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LEAD Mentors
One of the great benefits of joining the ASME LEAD Program is the opportunity to be mentored by professionals from industry and academia. These Mentors are Volunteer's who give their time to this program to help foster future generations of engineers.
Get to know the team a little better and check out their profiles below!
LEAD Program Chair
Matt McCutchen
Marathon Petroleum
Project Engineer - G&P Facilities, MPLX
Matt McCutchen is a Project Engineer at Marathon Petroleum, where he leads engineering, construction, and commissioning projects within the Gathering & Processing (G&P) business. He began his career at Phillips 66, holding diverse roles including Energy Economist, Project Manager, Operations Engineer, and Leak Detection & Pipeline Control Center Engineer.
Beyond his professional work, Matt is an active volunteer leader. He has supported recruiting and interview efforts at Texas Tech University and Colorado School of Mines and contributed to organizations such as the United Way of Greater Houston, the Terry Foundation, and Young Pipeline Professionals USA. He is a former ASME IPTI Collegiate Council Member (2015–2016) and has continued his involvement with ASME as a LEAD Program mentor since 2023.
Matt earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (2016) and a Master of Business Administration with a STEM concentration (2017), both from Texas Tech University. He also holds the Project Management Professional (PMP) 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.
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).
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.
Katie Gray, EIT
Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline
Rotational Engineer
Katie Gray is a Rotational Engineer for Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline in Owensboro, KY. She is rotating through Capacity Planning, Integrity, Project Engineering, and Project Management over the course of a two-year period. She is a proud graduate of Murray State University, with a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics in 2024.
Katie has a passion for volunteering and giving back to her community, serving in groups such as ASME, YPP, Southern Star’s Employee Resource groups, as well as supporting STEM education in local schools.
L.E.A.D. Interns
This year our two interns are returning students from previous L.E.A.D. Cohorts. Our interns are here to help the current cohort establish cohesion between the teams and their relationship with the mentors and resource committees.
Kevin Eveleth
Chevron
Designs Engineer
Kevin Eveleth is a Designs Engineer at Chevron, where he is responsible for creating engineering orders to repair, replace, and improve fixed equipment in the facility. Since joining Chevron in May, he has focused on supporting safe, efficient, and sustainable operations through practical engineering solutions. His work bridges technical problem-solving with operational needs, helping deliver long-term value and performance.
A graduate of Brigham Young University–Idaho, Kevin earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, the prestigious engineering honor society. He is also a two-time alumnus of the L.E.A.D. Program, where he gained valuable leadership and professional development experience.
Outside of his professional pursuits, Kevin enjoys spending time with friends through video games, playing with his dog, and experimenting with new projects on his 3D printer.
Nathan Eckman
Phillips 66
Control Center Engineer
Nathan Eckman is a Control Center Engineer at Phillips 66 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He graduated from Kansas State University in May 2024 with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering. As a Control Center Engineer, he supports pipeline controllers by ensuring safe and efficient monitoring and control of pipeline segments, and manages the configuration, tuning, and support of leak detection systems.
Nathan was a student in the 2023–2024 ASME L.E.A.D. program and now serves as a Trainings Intern on the mentorship team, where he hosts and coordinates virtual training sessions for students.
Interested in becoming a mentor?
Send your Resume and brief letter of interest to our program manager, Danielle Rojas (rojasd@asme.org)
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