working this into the NIU engineering curriculum,” he said.
Kevin Woerner, Integrated Project Team Lead for Generators
BS in Mechanical Engineering ’07, MBA ’16
Currently, Kevin is on the B-52 to monitor day-to-day activities and keep the team aligned with the program. He also is the Control Account Manager and monitors the budget and schedule. “I have been with Collins since December 2019 and held the same position, working remote and hybrid office.”
He said he really enjoys the people he works with and the culture at Collins
Aerospace. “The level of intelligence for the employees at Collins is remarkable, the amount of years working with products and programs far supersedes any other aerospace company that I have been connected to,” he said. “The culture is fantastic and [Collins Aerospace has] done an incredible job of adapting the COVID and diversity environments that we live in today.”
Kevin said that his degree in mechanical engineering provides him with the technical knowledge he needs. He also has an executive master’s degree in business administration, which provides him with a broader business perspective. He is also working on an MS in management strategy and leadership at Michigan State University online.
