President

Damian P. Yañez

Candidate Experience:

After graduating in 1982 from the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MS&T) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering I took a job as a Mass Properties Engineer at McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company in St. Louis, MO working on the Space Shuttle and a wide variety of missile, space and defense systems.  I subsequently completed my Master of Science degree in Engineering Mechanics from MS&T in 1991.  Through 24 years of company restructuring and a merger with The Boeing Company, I had the great fortune to work on the entire spectrum of aerospace products from small handheld combat weapon systems to manned and unmanned fighter jets, commercial aircraft, laser communications, hypersonic vehicles, etc.  During this time, I also created and managed the construction and operation of two mass properties measurements laboratories through which we verified the weight, CG, moments, and products of inertia of a wide range of complete vehicles and subsystems.

In 2000, three Boeing colleagues and I created a concept for a process management software to help streamline and improve product development projects.  With Boeing’s help we developed our concept into a commercial package and in 2005 spun-out our invention as our own company, Procelerate Technologies, Inc. in which I acted as Vice President of Products and Services.  After operating on our own for 5 years, we sold the company to a larger software company, and I continued in my role there till 2015 as the principal consultant for our aerospace and automotive customers such as NASA, DARPA, Nissan, Chrysler etc.

In 2015, I had the opportunity to return to my Mass Properties roots at Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation where I have combined my engineering and software experience to develop new tools for automating and managing mass properties calculations across multiple database systems.  I am also working with the next generation of MPE’s to pass along my experience.

Candidate Society Activities:

I am the current SAWE International President.  Since joining SAWE in 1982 (before I even knew what an MPE was) I have been passionate about creating tools that simplify and accelerate mass properties computations and improve the accuracy of our predictions.  Wherever possible I have shared my work with others in the SAWE through papers and presentations at the local and international level.  As part of the St. Louis Chapter, I acted as Director, President, Vice President and Handbook Committee Chairman where we created the first digitally formatted version.  Upon moving to Gulfstream, I acted as the Director of the Southeast Region Chapter, and I am once again leading a new effort to update the SAWE Handbook.  In 2020 I was honored with the title of SAWE Fellow and am actively supporting the Mass Properties Engineering Certification Committee.

Platform:

I would like the opportunity to continue my efforts as your current SAWE President to invigorate our Society and ensure that we successfully transition our knowledge to the next generation of Mass Properties Engineers.  I feel this can best be accomplished by actively working with our Chapters to give them the information and resources to grow their memberships.  I will also continue to work with our SAWE leadership team and company partners to help elevate the status of Mass Properties Engineering as a unique and critical discipline.