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11757 Katy Freeway
Houston, TX 77079
Suite 1500
P: 281.493.3491
F: 281.493.3493
LEAD Mentors
One of the great benefits of joining the ASME LEAD Program is getting the opportunity to be mentored by professionals in the industry and academia. Get to know the team a little better and check out their profiles below!
Chris Olson, ME, PE, PMP, ASME Fellow
Sargent & Lundy
Mechanical Engineering Manager
Chris Olson is a Mechanical Engineering Manager for Sargent & Lundy’s oil & gas business unit. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Mechanical Engineering effort that includes Oil & Gas wellpad development, midstream, and downstream facility projects, pipeline design, gas plant and refinery projects, CO2 carbon sequestration systems, and other projects for both domestic and international clients. He joined Sargent & Lundy with the Summit Engineering Services acquisition in 2020. Prior to Sargent & Lundy, he worked in several progressive capacities within Oil & Gas engineering and consulting. He is a veteran of the US Navy and received multiple citations including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and others. Olson has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology (Summa Cum Laude) from Metropolitan State University of Denver (2009) and a Master of Engineering degree in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado, Boulder (2020). He is a licensed Professional Engineer and holds the Project Management Professional certification.
Jeff Hanson, Ph.D.
Texas Tech University
Full Time Lecturer
Dr. Jeff Hanson is an Instructor in Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University. Dr. Hanson consistently has one of the highest teaching evaluations by his students in the college of engineering and has been honored with the Most Influential Professor Award multiple times. Dr. Hanson has over 17 years of industry work experience in areas of Management, Manufacturing, Robotics, Sales and Industrial Engineering. He brings this experience into the classroom when teaching students which gives a unique perspective to the material being presented. Since 2019, Dr. Hanson has served as the Engineering Faculty Liaison in the Seville Center in Seville, Spain during the summer study abroad program. He also serves as the ASME Chairman-Elect for the Board on Student Programs worldwide as well as a faculty advisor for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Jamie Kraus
Wood
Technical Proposal Manager/Process Engineer
Jamie holds an EIT license in Texas and currently works as a process/project engineer at Wood where he assists his group in global projects relating to oil and gas, LNG, and the energy transition. Prior to Wood, he worked as a Field Geologist/Engineer in Upstream oil and gas and completed his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering where he conducted research, co-authored 7 publications, presented at conferences, led his team to win a Shell Business Case Study, and was awarded a research grant. He has also held other engineering positions in other industries and has actively volunteered with the ASME Petroleum Division since 2019 and is now a mentor for the L.E.A.D. program. Recently, he was nominated and selected for the 2022 ASME Petroleum Division Keith Thayer Exceptional Early Career Award.
Patrick Gonzales
Chevron
Customer Technologist
Patrick Gonzales is a Customer Technologist for Chevron. He is responsible for engineering and commercial support for Chevron’s Chemical Division. He joined Chevron in 2024 with 14 years of drilling and completion experience. Prior to Chevron, he worked in several oil and gas service companies in several positions such as a Field Engineer w/Baker Hughes, Global Application Engineer w/Weatherford, and a sales manager w/Nabors Drilling. In addition, Patrick’s O&G experience include GOM, Lower 48, China, Latin America, UK, and Canada. Patrick has earned a Bachelor of Business in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin (2007), a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at San Antonio (2010), and a Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (2016
Matt McCutchen, MBA, PMP
Phillips 66
Energy Economist
Matt McCutchen is a Project Manager for Phillips 66 where he manages capital projects including pipeline replacement programs, facility expansions, and meter station interconnects. He has also held other positions at Phillips 66 including Operations Engineer, Gulf Coast Region and Leak Detection & Pipeline Control Center Engineer. In his free time, Matt has served in leadership roles at Phillips 66 as a Recruiter and Interview Panelist at Texas Tech University (2017 – 2022), New Hire Network Steering Committee (2018, 2022), and Midstream Engineering Conference Co-lead (2021 – 2022). Matt has also led the Phillips 66 Midstream United Way campaign, raising over $1.4 million in 2021 – 2022. Externally, Matt also volunteers with the Terry Foundation as an Alumni Advisory Board Member (2019 – 2022), Alumni Association Treasurer (2022 – Present), and Veteran Interview Panelist (2016, 2022-Present) and serves Young Pipeline Professionals USA as the Houston Chapter Chair (2022 – Present). Matt has earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University (2016) and a Master of Business Administration with a STEM concentration from Texas Tech University (2017). He also holds a Project Management Professional certification.
Kali West
Shell USA
Subsea Project Lead
Kali West is a subsea project lead for Shell where she is accountable for the design, fabrication and delivery of subsea facility equipment needed to safely bring on new production from deep-water wells. She has been with Shell for twelve years, where she has enjoyed holding a broad range of progressive roles across multiple lines of business before adding business advisor to the Deep-Water Gulf of Mexico Projects General Manager to her current role.
Since graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Kali enjoys finding ways to volunteer in spaces where she can both learn from her peers and pay it forward through organizations that inspire communities and promote the benefits of STEAM careers as a catalyst for change. In her free time, she enjoys tinkering in her workshop and exploring the outdoors on her bike.
Interested in becoming a mentor, or part of our Advisory Committee?
Send your Resume and brief letter of interest to our program manager, Danielle Rojas (rojasd@asme.org)
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