HTRI

Claudette D. Beyer, President & Chief Executive Officer, directed the relocation of the company from California to Texas (TX), USA (1989 - 1990), the construction of the first Texas research facility (1990 - 1992), the construction of the first corporate offices owned by HTRI (2000), and the beginning of the relocation the corporate headquarters from College Station, TX to Navasota, TX in 2007. She led the establishment of HTRI’s first global offices (beginning in 2000) and in 2009 negotiated the Honeywell Alliance-the most significant business relationship of HTRI’s history. Her career has spanned over 35 years in industry, government, and academia, including positions with The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA; the North Dakota Governor’s Council on Human Resources, Bismarck, North Dakota (ND), USA; the City of Aurora, Colorado, USA. Beyer has a BA in English and Communication Arts from Minot State University, Minot, ND, and an MA in Organizational Communications from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND. She has served on national, state, community, and professional organizations, including the ND Council for the Disabled, National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), the Council for Women in Higher Education, and the 2500-member Society of Research Administrators (SRA) where she was elected Chair of the Board of Advisors and subsequently President of the association. In 2009 she served as President of the United Kingdom Heat Transfer Society.

Fernando J. Aguirre, Vice President, Sales & Business Development, serves as the business development officer responsible for global sales and business alliances. Earlier in his career at HTRI, he was involved with research and software development in shellside flow and vibration, extended surfaces, and fired heaters, and taught many HTRI workshops throughout the world. Aguirre received his undergraduate chemical engineering education from Universidad T. F. Santa Maria, Valparaiso, Chile, and his MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PA), USA. Prior to joining HTRI, he was a research engineer at Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Bethlehem, PA, and an Associate Professor of chemical engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA. He is active in AIChE, having served in many capacities, including director of the Heat Transfer and Energy Conversion Division and treasurer and director of the Management Division. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Texas.

S. Breaux Daniel, Vice President, Human Resources; Corporate Secretary, has over 25 years of experience in human resources and management. She received a BA in English and Language Arts from the University of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, and an MBA from the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA; Daniel also studied labor and employment discrimination law at the University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. Prior to joining HTRI, she worked in the banking industry in human resources, including training and professional recruitment, and as a banking center manager. She also spent nearly a decade in academia on the university and secondary-school levels. Besides being responsible for human resources, Daniel also serves as Corporate Secretary and oversees technical editing. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and WorldatWork.

Thomas G. Lestina, Vice President, Research & Engineering Services, has more than 25 years of engineering project management experience. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Union College, Schenectady, New York (NY), USA, and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. He is a member of ASME and serves on the technical committee for the ASME Performance Test Code 12.5, Single Phase Heat Exchangers. Prior to joining HTRI, he worked as a Lead Engineer for MPR Associates, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, USA. His primary areas of responsibility include contract services, technical support, and training. He serves as principal subject matter expert on technical content for course and instructor materials, assists in developing and customizing training, and routinely teaches courses. Lestina is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Texas.