About Us

Jean Hoppert was a Technical Director at Masterfoods USA, before retiring in October 2003. Her experiences include 34 years in manufacturing and engineering with three different companies in seven different locations with extensive experience with new product startups. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master in Business Administration from Xavier in Cincinnati. 

Jean also holds Professional Engineer registration in Nevada, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Jean is a fellow of the Society of Women Engineers, and is a member of the SWE Las Vegas Valley Section. In 2005, Jean started FIRST Nevada to promote STEAM programs in Las Vegas and Nevada and currently serves on the Board. Her current volunteer work focuses on providing the FIRST and STEAM programs for Nevada.

For 34 years, Dr. Dixon performed research and was a technical manager in a variety of energy, non-proliferation and environmental programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory. During his career at Los Alamos, some of Dr. Dixon’s early research efforts have included the development of atom-level chemical separation techniques for Pu, Tc, Np, U and I from organic and inorganic materials, natural analog studies for nuclear wastes disposal and nuclear forensics. Dr. Dixon was the natural science technical manager on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal project from 1997 to 2009, before he became the Deputy Director of the Civilian Nuclear Program Office at Los Alamos National Laboratory. As Deputy Director, he led the Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management Program for US Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, served on the advisory team to the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management Technology Development Office on the robotics and test bed developmental activities, was a founding core member of the Environmental Management National Laboratory Network, oversaw the LANL work supporting the Hanford tanks disposition and closure ended his working career as the science advisor to the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission on nuclear waste disposal in Isreal. Dr. Dixon is a member of the American Chemical Society and American Nuclear Society, and he currently serves as the chairman of Clark County Nevada Wildlife Advisory Board. Dr. Dixon has been involved in FIRST FRC robotics for 18 years and currently serves as the Judge Advisor Las Vegas Regional. Dr. Dixon holds a Bachelors of Arts degrees in geology and chemistry from Albion College, and both a masters and doctorate degree in geochemistry from Yale University. In 2014 Dr. Dixon was honored as Albion Colleges Distinguished Alumni of the Year. Since his retirement in 2023, Dr. Dixon continues to consult as a senior science advisor for Los Alamos National Laboratory and the US Department of Energy Environmental Management office.

A lifelong resident of Nevada, Stacey currently holds the position of Director of Finance & Accounting/Chief Financial Officer at Mission Support and Test Services. In her current role, Stacey provides financial leadership to the organization while enabling mission operations at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Beginning her career as a college intern, she has spent over 22 years working on the NNSS contract and has held various leadership roles in Finance, Accounting and Project Management.

Stacey holds a Bachelor of Science Business Administration, Accounting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She also holds a Project Management Professional certification and is a member of the local chapter of Project Management Institute. During her tenure with the NNSS, Stacey has been integral in establishing a partnership between the UNLV Lee Business School and MSTS and has been successful in establishing numerous student internship opportunities and mentoring partnerships between the organizations. Stacey and her husband currently live in Las Vegas and have four daughters.

Dee Frewert is passionate about technology innovation and social entrepreneurship in education. She is a strategic customer success executive at Oracle Corporation. Her community and education activities heavily leverages her field and implementation experience supporting Fortune 100 companies. Frewert received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, one of a few women who graduated from the Industrial Distribution Management program. Seeing a greater need to drive education excellence, she received her Master’s degree in Education in Technology from Lesley University, and her Education doctorate in leadership, management and human resources at Drexel University. She actively supports youth in an array of educational programs and also chairs the Western Nevada College Computer-IT Advisory Board. It is no surprise that Dee Frewert’s background in business and technology has translated to supporting her community through STEM educational programs. Passionate about giving back and bettering her community, her work with not-for-profit organizations has brought her noteworthy success. She has created sustainable programs such as A Cubed (A3), a youth STEM education program that earned her a national VOYA (ING) Unsung Heroes award, and partnered with UC Davis to establish the Youth Science Institute (YSI) program at TERC. She brought the international FIRST Robotics programs to northern Nevada to enable nearly a thousand local students to immerse themselves in academic and competitive challenges each year. The Girl Scouts recognized her in the 2014 Triumphant Awards for her leadership in STEM. She is ardent about creating life-changing opportunities for youth and developing lasting partnerships with companies and organizations. An active member of the Society of Women Engineers, Partners for Community, Optimist International and the Experimental Aircraft Association, she has delivered numerous STEM programs involving K-12 robotics, aviation, aerospace, environmental science, and supported student leadership projects and student mentor programs at UNR and across northern Nevada. She was on Microsoft’s International Women’s Day 2015 Panel; and most recently, she received the 2016 Las Vegas FRC Volunteer of the Year Award.

Calum has recently completed his mandate as Chief Operating Officer for SGPS/ShowRig one of the leading staging, rigging and automation providers to the entertainment industry. Founded in 1974 by industry entrepreneur Eric Pearce, the company has engineered and manufactured innovative solutions for the largest music tours, festivals and movie shoots for over 50 years. This brought Calum full circle back to his roots, helming creative options in building elaborate sets, flying rigs and stages for clients such as KISS, Motley Crue, Post Malone, Universal, Warner Bros, Sony and multiple others.

Until mid 2024, Calum was the EVP for Illuminarium Experiences, the world leading, vibrant provider of live immersive multi-media shows from visionaries Alan Greenberg and Chris Renaud, partnered with Radical Media and the Rockwell Group. The desire to create a VR style experience that can be shared without the use of isolating headsets, led this small group of disruptors to build several permanent venues across North America.

Calum previously helmed operations for Cirque du Soleil’s resident shows worldwide for 15 years. Most recently as Vice President of Operations, managing all theatre shows for the company across the US as well as international productions in Japan, Macau Madrid and Moscow. With over 30 years of operations and management experience in the entertainment industry, Calum brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership skills to the best in live entertainment.

Prior to joining Cirque du Soleil, Calum spent 16 years touring with well known music productions including Bon Jovi and Van Halen, and family acts such as Disney on Ice. He progressed his responsibilities over the years from Lead Rigger, to Technical Director and Production Manager.

Calum, a native of England, and his wife Cory, have two college age sons and live in Las Vegas.

Matthew is the Las Vegas Mapping Lead Engineer with the autonomous vehicle development company Motional.  He is an alumnus of Northern AZ University and the University of Utah and was an adjunct professor with the Nevada System of Higher Education for 10 years.  His experience includes 25+ years of continuously evolving experience providing technical and managerial support to a wide range of environmental and engineering projects. He has been involved with FIRST NV for over 17 years.

A lifelong resident of Las Vegas, NV.  Stephen joined the family business, Bearing Belt Chain Co. Inc., in 1971, at the age of 19.  He ran the organization for 37 years until retiring as president in 2008.  Stephen is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Power Transmission Distributors Association for his service on their board of directors and education foundation.  He was a thirty year member of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Henderson Chamber of Commerce, Nevada Development Authority and Henderson Development Authority.  Stephen served 8 years on the Clark County School District Bond Oversight Committee during which 40 schools were planned and built.  He serves on the board of directors of FIRST NV, a non-profit organization promoting the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics programs for K through 12 schools in Nevada.  He is a mentor/sponsor of award winning FIRST Robotics Team 987 at Cimarron-Memorial High School and numerous other teams in the Southwest.  He is also an active supporter of the College of Engineering at UNLV.  Stephen continues to follow his passion for motorsports, wine, and cooking.  Along with his wife Susan, he continues to travel around the world.

Patricia Rodriguez is the Director of Energy Services Optimization at NV Energy where she leads a diverse team responsible for the company’s integrated  energy efficiency, demand response, clean energy and transportation electrification programs, using technology and innovation to encourage customers to optimize energy use. Patricia joined NV Energy in 2005 as a student intern engineer.

Her experience in the company spans major projects, testimony with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, distribution planning, demand side management and resource planning. Passionate about youth development and ensuring diverse students have access and opportunities to energy careers, Patricia also contributes her time to recruiting, hiring and mentoring engineering students through NV Energy’s student internship program.

Patricia earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from UNLV. She serves on the NV Energy Foundation committee, The Children’s Discovery Museum board and the SWEEP board. Patricia enjoys spending time with her three kids, playing basketball, running and doing Zumba.

Tricia Dutcher was born in California but moved to Nevada in 2001 after completed her bachelor’s in science at California State University Monterey Bay.  She received her Master’s and Doctorate degrees at University Nevada Las Vegas in environmental science with a focus on policy, environmental history, and sociology of environmental movements. While living in Las Vegas, she worked as an interpretive ranger with the Bureau of Land Management at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, with the US Forest Service at Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, and at Lake Mead with the Public Lands Institute.  She also taught a variety of courses at UNLV over the span of her stay there, covering environmental science, environment and development, and climate change. The underlying theme to these experiences is a passion for science education. When she moved to Northern Nevada, she spent 3 years as a high school science teacher in Fernley, bringing her experiences in field work to the classroom.

Tricia has also worked with local and state governments and policy. She worked with the Sierra Club in Clark County to develop single stream recycling and the Renewable Portfolio Standards for the state. She worked with the Nevada Department of Wildlife to educate residents across the state about wildlife management policies and mitigate urban wildlife issues. She now works as a policy analyst and community programs manager at Redwood Materials where she helps educate the public, industry, and policymakers alike about circular supply chains for batteries. True to her passion for education, she also helped develop a classroom program to illustrate the concepts of a circular supply chain for kids.

As Chief of Staff within the Nevada National Security Sites’ (NNSS) Office of the President, Brent Baker serves as an integrator, collaborating regularly with executive team members, directorate leaders, the NNSS’ federal oversight partners of the Nevada Field Office and the National Nuclear Security Administration, and management and operating company Mission Support and Test Services’ Board of Managers.

In his role, Baker helps determine and prioritize business strategies; improve teamwork; determine key performance indicators and measurements; and deliver, monitor and communicate progress toward goals. He also provides the president and other senior leaders with insight on—and analysis of—the company’s operations. Additionally, Baker oversees Counterintelligence, Internal Audit, the Office of Protocol and Visits, and the Department of Energy Employee Concerns Program.

Prior to joining the NNSS in 2019 as the Senior Manager of Talent Management, Baker was the head of recruiting for KATERRA, an international, technology-driven offsite construction company.
Baker began his recruiting career leading regional recruiting efforts for Bradley-Morris, a firm specializing in placing transitioning military service members into the corporate sector. From there, he held various corporate and agency recruiting leadership roles, including the regional recruiting lead role for Booz Allen Hamilton, a management and information technology consulting firm. Baker also managed global talent acquisition for the cybersecurity software company Websense (Forcepoint), a Vista portfolio company acquired by Raytheon, and built and led the internal recruiting practice at Vista Equity Partners, overseeing executive placement and recruitment best practices for the Vista portfolio of companies.

Before his work in recruiting, Baker commissioned as a U.S. Army Aviation Officer in 1996. Following U.S. Army flight school at Fort Novosel, Ala., Baker posted to the 2-227th Aviation Battalion at Fort Cavazos and deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina as a Lieutenant with the NATO-led Stabilization Force. Upon graduation from the Combined Logistics Captains Career Course at Fort Gregg-Adams, Baker posted to the Southern European Task Force (SETAF) as a Captain in Vicenza, Italy. There, he planned and oversaw multinational exercises within Europe, Asia and northern Africa and served as the SETAF operations executive officer. Baker resigned his commission in 2004 and relocated to Austin, Texas.

Baker graduated with honors from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His spouse, Amee, is the manager of women’s services at Southern Hills Hospital, and their son is pursuing dual degrees at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. They reside in Las Vegas, where Baker actively volunteers with the West Point Field Force to identify and recruit highly qualified high school students and other Nevadans to attend his alma mater, helping to shape the next generation of the nation’s leaders

Shawne Beaulac is an accomplished automation manufacturing engineering manager with more than 25 years of experience driving operational excellence, quality improvement, and people development in high-volume automotive and advanced manufacturing environments. Holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario. His expertise spans body-in-white, die casting, machining, battery pack, and drive unit assembly operations, with a strong emphasis on controls automation engineering, robotics, sustainable processes, and building high-performing teams. Shawne joined Tesla Motors Inc. in 2017 and currently leads quality operations for Drive Unit and Battery Module/Pack at the Gigafactory Nevada main factory. His responsibilities include factory quality, Metrology, Calibration, Material Review Board, Materials Lab Engineering, and Training teams.   Throughout his career at Tesla, Honda, and Toyota, Shawne has combined deep technical knowledge in automation and robotics with a consistent focus on mentoring, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement. He has delivered measurable gains in output, quality, and reliability across global manufacturing organizations, consistently improving efficiencies while developing capable, educated and engaged teams.