About SAE International

Chris Ciuca is the Vice President of Programs at SAE International. In this role, Chris is responsible for the strategic direction of SAE’s programmatic portfolio serving the mobility community through SAE membership, aerospace and ground vehicle standards development and pre-professional educational workforce development initiatives.

Chris joined SAE in 2006 and led SAE’s educational outreach initiatives to recognition as a National Science Board Public Service Award winner and has since built infrastructure that services over 120,000 students each year through SAE STEM outreach programing. Under his leadership, SAE has grown the outreach portfolio to service students in 31 counties through workforce development initiatives focused on cybersecurity, software development, simulation, and systems integration of connected and automated vehicle technologies.

In the broader community, Chris serves in advisory roles for the National Science Foundation, National Academy of Engineering and other private and publicly funded STEM projects, is a published author on educational strategies and techniques for delivering classroom-based instruction and serves as a recognized expert on multiple preK-16 STEM projects.

Karen Conroy, SHRM-CP, PHR, is the HR Business Partner for SAE International. Responsibilities in this role include working closely with SAE leadership to deliver value-added HR services to the organization including strategic workforce planning. This includes working with leaders to develop strategies for recruitment, retention, training, succession planning, coaching and knowledge management in alignment with SAE’s business and strategic objectives.

She is passionate about trust and transparent communication, providing development opportunities for staff and identifying opportunities to improve engagement and staff satisfaction.

Karen has over 17 years of experience in Human Resources. She’s worked with SAE’s affiliate, The Performance Review Institute, as Manager of HR since 2005 where she gained valuable experience and knowledge in all areas of HR including strategic workforce planning, employee relations, recruiting, talent development, performance management, succession planning, etc. She also worked with the EVP to support the PRI Board of Directors where she gained invaluable insights into the strategic direction of the organization. Prior to this role, she supported the operations of the automotive business sector of SAE International. For 8 years where she was involved in events management for WCX as well as supporting several member committees and boards. Karen holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Robert Morris University. She also maintains both SHRM and PHR certifications and memberships.

Joe Pramberger is President of SAE Media Group (SMG). In this role, he is responsible for the growth and strategic direction of SAE’s media portfolio, including the magazines and newsletters published by Tech Briefs Media in New York, and the networking events and conferences produced by SMi Group in London. SMG serves the information needs of nearly one million technical professionals and business managers worldwide.

Over the last four decades, Joe has successfully launched dozens of engineering and scientific publications in a variety of fields including aerospace, electronics, medical, and advanced manufacturing. Recent introductions include magazines covering ADAS/autonomous vehicles and battery & electrification technology. Joe is one of the architects of the Create the Future Design Contest, recognized as the premier global product design competition for engineers and students. As the media industry has evolved, he has led the transformation of SMG into a digital-first business, expanding into online events, webinars, interactive multimedia magazines, and video products.

Joe was formerly the editor of NASA Tech Briefs magazine and received a Civil Service Medal from the National Aeronautics & Space Administration for his work in disseminating NASA technologies to the private sector. He is also the co-author of an award-winning book on the impact of space technology to life on Earth. Joe holds a B.A. in Journalism, Magna Cum Laude, from Fordham University.

Emilie B. Delo, Esquire, is the Assistant General Counsel and Director of Legal Services for SAE International. In her role, Emilie is responsible for supporting and managing global legal and risk management matters, including advising and counseling business leaders on business affairs, contracts, licensing, IP, M&A, data privacy, corporate governance, joint ventures, competition and other compliance matters.

Emilie has over 12 years of private and corporate practice and prior to joining SAE International, Emilie was a Shareholder at Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, P.C. Emilie is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association and is a graduate of their Women's Institute for Leadership in Law Program. Emilie holds a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from The Ohio State University and Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Duquesne University. Emilie is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Emilie and her husband, Micah, enjoy traveling and sports and Emilie has visited every state in the continental US (and Hawaii) and every province in Canada. They also keep busy with their three young daughters, Marah, Maelyn and Miriam.

Greg Bradley is SAE International's Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Secretary, and is responsible for the organization's legal, risk management and corporate governance affairs. Mr. Bradley has over 25 years of experience in private and corporate practice. Just prior to joining SAE International, Mr. Bradley was Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for a medical device company in Pittsburgh and General Counsel for one of its divisions. Mr. Bradley was also in private practice with intellectual property and general practice law firms in Chicago and Pittsburgh. Mr. Bradley is a founding member of the Q. Todd Dickinson (Pittsburgh) Intellectual Property Chapter of the American Inns of Court and serves as Past-President of the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association (PIPLA). He is also a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), and the IP Advisory and Patent Rules Committees for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Bradley holds Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) and Juris Doctor (JD) degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a registered patent attorney and is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota and the District of Columbia.

Rich Wilkie is the Chief Information Officer of SAE International. In this role, he is responsible for supporting the Organization's strategic goals through technology products, applications, and infrastructure.

Prior to joining SAE International in 2018, Rich held Executive IT Management roles at several Fortune 500 companies including Hewlett-Packard, Nortel Networks, ECI Telecom, Apollo Education Group, and most recently with Opus Global. In these roles, he was responsible for building and supporting numerous enterprises, carrier and consumer products for the financial services, telecom, education, and medical industries.

Rich earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts.

Brian Trybend is the Chief Financial Officer of SAE International. In this role, Brian is responsible for the organization's overall financial strategies and policies, accounting practices, and relationships with lending institutions and the financial community. With respect to investments, Brian works directly with the SAE Finance Committee and Investment Advisor to oversee the Enterprise's investment portfolio of more than $160M.

Brian is a key member of SAE’s strategy team and has been instrumental in developing SAE’s strategic plans and annual business plans. In addition, he has led many of SAE’s acquisition efforts and played a key role in establishing SAE’s global operations in China. Brian has over 30 years of for-profit and non-profit experience, both domestically and internationally.

Prior to joining SAE in June 2000, he worked in public accounting, providing both audit and tax services to a diverse client base including individuals, for profit, not for profit, and governmental entities. After public accounting, he moved into a lead tax position with a multi-billion-dollar health system and then held a similar role with a multi-billion-dollar power generation company. In both roles, his focus was on mergers and acquisitions.

Brian received his B.A. degree in accounting from Washington and Jefferson College and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Society of Association Executives (PSAE), the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives (CESSE), and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

In over two decades working in corporate and manufacturing environments, Elizabeth Jones has established herself as proven leader, executive partner, and strategist who leverages her experience and knowledge to drive positive outcomes. A creative, collaborative, results-oriented executive, she has the capacity to identify and implement strategy and priorities in dynamic work environments. She also thrives in creating, aligning, and supporting high-performing cultures to recruit, develop and retain top talent.

Prior to joining Fullsight, Elizabeth began her professional career in 2005 with Pittsburgh-based Nova Chemicals, serving in various roles including Benefits Analyst, Employee Services Representative, and Human Resources(HR) Administrator. In 2010, she joined Talisman Energy USA, Inc. (later acquired by Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC) in Warrendale, Pa., as Human Resources Business Partner for the company’s Marcellus Delivery Unit. In this role, she acted as a strategic business partner to the Vice President and leadership team, while partnering with North American and Global Human Resources Centers of Excellence to implement HR programs at the local level. She also served as leader of the Marcellus People & Organization and Building Services teams, where she mentored and developed team members, partnered with senior leaders on HR initiatives, and strategized with leadership at all levels on organizational design to support successful business outcomes. In addition, she participated as a member of a global HR team to develop, plan and locally implement all aspects of HR policies and compliance.

In 2017, Elizabeth joined Microbac Laboratories, Inc., in Pittsburgh as Senior V.P. of People and Culture, and eventually became Chief Culture & Customer Success Officer. In these roles she provided leadership in various areas including executive strategy, HR, company culture, customer success, communications, crisis response, and safety. As a key member of Microbac’s Senior Executive Team, Elizabeth was involved in strategic business decisions and planning, coaching leaders at all levels on business alignment to company strategy and performance to overall goals, and spearheading change-management planning and execution across the organization. She was also responsible for leading the strategic review, planning, and implementation of all HR functions, as well as developing multi-year plans including cost projections and budget management.

Providing oversight on the company’s culture, Elizabeth created and implemented Microbac’s Employee Resource Council structure to engage employees in key cultural cornerstones: Inclusion and Belonging, Community Relations, Safety, and Wellbeing. She also oversaw annual goal setting and achievements of the councils, led integrated committee meetings to ensure effective partnerships, and developed communication strategies to keep all levels of the organization informed of achievements.

Elizabeth is a graduate of Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, where she earned a B.A. in Organizational Leadership and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She also earned a certificate in Labor Studies and Employment Relations from Penn State University.

Jay Solomond is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Performance Review Institute (PRI). Jay is responsible for leading PRI in modernization and growth/diversification, with a strong focus on understanding the current and future needs of PRI’s stakeholders.

Jay’s experience includes more than 25 years in design, development and manufacturing across multiple industry and military OEM and Tiered suppliers. Prior to joining PRI, Jay served as a Senior Vice President of Product Development and Engineering for Lippert Automotive.

Jay’s commitment to innovation and quality is long-standing and is grounded in global experience. He has established and lead various teams in multiple countries including China, Germany, India, and Mexico. Jay has been a member of various industry consortiums that sought to grow and strengthen industry capabilities and drive common practices. Most recently, as a member of the Detroit-based LIFT (Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow) Consortium, he challenged industry norms related to ductile iron castings and presented innovative techniques to lighten key automotive components. 

Critical to innovation and quality is teamwork and Jay brings serious commitment to developing, coaching, and leading diverse teams who are empowered to bring their best efforts forward for a meaningful customer experience. 

Jay has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Ceramic (Materials) Science and Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. He also has a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. He holds four patents where he is the primary inventor.