Meet Our Expert Instructors

AnnMarie joins the AJAC team with over 20 years of experience in teaching. She has owned and operated her own piano repair and tuning business, where she grew to love working with her hands and with tools. She also operated her own accounting and tax preparation business and is an Enrolled Agent. As an avid ASA-trained sailor and PADI-certified divemaster, AnnMarie has lived on a boat for 25 years, sailed over 10k nautical miles, and completed several major boat repair and maintenance projects. AnnMarie is certified as an instructor in Heartsaver CPR/First Aid/AED and Forklift training and she has taught a wide variety of subjects, including piano repair and maintenance, culinary arts, bookkeeping, tax preparation, SCUBA diving, piano, saxophone, and music theory.

As a lifelong learner, AnnMarie proudly graduated from the AJAC Manufacturing Academy in December, 2023.  Being in the class re-ignited her passion for working with precision tools, machines, and blueprints. She is thrilled to be an AJAC Manufacturing Instructor and is driven to help Washington residents find a fulfilling career in the manufacturing world.

Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, my journey to the Pacific Northwest started, as so many did with the booming aircraft industry of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. My father was a machinist and retired after 40+ years on the job. Having seen firsthand what opportunities and possibilities machining and manufacturing could result in I was naturally was drawn to it. I began my path to machining through an internship/pre-apprenticeship program in high school where I was introduced to Blueprints, CNC programming, Milling, Precision measuring, composite materials and LEAN practices. An experience that would light the fire to pursue my craft and career in manufacturing.

I’ve had the fortune of working in a few different fields of manufacturing in my 25+yrs in the field. From the plastic industries to machining metals and aerospace work, I’ve done mold making, thermoforming, designing, prototyping, mass production, and custom work. Designing and building products that range from point of sale displays and phone holders to custom interior work on multimillion-dollar yachts, displays for museum exhibits, heavy metal construction and infrastructure equipment and advanced aerospace components.

Most recently I was given the opportunity to join AJAC as an instructor and pass some knowledge to the next generation looking to join the manufacturing field. I have always enjoyed teaching and showing those interested in this craft what the possibilities are and where they can take you.

With over 30 years of experience in the manufacturing industry, I bring a deep, hands-on understanding of industrial processes from the shop floor to executive operations. I began my career through an apprenticeship degree in industrial coatings, which laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to education.

My early career included work at McDonnell Douglas, where I specialized in coating military aircraft, followed by advanced coatings work on high-end super yachts. As my commitment to continued education grew, my career naturally progressed into leadership roles, advancing through management, department management, and ultimately operations management. In these roles, I was responsible for overseeing production, developing teams, improving efficiency, and ensuring high standards across manufacturing operations.  

I have brought my industry experience full circle by transitioning into college-level instruction within an apprenticeship setting. Eight years ago, I began my teaching career at Everett Community college, where I developed and piloted the institutions first industrial coating course. In my Current role, serving as an apprenticeship preparation instructor is my way of reinvesting in the manufacturing community that provided the foundation for my professional success.

Lai joins AJAC with over 8 years of experience as a machinist within the aerospace industry. During which, he completed the Machinist (Aircraft Oriented) apprenticeship hosted by AJAC. He is returning to AJAC as a Manufacturing Academy Instructor after earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in economics from the University of Washington. His studies were focused on business strategy, organizational management, corporate finance, and entrepreneurial development – all of which aided in the successful planning, execution, and management of his own business.

Lai is also an 8-year veteran of the Washington Army National Guard where he had participated in multiple state active-duty missions and has led teams in various construction missions throughout Kuwait and Western Iraq.

Steven joins AJAC with 25 years of Machining experience. He grew up in the Yakima Valley and graduated from Sunnyside High School. He followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and became a machinist earning his Machining Degree from Perry Technical Institute. Steven interned at A&B Plastics in their Tool & Die shop. Upon graduating he accepted a position at Genie Industries in Moses Lake as a Tooling Machinist. He made fixtures for Machining Centers and Weldment Fixtures for the production floor.

Steven eventually made his way back to Yakima to work for the Plastics company he interned with A&B Plastics, now Pexco Aerospace. Steven worked there for the next 17 years starting out as a Machinist working his way up to a Tool & Die maker and eventually the Machine Shop Supervisor. In 2020, Steven went out on his own and opened his own shop. He is excited about the opportunity to pass on some of the knowledge that he has learned over his career.

Troy comes to AJAC with over 30 years of Journeyman Machinist experience.  His background includes using conventional lathes and mills, CNC lathes and mills, precision grinding equipment, welding, as well as precision inspection equipment, and many other general machine shop equipment.  Troy specializes in prototype parts, research and development, tooling, and numerous high tolerance repair situations, along with years of production experience.

Troy learned machining first-hand while working with his Dad and other peers at Precision Engineering Inc. for 7 years.  He then went to Flow International Inc. for 20 years and specialized in high-pressure waterjet systems and LEAN Manufacturing.  After that, Troy started a machine shop of his own making high quality, tight tolerance, precision parts for local companies which included Blue Origin, Flow International, Quest Integrated, and Glowforge, among many others.  He gained respect of many local companies and vendors, building solid relationships to exceed their expectations, delivering products on time, while learning to run his business successfully for over 7 years.

In January 2018, Troy was hired as an instructor for AJAC’s Manufacturing Academy Pre-Apprenticeship Program.  Troy simply has a passion to pass his knowledge on to others.  His experience by running his own business, working for others, and his ambitious drive, will make him successful in his endeavors to pass on all his skills.  Troy is also certified in CPR / First-Aid / AED, Community Emergency Response Team Training, and the Citizens Police Academy. In March 2023, Troy was promoted to the Youth Pre-Apprenticeship Program Manager.

Priscilla is a proud veteran who served in the USCG as a Avionics Technician and Flight Navigator on Search & Rescue (SAR) missions in Alaska. With more than 4 years’ experience as an Avionics Technician in the military, she is adept in manufacturing, maintenance, electrical, soldering and technological applications and repair. Priscilla’s 2 years of on-the-job training as a Flight Navigation instructor in the military has afforded her a well-rounded skill set to apply to teaching advanced manufacturing.

After leaving the military in 2014, she choose to apply her Avionics Technician and Instruction skills to a career in teaching and contracted with leading aerospace companies in the greater Seattle area as an Aerospace Technical Instructor and Assessor.

In September, 2020, Priscilla was hired as an instructor for AJAC’s Manufacturing Academy Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Priscilla has a passion for teaching and ensures there will always be a safe non-judgmental space in the Manufacturing Academy to facilitate the learning process. Her aircrew and search and rescue experience provided the ideal platform to master working with others under pressure and stress, which will allow her to be successful in her new role with AJAC.  Priscilla also has a Bachelor’s in Health Science and certified in CPR, First-Aid, OSHA 10.

Adan joins the AJAC team with 7 years experience in student recruitment, relationship building and communication strategies. Serving in many roles at Eastern Washington University, his most recent position was a Senior Admissions Advisor. He assist many student from various backgrounds such as: first generation, underrepresented groups, adult learners and more.

Born and raised in Toppenish, WA, Adan is a proud alumnus of Eastern Washington University – earning B.S. in Technology Manufacturing. He also serves on his fraternal Alumni Board as a Regional Director improving processes, policy, and recruitment.