The WACKER ACADEMY Team of Instructors
The WACKER ACADEMY team is available all over the world to further your professional development. We offer customized seminars and education solutions for your business needs – in theory and practice, and in keeping with the state of the art. Our certified instructors and moderators will share their knowledge, bringing to bear their curiosity, expertise and comprehensive understanding of new trends and markets.
Instructors at the WACKER ACADEMY of the USA (Ann Arbor, Allentown and Dalton)
Dr. Daniel Calimente
After working with PPG Industries and BASF Corporation, Dr. Daniel Calimente joined WACKER in 2011 as a Technical Manager. He is currently the Technical Marketing Manager for Industrial Coatings and Plastics. He has also been involved in other market segments such as Oil & Gas. Daniel attended Wayne State University where he received his PhD in Organic Chemistry and also completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Sienna Gerdeman
Sienna is a Chemist for the Personal Care market segment. She is responsible for formulating personal care prototypes as well as application testing and providing technical support to customers in North America. Sienna holds a BSPS in Cosmetic Science and Formulation Designs with a Minor in Chemistry and Business Administration from the University of Toledo.
Chelsea Grimm
Starting at WACKER in 2015 after working at Ashland Chemical for seven years, Chelsea is currently a Chemist in the Personal Care market segment. She provides technical support to customers, production and Sales Managers, formulates products and prototypes for the personal care industry and does application testing for hair, skin and color cosmetics. Chelsea attended Marshall University in West Virginia where she received a BS in Chemistry.
Dr. Linrong Gu
Lingrong (Linna) joined WACKER right after completing a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Clemson University in South Carolina. She is the Technical Manager for the Pulp and Industrial defoamers Business Team SPI responsible for developing new defoaming and antifoaming products to various industries. Linna also has a MS in Polymers Chemistry and Physics and a BS in Chemistry from Zhejiang University in China.
Christine Klingler
Christine, a Chemist in the Release Coatings Team, joined WACKER in 2012. She is responsible for technical customer support and product development. Christine holds a BS in Biology from Hillsdale College. Before joining WACKER, she spent five years at Dow Chemical working as a Manufacturing and Process Support Analytical Chemist.
Dan Mania
Dan is the senior applications chemist for Sealants and Adhesives responsible for developing formulations and applications with both SMP hybrids and RTV-1 silicones. He has also worked in the Polymers division at WACKER, is Lean Six Sigma Certified and does the Minitab 17 DOE training for his team. He holds four degrees: an MS in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi; a BSc in Mathematics, a BSc in Polymers and Coatings and a BSc in General Biology, all from Eastern Michigan University.
John McClurken
John is currently the Senior Application, Development and Technical Service (ADTS) Chemist for the Carpet Team responsible for ADTS for U.S. carpet customers and the WACKER ACADEMIES in Dalton, GA. He joined WACKER in 1997 after spending 15 years at Reichold Chemicals and 7 years at Dow Chemicals. John holds a BS in Chemistry and a BS in Biology both from Winthrop University.
Steve Patton
Steve is the Technical Manager responsible for supporting Personal Care customers in the NCA region. He started with WACKER in 2005, and has previously held the roles of Chemist in the Home Care market segment, Process Chemist for silicone fluids and emulsions, and Production Supervisor for silicone rubber. Steve holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University.
Norman Riley
Beginning his career with Wacker in 1984, Norm served in technical roles for companies such as Wacker, Applied Silicone, Rhodia, Inc. and Bluestar Silicones over the 31 years that followed. He rejoined WACKER in 2015 as Technical Manager in Silicone Rubber responsible for providing technical service and training to silicone rubber fabricators and end-users as well as formulation and applications development for LSR and HCR. Norm attended California Lutheran University and holds a BA in Organic Chemistry.
Tim Rummel
Joining WACKER in 2012 as a Technical Manager in the Release Coatings Division, Tim brought 13 years of experience with him in the market. He is responsible for providing broad technical support to all WACKER label and liner release coating customers in North and Central America and to develop innovative new products for new and existing markets. Tim has an MBA from Wayne State University as well as a BS in Paper Science and a BS in Chemistry from Western Michigan University.
George Tessier
George is the Technical Service Manager for Wacker Chemical Corporation’s Construction Polymers Business Unit – Americas. George has been with WACKER since September 2009 and has more than 38 years of experience in the construction chemicals industry. George manages a Team of Chemists and Technicians in the Allentown facility responsible for the technical support of WACKER POLYMERS customers throughout North America. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry from the University of Vermont. He came to WACKER from BASF where he was the Group Leader for Cementitious Products & EIFS. Previously, he was the R&D Manager for Harris Specialty Chemicals/Thoro Systems.