The Abaris Team
Abaris Training Resources Inc. is proud to have such a dedicated team of employees committed to offering the highest level of service and knowledge in the field of advanced composite training!
Click on photos to read individual bios:
Executive Staff

Michelle Dziedzic
President

Louis C. Dorworth
Direct Services Manager

Dr. Greg M. Mellema
Director of Operations
Dr. Greg Mellema is a career aircraft mechanic, combat veteran, teacher, author, and subject matter expert in the manufacture and repair of advanced composite structures. He has over 36 years of experience working on both manned and unmanned military and civilian aircraft with a special emphasis on advanced composite materials. Greg holds a B.S. degree in Professional Aeronautics, an M.S. in Aeronautical Science, and a Ph.D. in Aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He has been an active Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanic since 1988 and holds an Inspection Authorization (I.A.) from the FAA as well. While with the Nevada Army National Guard, Dr. Mellema served 16 months as Shop Chief for the Airframe Shop at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF VI).
Most recently, Greg was an Assistant Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ where he taught composite labs for engineering courses and advised students on senior capstone projects and funded research. Previously, he founded the U.S. Army’s Advanced Composites Lab at Redstone Arsenal in 2010. There he designed and built prototype advanced composite parts as well as modernizing composite repair tools, processes and procedures across all Army aviation platforms. Prior to that, Greg was a full-time instructor for Abaris Training from 1998 to 2008.
Greg’s responsibilities as Director of Operations at Abaris consists of developing new curricula as well as overseeing existing course material, professional development of faculty and staff, managing and developing strategic partnerships, overseeing day-to-day training operations, supporting business development, and conducting both funded and internal research.
Greg is one of the co-authors of the Abaris textbook Essentials of Advanced Composite Fabrication and Repair, the chairman of CertTEC’s composite certification committee, and is a member of SAMPE, AMT Society, and holds certifications in composites/composite repair from both SAE and CertTEC. In his spare time, he conducts research focused on advanced composites as well as aviation maintenance human factors.
Contact Information:
Email: greg@abaris.com
Phone: +1 (775) 827-6568
Mr. Dorworth has been involved in the advanced composites industry since 1978. He has been associated with Abaris since its inception in 1983 (post Lear Fan) and has been employed by Abaris Training Resources, Inc. since 1989. He now serves as the Direct Services Division Manager at Abaris.
By trade, Lou is a composite materials and process specialist, with experience in research and development, material and process engineering, manufacturing engineering, tool design/engineering, tool fabrication, and of course, teaching composite related subjects.
His career in aerospace composites includes work on such programs as the Lear Fan 2100, Beechcraft Starship 1, B-2 bomber, C-17 transport, MD-11, Boeing 777, and the Airbus A-330/340 to name a few. He has also been involved with a number of non-aerospace programs in the motorsports, marine, sporting goods, and wind energy industries.
Lou is a professional member of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), serving since 1982. He currently Chairs the Hybrid and Bonding Technical Committee as part of the SAMPE Technical Excellence initiative. He is a senior member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), serving since 1997, and is the recent past chair of both the SME Technical Community Committee and the Composite Technical Sub-committee.
Lou is a well-published author, conference presenter, and co-author of the popular textbook titled “Essentials of Advanced Composite Fabrication & Repair,” first edition published in 2009 and second edition, published in 2019 by Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc. (ASA).
Contact Information:
Email: lou@abaris.com
Phone: +1 (971) 261-2053
Michelle Dziedzic has been with Abaris Training Resources, Inc. since 2010. She has served as our Accountant since 2012 and has evolved to President and business owner as of 2021. She has delivered the utmost care to our students, employees, and facility through the years.
Michelle’s background includes various business positions in sales, customer service, marketing, and accounting. Today, Michelle uses this experience to keep Abaris running smoothly and efficiently while blending her many roles to assist customers, staff and contractors. Michelle is a member of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), and the Nevada Women’s Fund who works with community donors and supporters to raise financial contributions and other resources to support northern Nevada women and families. She supports many industry scholarships for organizations such as the NBAA, AWAM and MRO competitors.
Michelle is always looking for ways to support you. Please feel free to drop her a line on how we may help you build a better business!
Contact Information:
Email: michelle@abaris.com
Phone: +1 (775) 827-6568
Abaris Administrative Team

Erin Mahoney
Graphic Designer

Janet Lawrence
Office Manager

Andrea Bowles
Office Administrator
Erin is Abaris’ graphics artist, working remotely for our Reno, Nevada headquarters, providing graphics for the business and media. She is a hard-working team member who strives to provide excellent graphics and is currently aiding marketing efforts for the company. Erin originally went to college at John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, CA to pursue a degree in video game design. Her previous background includes years of customer service experience in office management within local school districts, retail customer service, and managing events for various organizations she has been a part of over the years.
Contact Information:
Email: erin@abaris.com
Phone: +1 (775) 827-6568
Janet Lawrence is the office manager for everyday operations at our Reno, Nevada headquarters, providing customer service to clients worldwide. Janet Lawrence was a hometown native of Sacramento CA for 35 years and in new to the Reno NV area and the world of composites as of 2021. Janet’s previous background in management, was in the financial industry for last 13 years prior to Abaris, and 6 years prior to that in retail management.
She is happy to greet each of our students and guests and welcome them to Reno and Abaris. Janet is an Abaris team member who strives to provide excellent customer service and office efficiency. She also enjoys creating a cohesive and positive workspace, a team player who thrives in a collaborative environment and is excited about deepening the relationship with our community and industry.
Contact Information:
Email: janet@abaris.com
Phone: +1 (775) 827-6568
Andrea Bowles is our Office Administrator, assisting students with registration, enrollment, and payment processing. Andrea is a friendly person that enjoys facilitating our classes with textbooks, handouts, and other necessities at our Reno, Nevada headquarters. Aside from her duties as registrar, she also assists students with travel reservations and suggestions where to dine or sightsee in the local area. Her previous background includes years in retail, and administrative roles. Andrea is currently attaining her degree in business at Truckee Meadows Community College while learning the industry of composite materials and processes.
Contact Information:
Email: andrea@abaris.com
Phone: +1 (775) 827-6568
Abaris Instructor Team

Michael Meringolo
Chief Technical Instructor

Corrie Volinkaty
Technical Instructor

Lloyd Howden
Technical Instructor
Michael Meringolo came to Abaris Training in 2008 with over 27 years of composite experience. He began working with composites in the 80’s fabricating sand rail bodies using glass-fiber mat & polyester resin materials and construction methods. Kit Planes soon took his interest, as he went to work for an independent builder fabricating different aircraft from Burt Rutan’s Long EZ to the Lancair IV pressurized aircraft. In 1997, he began working exclusively at Lancair Kits in Redmond, Oregon. After a year of building gear-boxes for the Lancair kits, he transferred to the certified side of the company working primarily in Research and development for primary structures of this new high performance all composite four seater aircraft, building static and fatigue test articles, dealing with all testing and paperwork concerning certification of the aircraft. During this 13 years Michael took a short detour during his career to Scaled Technologies in Montrose Colorado, then quickly returned to Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing spending the next few years as their composite shop Production Manager. Through this experience, Michael gained knowledge in many areas of composites; from part-model and plug fabrication, to mold making, prepreg and wet lay-up, resin infusion, trimming & machining, surface preparation, composite bonding, and finishing. Michael’s background also includes lessons in composite theory and actual structural repair from his time with Lancair/Columbia (now Cessna). He was involved with the Lancair Tigress concept aircraft, the Legacy, as well as the evolution of the Columbia 300/350 and 400 models (now known as the Corvalis and Corvalis TT. Mr. Meringolo is a Professional Member of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE). He has been awarded the prestigious NCATT certification for “Instructor Specializing in Aircraft Structures and Composites.” Michael also holds Industry-recognized CertTec® “Basic Composites Examiner” (CTE) Authority.
Contact Information:
Email: msm@abaris.com
Phone: +1 (775) 827-6568
Mr. Corrie Volinkaty has been with the Abaris Training team since January 2007. He teaches advanced composite fabrication and repair courses regularly, as well as the specialized adhesive bonding course at Abaris and onsite for our customers worldwide. He was instrumental in developing the curricula for our Cessna Aircraft composite repair course and the Airbus manufacturing repair course, taught at their Broughton, Wales, UK facility. Corrie enjoys working with students and is able to relate instruction topics to real world issues. He prides himself in his ability to take a complex subject and make it easy to understand. Prior to joining the Abaris team, Corrie was a technical instructor at Cirrus Aircraft in Duluth, MN. His responsibilities included composite specific training on SR-20 & SR-22 aircraft and coordinating field warranty work. He was the point of contact at Cirrus for all re-assembly activity across the globe. Corrie also spent time in his early career working for Northwest Airlines as a mechanic, responsible for maintenance and upgrades to aging aircraft, as well as fleet work on the Airbus A-320’s.Prior to his aviation work he worked at Current Designs building composite sea kayaks. Corrie also spent two years in the Robotics & Flexible Automation program at a local community college, gaining skills in hydraulics, electronics, mechanical assemblies and troubleshooting problems. Corrie received his FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate in 1996, his Inspection Authorization (IA) certification in 2012, and is a licensed glider pilot, flying on weekends when his schedule permits. Mr. Volinkaty is a member of the Society for the Advancement of Material & Process Engineering (SAMPE), the Aircraft Maintenance Professionals (AMT) Society, and the Soaring Society of America (SSA). He has NCATT certification for “Instructor Specializing in Aircraft Structures and Composites.”
Contact Information
Email: corrie@abaris.com
Phone: +1 (775) 827-6568
Lloyd started his Aviation career in 1994 when he joined the U.S. Army, stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY with D Co. 2/160th (SOAR) working on MH-47E Helicopters, mostly repairing old rotor blades. After completing his service in 2000, Lloyd assisted the Dutch Royal Airforce with their new Chinooks. After 7 years of working with the Dutch, he took a job with Northrup Grumman on their MQ/RQ-5 “Hunter” UAV system, where he was the lead of the MOD/Revitalization team. It was here that Lloyd started teaching composite field repairs on structures while writing the repair manual for that system. Also, at Northrup Grumman, Lloyd worked on the MQ-4C “Triton” system, implementing composite changes and repairs to that system. In 2014 he moved on to Icon Aircraft where he took over the Composite Structure Bonding (CSB) Shop, where the team bonded together a 350 plus, fully composite A5 aircraft. In 2017 Icon moved to Mexico where Lloyd helped set up the shop to produce 1 aircraft every 2.5 days. Finally, before starting with Abaris in January 2019, Lloyd was the production manager with Volans-I, manufacturing 3 different composite unmanned vehicle systems. Lloyd brings much knowledge and skills to Abaris and is slated to teach both manufacturing and repair curricula for many years to come.
Contact Information:
Email: Lloyd@abaris.com
Phone: (775) 827-6568

Gregory A. Kress
Engineering Instructor

Randy Jones
NDI Instructor-ASNT Level III

Fernando Ricardo
Technical Instructor
Greg has a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. His graduate studies emphasized composite laminate analysis, composite finite element analysis, and composite failure criteria. Currently, Greg is the co-owner of Top Flight Aerostructures, Dallas, Georgia. His company provides engineering services and replacement parts for aircraft repair, overhaul, and new design. As the former Lead Composite Structural Engineer for Delta Airlines, he is intimately familiar with all aspects of composite structural analysis and repair design & analysis, laminate analysis, and mechanical testing with composite materials. Greg teaches many Abaris engineering courses, including our Aerospace Repair Analysis and Substantiation, Composite Laminate Analysis, and Advanced Aerospace Repair Analysis and Substantiation courses. In addition, Greg dedicates much of his time to the research and development of new and improved methods for repair analysis, bonded joint analysis, mechanical testing, Digital Image Correlation, composite manufacturing, and structural assembly. His personal interests include experimental aircraft, eVTOL UAM, and UAV (drone) design, fabrication, and flight test. Greg is on the Composite Materials Handbook (CMH-17) coordination committee, working with the Guidelines, Supportability, and Damage Tolerance working groups. He served on the Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee (CACRC) of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and initiated the Composite Repair Analytical Techniques task-group.
Contact Information:
Email: greg.kress@topflightaero.com
Phone: +1 (678) 378-7750
Mr. Jones has over 38 years working in NDT in engineering, inspection, and technical sales. His knowledge has been acquired the through experience in the Aerospace, Automotive, Utilities, Petrochemical, Mining and the Pulp/Paper industries. Recently, he has gained more experience with composite materials through contracts with Lamborghini, Scaled Composites, Stratolaunch, two America’s Cup sailing teams, Erickson Sky Crane, Composite Approach and others. In early 1983, the Garrett Turbine Engine Company (now Honeywell) hired Randy. While at Garrett, he performed research and development on automated inspection systems for new high-speed rotating engine components. In 1985, Krautkramer hired Randy as a Technical Sales Engineer to sell and support industrial ultrasonic (and later eddy current) equipment. In 1991, Mobile Inspection employed Randy at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to support their erosion/corrosion, turbine and balance of plant inspection projects. In 1996, Randy returned to selling Krautkramer instruments with a greater knowledge of how to support his customers. Inspection Technologies, Inc. (ITI) became the manufacturers’ representative for Krautkramer (now GE/Baker Hughes) in 2001. At that time, Randy joined the staff at ITI and still works special projects for them. Randy is an ASNT certified Level III and, since 1998, has been a contract consultant, instructor and NDI engineer for Abaris Training Resources, Inc. in Reno, NV.
Contact Information
Email: randy@abaris.com
Phone: +1 (909) 626-2600 x124
Fernando V. Ricardo was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1965. He graduated as an aeronautical engineer at Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica (ITA) in 1989. After his graduation he started his professional career as an airworthiness engineer at DAC, Brazilian Aeronautical Authority, in Rio.In 1992, Fernando moved to São Paulo for a position as Director of Maintenance, with SKYJET, a charter airline operating DC-10-30s. Fernando has vast experience in aviation, and has travelled around the world. In 2002 he became sales representative for Heatcon Composite Systems covering Brazil, when his experience with composites began. In 2009 he became Heatcon sales engineer for all of Latin America and in 2011, an Abaris Training instructor. Fernando currently lives in Brasilia, DF, and is responsible for the Heatcon Abaris Latin America Training Center (HAL). Due to his trilingual skills, he is capable of teaching Abaris Training courses in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
Contact Information
Email: abarisbrazil@abaris.com