2020 -2021 E-Board

PRESIDENT

David Pacheco

David Pacheco began his career at Northrop Grumman in 2015 as a Systems Engineer Architect within the Vehicle Management Systems (VMS) team. Currently, David is responsible for various Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) laboratory activities for subsystem integration and test efforts. David’s technical contributions include supplier management, test procedure development and execution, hardware/software integration and test, utilizing Agile Methodologies for software development, generating functional models and requirements, and developing VMS architecture concepts with optimized redundancy to support flight critical system design. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology. David currently serves as the President of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Central Florida Professional chapter. David attributes his work ethic and desire to give back to his mother, who, at a young age, immigrated to the United States from a small pueblo in Mexico in hopes of a better life for her family. It is her sacrifices that have instilled a passion in David to help those who, by virtue of status, finances, or any number of uncontrollable factors, are not afforded the opportunities to thrive in STEM.

VP ORLANDO

Alex Diaz

Alex Diaz is the Director of Distributive Products for Matrix Packaging Machinery, a division of ProMach.  In this role, he handles the relationship with their three distributive companies as well as managing the Technical Engineering aspect of the Sales Department. Alex’s previous roles include being the Senior Manager of the Packaging Systems Engineering group in Global Technology and Optimization at The Hershey Company. In this role, Alex was responsible for all packaging systems worldwide, setting the future vision of packaging for The Hershey Company and identifying and tracking all future trends in packaging. Previously, Alex worked at URL/Mutual Pharmaceutical as a project engineer focusing on the packaging equipment and high-speed tablet presses. Before that, he worked at Fluid Energy Processing and Equipment holding various roles including equipment design engineer, process engineer and shift supervisor. Alex holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Drexel University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Turabo, Puerto Rico where he was one the founding members of its SHPE chapter.

VP SPACE COAST

Viviana Santiago

Viviana Santiago will be joining Amazon’s Operations Team as an Area Manager in Daytona Beach, Florida. Viviana is a recent graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology with a B. S. in Business Administration. Prior to graduation, Viviana held three internships with John Deere, Janssen, and Cummins where she held various levels of responsibility including project lead. During her tenure at Georgia Tech, Viviana served in several organizations holding various roles including Secretary for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Performance Chair for the Taste of Latin America. Through her involvement, Viviana secured a corporate sponsor and service grant helping her pioneer a philanthropic initiative where 150 hygiene bags were distributed to the homeless in the Atlanta community. Additionally, she organized the biggest on-campus Hispanic event, Taste of Latin America, with over 750 individuals in attendance. Viviana was responsible for supervising 60+ volunteers and approximately 100 performers. Having been raised in Puerto Rico, Viviana’s involvement is driven by her passion to empower the Hispanic community and to promote diversity and inclusion. Viviana aims to capitalize on those values as she transitions into the role of Vice President of Space Coast for Central Florida Professional.

TREASURER

Lorena Loucel

orena Loucel currently serves as a Lead Manufacturing Engineer at L3Harris Technologies in Palm Bay, Florida. In her current position, she leads a variety of programs in a space micro-electronics lab for the Space and Airborne System Division. Prior to her role at L3Harris, Lorena has worked at several other companies including Motorola Semiconductor, Medtronic, and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Lorena brings with her over 12 years of experience as a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) having held various roles of increasing responsibility. Her involvement with SHPE includes President, Vice President, Secretary, Director of Community Service, and SHPE Jr. lead all with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Professional. Further, she served as Vice President of Austin Professional. Lorena has been an integral part of executive teams that have been recognized at the SHPE National Convention for Small, Medium, and Large Chapters of the Year. At the Regional level, Lorena has received numerous accolades including the Blue Heart Award, Honorary SHPE Captain, Outstanding Community Service. In 2016, Lorena was presented the prestigious Community Service STAR Award at the Seattle National Convention. Lorena holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Christian University and a M.S. in Manufacturing Engineering from Southern Methodist University. Lorena bring tremendous experience and value as she transitions into the role of treasurer for Central Florida Professional.

SECRETARY

Walter Salguero

Walter Salguero currently works as a Systems Engineer in the Weapons Integration group at Northrop Grumman Corporation in Melbourne, Florida. From 2016 to 2020, Walter was a Structural Engineer for L3Harris Technologies. While working at L3Harris, Walter held the position of Chair for Membership Engagement and Community Outreach for the Hispanic employee resource group. In 2011, Walter began his engineering career working as a Systems and Reliability Engineer at Northrop Grumman in Southern California. While working in Southern California, he was involved in the local Catholic Church. Walter holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo; which was a major milestone for his Guatemalan immigrant family. Walter has an unwavering commitment to help those in his community strive for excellence in STEM as he transitions into the role of secretary for Central Florida Professional.

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