Our team is comprised of Miami University, students, faculty, and professional mentors.
Our Leadership Team
Project teams
Local Projects Manager: Brooklyn Lengyel
Assistant Local Projects Manager: Akhar Min Thant
Rwanda Project Manager: Sabrina Low
Munini Lead: Andrew LaMendola
Hindiro Lead: Ty Cawein
Uganda Project Manager: Ethan Gullett
Dayton Greenhouse Project Manager: Amani Chava
Administrative team
President: Avery Hendl
Vice President: Jack Nomina
Treasurer: Minh Tran
Secretary: Patrick Hanley
Education Chairs: Shelby Hannahs and Audrey Gehm
Operations committees
Event Planning Chair: Ryan Yu
Local Outreach Chair: Jake Byrd
Corporate Outreach Chair: Justin Aucreman
Grant Writing Chair: Muhammad Malik
Our Mentors
Chuck Dragga
Role: Chief Mentor for EWB Miami
Background: Chuck attended the University of Dayton for Civil Engineering. After graduation he joined the peace core for engineering brining him to a few years of work and residency in Sierra Leone in West Africa as well as Cairo, Egypt. He continued working domestically in engineering and IT until retiring to mentor EWB Miami, UC, Wright State, and participate in EWB-USA Engineering Service Corps projects.
Experience: Chuck has experience in drinking water, waste water treatment, construction and plumbing, and is a reviewer for EWB-USA projects.
Fun Facts: Loves beer, bird watching, and his dog Lexie.
Mike Brunner
Role: Professional Mentor
Background: BS Civil Engineering from Notre Dame. 41 years experience. Licensed Professional Engineer and Surveyor in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
Experience: Design of roadways, sewer systems, lift stations, stormwater detention/retention systems. Surveying for topographic mapping, property boundaries, GPS control nets. Proficient in AutoCAD.
Fun facts: Hobbies include beer-making, gardening, hiking, biking, and traveling. One of his uncles was in the CIA in the 1950s when he disappeared during an assignment in communist Eastern Europe.
Cathy Almquist
Role: Faculty Advisor and Professional Mentor
Background: Chemical and Environmental Engineering.
Experience: Study abroad program in Australia and Guatemala in 2019, traveled for implementation trip to Uganda, Spring 2019.
Fun Facts: Enjoys golf, hiking, and listening to music.
Gordon Miller
Role: Professional Mentor with a focus on Energy Technologies, such as stoves and solar, and also water processing
Background: MS Chemical Engineering USF. 38 years Engineering Leadership at P&G in Cincinnati and Memphis.
Experience: Manufacturing Automation and Optimization, modeling and simulation, Corporate leader in recruiting engineers and scientists. He has worked extensively in Asia, Europe, and Mexico. Currently consulting part-time.
Fun Facts: He was born and raised in Florida and enjoys golf and the outdoors such as backpacking and fishing.
Katie Byrnes
Role: Professional Mentor
Background: BS in Mechanical Engineering with minor in Chemical Engineering, Wastewater Infrastructure engineering
Experience: 3 trips to Rwanda with EWB, 1 trip to Uganda and previous EWB-Miami Rwanda Program Manager
Fun facts: Enjoys yoga, beekeeping, and hiking
Vincent Hand
Role: Professional Mentor with focus on project management, chemistry and mapping
Background: Project Management Professional (PMP). Ph.D. in chemistry, studying water chlorination. Worked on environmental issues in industry and consulting.
Experience: EWB trips to Ecuador and Rwanda. Also brief work trips to El Salvador and Nicaragua. Assessed and mapped damage from Hurricanes Florence and Michael for American Red Cross. At Miami, taught in four engineering departments, plus environmental science.
Fun facts: Lived in Sydney, Australia for one year. Experienced 2 more winters than summers. (How can that happen?). Camped in 46 US states and 8 Canadian provinces, and hiked in most of them. Learned and taught EPA-NET Spanish version.