The Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) has added four new professionals to its education, outreach and resource team as it continues expanding its mission and reach.
David Lucas of Hamlin has joined MAMC as technical trainer for Apprenticeship Works, the National Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship Partnership led by MAMC. Apprenticeship Works assists manufacturers across the United States in developing the skilled workers they need by establishing registered apprenticeships through the U.S. Department of Labor.
A native of Lincoln County, Lucas graduated from Lincoln County High School and studied history at Marshall University, where he currently is a senior pursuing a regents bachelor of arts degree. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1986 to 1998 as a combat engineer and achieved the rank of staff sergeant.
Lucas retired in January 2024 from Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia, where he had worked since 1998. He put the first component on the first engine produced at the Putnam County Toyota plant, and became a Team Leader in 1999. He worked in production, training and development as well as quality control during his extensive career there.
Lucas is based at MAMC South Charleston.
Maria (Maja) Henkel of Huntington joined MAMC earlier this year as accounting and human resources specialist. A native of Vermont, Henkel earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and an MBA in 2022 from Marshall University, where she also performed extensive graduate work in Hispanic linguistics and literature.
Henkel has extensive experience in accounting and human resources and earned her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification in 2023. She previous served as Lumenier (drones) product manager for GetFPV in Sarasota, FL, where she used her language skills in Spanish, Portuguese and English daily.
A U.S. Army veteran, Henkel is based at MAMC Huntington.
Greg Giompalo is MAMC’s newest machinist technology instructor. He teaches manual and CNC machining at MAMC’s newly established Advanced Manufacturing Education and Training Center in South Charleston.
A native of Barboursville, the Louisa, Ky., resident is a graduate of Barboursville High School and attended Marshall University, Big Sandy Community and Technical College and East Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute. He earned level 2 credentials in CNC machining and programming from the National Institute for Metalworking Skills.
Giompalo previously worked as a locomotive engineer/conductor for ACE Industries and as a production supervisor for Constellium Rolled Products in Ravenswood.
Hannah Tomes is the newest member of the MAMC team, taking on duties as grant writer. She is responsible for researching and writing grant proposals and reporting to federal, state and private funders of MAMC. Tomes is a graduate of Cabell Midland High School and Marshall University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in professional writing.
Tomes serves on the board of directors of the Zoological Society of West Virginia and assists the wildlife organization with grant research and writing. The Cabell County native resides in Lesage. She is based at MAMC Huntington.
