HTRI

Claudette D. Beyer, President & Chief Executive Officer, directed the relocation of the company from California to Texas, USA, the construction of the first Texas research facility, and the construction of the first corporate offices owned by HTRI. Her career has spanned over 30 years in industry, government, and academia, including positions with the North Dakota Governor’s Council on Human Resources, Bismarck, North Dakota (ND), USA; the City of Aurora, Colorado, USA; and The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Beyer has a BA in English and Communication Arts from Minot State University, Minot, ND, and an MA in Speech (Organizational Communications) from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND. She has served on several community and professional organization committees and boards, 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.

Bill Clepper, Chief Operating Officer, brings nearly 35 years of professional experience in engineering construction companies and maintenance of waste-to-energy, co-generation, refinery, petrochemical, and chemical plants to his position at HTRI. He currently provides managerial oversight and technical expertise to staff in Research & Technology, in Engineering Services, and at the Research & Technology Center (RTC). Clepper’s responsibilities have included total project management for engineering, procurement, and construction. He has hands-on experience with the maintenance and support of plant operations and has been responsible for major capital ventures. Clepper graduated from the University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA, and began his career as a Refinery Project Engineer at Amoco Oil Company. Among his other positions were Vice President of Projects and Engineering at Hudgens Engineering, Inc.; Vice President of Engineering at American Ref-Fuel Co. (ARC); and most recently Director of Engineering with Commonwealth Engineering Construction, LLC, all in Houston, TX. Clepper is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Texas.

Fernando J. Aguirre, Vice President, Sales & Business Development, serves as the business development officer responsible for global sales and business alliances. At HTRI, he was previously involved with research and software development in shellside flow and vibration, extended surfaces, and fired heaters, and has taught more than 40 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 Services, 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, 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, USA, and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. He is a member of ASME and serves as the chair of 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. Lestina manages our contract services, oversees our training program, and coordinates technical support activities. He also 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.