About Our Mentors and Directors
DGWW is a unique organization with an interesting mission. We need Mentors and Directors who understand "the maker mindset," learning, entrepreneurship, design, woodworking, and how organizations work. We invited three of our Mentors to also serve as directors with co-founders Kyle Peck and John Seymour on our five member Board of Directors. Quick bio sketches of our Mentors and Board Members are provided below.
Glenn Johnson
Mentor & Director
Glenn Johnson has spent his entire professional career in education. Most recently, he spent the past 16 years as an instructional designer in the Department of Statistics at Penn State University. Previously he was involved in the initial planning and development of academic programs for Penn State's World Campus. Now retired, Glenn spends time as a volunteer at both Schlow Library and the Library at State College Friends School.
Now retired, Glenn is able to spend more time exploring and learning more about what he has always enjoyed, woodworking and stained glass. For as long as he can remember, Glenn has been working with wood and putting together projects of all kinds. The projects that he appreciates the most are the ones that are used every day. There is certainly a practical aspect to what he builds. Examples include his family dining room table and chairs, end tables, cabinets, bookcases and other pieces in his home that are meant to be used. His stained glass projects are no different, they serve to provide various luminescent influences on a daily (or nightly) basis. On occasion his skills with wood are combined with glass in the cabinets or windows that he has built. You can view some of the glass pieces that Glenn has created on his website (https://sites.google.com/view/moondanceglass/home).
It's great to have Glenn's perspective on our Board of Directors!
Janet Dillon
Mentor & Director
Janet Dillon is a wife with a blended family of five adult children. She cherishes spending time with her nine grandchildren. She retired in July 2017 after a 32-year career at Penn State University, which spanned teaching mathematics to helping advance the Penn State World Campus through program management, program evaluation and data analytics.
Since retiring, Jan has been able to further grow as a potter, as well as develop and enjoy a number of new hobbies, including woodworking and woodturning. You’ll find her at The Rivet, where she spends time in the woodshop, on the laser cutters and 3-D printers, and teaching both wheel-thrown and hand-built clay classes. She is an active member of the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania and its affiliate, the Potters Guild, the Nittany Valley Woodturners Club and Doing Good With Wood. Jan embraces the philosophy that it’s never too late to learn!
Brad Zdenek
Mentor & Director
Brad Zdenek is a husband and father to two budding makers, combining electronics and coding with engineering and woodworking to see what types of crazy things they can dream up together. Brad literally grew up in his parent’s hardware store and has been an avid woodworker and maker ever since, limited only by time, money, and the inconvenience of physics.
In his work life Brad is the Innovation Strategist for the Nittany AI Alliance at Penn State, offering over 20 years of experience in supporting, developing, and leveraging disruptive technologies to improve the student experience across the K–20 spectrum. Prior to joining Penn State, Brad solidified his love of education while teaching middle school social studies in North Carolina. After choosing to pursue his graduate studies, Brad took on a number of roles at Penn State, including directing the professional development and outreach efforts for both the STEM Scouts and Regional Educational Laboratory – Mid-Atlantic initiatives, helping K–12 teachers to leverage research-based practices for improving teaching and learning.
David DeCapria
Mentor
While in high school David attended trade school classes in appliance repair and general carpentry classes. He graduated from high school in 1976 and entered the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft Hydraulics/Pneumatics/In-Flight refueling Field Mechanic and also completed an electronics technology correspondence course through the Cleveland Institute of Electronics.
After fulfilling his 4-year commitment, in the Air Force, he moved to State College to accept a job with Alpine Equipment Manufacturer as a Hydraulic Department Supervisor, manufacturing hard rock mining machines. David’s interest in electronics landed his next job with E.N. Dunlap Office systems and was trained by RICOH and A. B. Dick companies as a Photocopier/ditto machine/mimeograph field repair technician. He also worked part-time as a Pa Certified Radon Inspector for Radonics Inc. and an ATM Firstline technician with Diebold Inc.
Next, David began a twenty eight year career at Penn State, which included jobs in:
- the Meteorology Department as a field site operator
- the Mineral Engineering department as a College Safety Officer and Facilities coordinator
- the Chemical Engineering program as Department Safety Officer and Facilities coordinator ,and
- with Electrical Engineering as Safety Officer, Facilities Coordinator, and Micro Fabrication Cleanroom Manager.
David also Participated with the Penn State Hazardous Materials Team as a Nationally Certified C.O.B.R.A. (Chemical. Ordinance, Biological, Radiation Response) Technician and as Team Deputy Chief.
David’s training and work experience Qualified him for a position on the disaster emergency response team with The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT), Hazmat Technician, Safety Officer, and Respiratory Fit Tester.
And through all of this, David's longtime hobby has been wood working. He know a lot about many different topics, and is a valuable member of the DGWW team.
Doug Laplante
Mentor
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Janet Saunders
Mentor
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Victoria Squier
Mentor
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