Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
Dr. Ruth D. Jones
Motivational Speaker
Dr. Ruth Jones, a motivational speaker, brings a diverse background that includes leadership, woman in a male dominated field, and community leadership. She has accolades for her work as a Physicist, Woman in STEM, mentor to emerging professionals, and volunteer in underprivileged communities. Dr. Jones, a trailblazer, is the second African American woman in Alabama to earn a Ph. D. in Physics and the first woman to receive a BS in Physics from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
An experienced Physicist/Leader, she has received awards such as Inducted into the Hall of Fame for achievements in Science/Technology, Government Leadership Award, Extraordinary Achievements in Aerospace Engineering and recognized as one of the six Women Succeeding in Male-Dominated Fields. She is the co-author/contributor to the Society of Women Engineers’ first eBook, “Be That Engineer: Inspiration and Insight from Accomplished Women Engineers.” Dr. Ruth is lauded as one of NASA’s Modern Figures. She has 30 years of experience with NASA and has held several leadership roles.
Dr. Ruth has created a LEGACY of giving back to her community, hometown and anyone who crosses her path. She gives back by sharing her experiences, knowledge, advice, mentoring and being a listener. She awards two scholarships to deserving students who are actively involved in her home church, First Baptist Church in West Helena, Arkansas. Dr. Ruth is an advocate for education, especially math and science, and she holds a “Science Day’ at her former schools in West Helena to encourage students to be the BEST no matter where they come from because their upbringings doesn’t determine their destiny! Dr. Ruth is a native of West Helena, Arkansas, but resides in Huntsville, Alabama. Outside of work and spending time with her family, she enjoys being involved in the community, playing tennis, working out, and being instrumental in others’ lives.
Friday, October 24, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
Melanie Lang
Co-Founder and CEO
FormAlloy
Melanie Lang, FormAlloy Co-Founder and CEO, is motivated by developing a disruptive technology to deliver high-value metal components with superior performance. Her passion has manifested into making wave(length)s in metal additive manufacturing since co-founding FormAlloy Technologies, Inc. in 2016. FormAlloy designs and manufactures award-winning directed deposition systems and solutions that can be used to build and repair components for demanding industries.
Prior to FormAlloy, Melanie began her engineering career at Boeing and later spent 14 years in engineering and program management at Lockheed Martin. In 2020, she was named as one of SME’s 20 Exceptional Women in Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing for her focus on opening the design space for multi-material components. She was honored by the Society of Women Engineers with the 2023 Entrepreneur Award. She holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Systems Architecture & Engineering from the University of Southern California. In addition to her role at FormAlloy, Melanie currently serves on the Association of Manufacturing Technology (AMT) Board, and the California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) Board.
Melanie credits her fascination with space since an early age, her enjoyment of math and science, and her affinity to the arts as the driving factors to becoming an engineer. Her desire to pursue a career that would hone her technical skills but allow her creative side to flourish led her to Aerospace Engineering. As a student, Melanie focused on space applications and designs for space tourism vehicles. Early in her professional career she focused on solving challenging technical problems and algorithm development for air defense systems. She quickly learned that as much as she loved the technical side, her favorite element of her career was collaborating with and mentoring people. She became involved with the local chapter of AIAA to lobby for STEM, and experienced the excitement of 3D-printing for the first time.
In 2016, she harnessed her engineering and creative knowledge to co-found FormAlloy which focuses on innovative metal deposition system and solutions. From start-up to growth mode, FormAlloy under Melanie’s leadership has won numerous awards and recognitions including:
- Most Innovative Product for Defense and Cybersecurity
- Project Entrepreneur
- RAPID + TCT Innovation Audition Winner
- Women in 3D-Printing Innovation Award Finalists
- 20 Exceptional Women in Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing,
- San Diego’s 40 under 40
- Top 5 startups in Additive Manufacturing
Melanie resides in San Diego with her husband, three daughters, and a dog named “cowboy”. Outside of 3D-printing and spending time with her family, she enjoys staying involved in the community, playing music, running, and being a “dance mom”.
Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT
Thy Tran
Vice President of Global Frontend Procurement
Micron, Technology, Inc.
Thy Tran, Vice President of Global Frontend Procurement at Micron Technology, Inc., recently transitioned from her prior role as VP of DRAM Process Integration where she led a global team in the US and Asia to drive DRAM technology development and transfer into high-volume manufacturing fabs. She has over 30 years of semiconductor experience working in the US, Europe, and Asia, including two semiconductor fab startups.
Ms. Tran joined Micron in 2008 and led several DRAM module development programs including Advanced Capacitor, Metallization, and Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) integration before taking on the DRAM Process Integration node leadership role for several generations. Her technical contribution has been integral to Micron’s DRAM Technology Development Roadmap and played a significant role in helping Micron achieve DRAM technology leadership. Prior to Micron, Ms. Tran worked on Logic and SRAM technologies at Motorola, Inc. and SRAM at WaferTech, LLC. At Siemens, AG., which later spun off to Infineon and Qimonda, AG. she held several leadership roles in DRAM technology development transfer, and manufacturing.
Ms. Tran graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. She is a recent alumnus of the Stanford Graduate School of Business’s Executive Program and the McKinsey Executive Leadership Program. She is a senior member of IEEE, member of the Society of Women Engineers, and serves as a Strategic Advisory board member for the University of Washington’s Electrical and Computer Engineering department, International Semiconductor Executive Summit, and Mercado Global. She is a recipient of Global Semiconductor Alliance’s 2023 Rising Women of Influence award.
