Maegan Lenertz is a Research Engineer at the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute with a background in Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. Maegan received her bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. Her research interests lie in robotics, hybrid and additive manufacturing, system programming, automation, and mechatronic design. 

Steven Ferguson is a distinguished leader with over 28 years of experience in the technology, manufacturing, higher education, and workforce development sectors. He currently serves as a Principal Research Scientist and Managing Director of Georgia AIM (Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is also the Deputy Director for the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI) and Executive Director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing 4.0 Consortium. In these roles, Steven leads national initiatives that bring together industry, government, and academia to advance AI-driven manufacturing and workforce innovation.

Steven has played a central role in securing and managing more than $100 million in competitive federal, state, and private funding for technology, research, and workforce programs. At Georgia Tech, he helps guide the expansion of the Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility, oversees programs that integrate AI into manufacturing, and builds partnerships that translate research into practice. Through Georgia AIM, he co-leads efforts that have resulted in over $65 million of investment in statewide projects supporting faculty research, workforce training, and industry engagement.

Previously, Steven dedicated 23 years to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), where he rose to Chief Information Officer. His tenure included architecting the statewide eCampus platform, pioneering the GEORGIA MATCH program, the nation’s largest direct-to-college admissions initiative, and launching the first micro-credentialing effort for a 2-year college system. These initiatives expanded educational access across Georgia and established new national models for student success and workforce readiness.

Steven’s innovative contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including Georgia Titan 100 Honoree in 2024 and 2022, Technology Leader of the Year in 2021, and Georgia CIO of the Year in 2019. His digital transformation projects have also been honored with multiple Georgia IT Innovation Showcase Awards.

He holds an M.S. in Information Technology from Southern Polytechnic State University, a B.S. in Information Technology from Columbia Southern University, and an A.S. in Engineering from Gainesville State College. He is also a graduate of TCSG’s Executive Leadership Academy.

Beyond his professional roles, Steven serves on the AI Advisory Council for the State of Georgia and is active in the community. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and volunteers with nonprofit and educational organizations that strengthen Georgia’s innovation ecosystem.

Dr. Christopher Saldaña began working at Georgia Tech in 2014. Prior, Dr. Saldaña previously held the Harold and Inge Marcus Career Professorship at the Pennsylvania State University and worked as a research engineer at M4 Sciences Corporation. Dr. Saldaña has also previously held visiting affiliations/positions with the US Air Force Research Laboratory, the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore, India), Technische Universität Dortmund (Dortmund, Germany), Autodesk, and Sandia National Laboratories. He has received several awards, including an NSF CAREER award, the Robert J. Hocken SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer award and an R&D100 Technology Award. He serves as an Associate Editor for IISE Transactions (Design and Manufacturing) and serves on the Editorial Boards of Manufacturing Letters, Computer Aided Design and Applications, and the ASTM Journal of Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing.

Aarn Stebner works at the intersection of manufacturing, machine learning, materials, and mechanics. He joined the Georgia Tech faculty as an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering in 2020.

Previously, he was the Rowlinson Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the Colorado School of Mines (2013 – 2020), a postdoctoral scholar at the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology (2012 – 2013), a Lecturer in the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University (2009 – 2012), a Research Scientist at Telezygology Inc. establishing manufacturing and “internet of things” technologies for shape memory alloy-secured latching devices (2008-2009), a Research Fellow at the NASA Glenn Research Center developing smart materials technologies for morphing aircraft structures (2006 – 2008), and a Mechanical Engineer at the Electric Device Corporation in Canfield, OH developing manufacturing and automation technologies for the circuit breaker industry (1995 – 2000).