We are pleased to welcome Ajay D. Padsalgikar, Technical Director at Biolinq Incorporated, as a newly elected board member of the Society of Plastics Engineers – Medical Plastics Division. Ajay brings decades of expertise in polyurethane chemistry, morphology, and processing for medical devices, with experience across global organizations including Huntsman Polyurethanes, AorTech Biomaterials, Abbott Labs, and DSM Biomedical. He currently leads material solutions for biosensor technologies at Biolinq. With more than 30 scientific publications, 10 patents, and two books focused on medical plastics, Ajay combines deep technical knowledge with innovation leadership. We look forward to his contributions to advancing the medical plastics community.

Gregorio Manuel Vélez-García, PhD, Process Scientist at Zeus Industrial Products Inc., brings nearly 20 years of industrial and academic experience spanning pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, plastics manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and medical devices. An active SPE member since 2001, he has contributed to MPD’s Membership and Communications Committees and helped strengthen member engagement. With senior roles at Edwards Lifesciences, Stryker, and Zeus, Gregorio combines deep technical expertise with a passion for knowledge sharing and advancing innovation within the medical plastics community.

William Boston Morris, a Polymer Materials Engineer at Siemens Energy, recently completed his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Colorado State University following a bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering. His doctoral research developed thermoplastic elastomer-hydrogel composites, a promising new medical plastic designed to provide hydrophilic low-friction intrinsically to styrenic TPEs, such as SEBS, for medical devices like catheters and soft tissue mimics. 

Will has experience working with a startup commercializing this technology and managed a materials testing lab at his university, where he trained and mentored students. He is currently working as a polymer materials engineer at Siemens Energy, developing wear resistant, filled polymer composites and conducting polymer failure analysis.

We are excited to announce that Joanne Moody, Principal Consultant at Zeta Scientific LLC, has been elected as a board member of the Society of Plastics Engineers – Medical Plastics Division. Joanne brings more than 25 years of medical device industry experience and is widely recognized for her expertise in adhesives, plastics bonding, and joint design challenges. Through Zeta Scientific, she supports organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies, helping teams overcome development barriers and bring innovative products to market. Joanne has played an active leadership role within SPE MPD, including supporting the Minnesota MiniTec conference and strengthening member engagement. We are excited to continue benefiting from her technical leadership, collaborative spirit, and commitment to growing the medical plastics community.

Please join us in welcoming Chris Konitzer, Managing Director at MediPlas Market Development Group, as a newly elected board member.

The MediPlas Market Development Group provides market and technical insights in the healthcare materials sector. He has previous experience at Avient and Dow Corning/Dow Chemical. Chris has 20+ years of experience in Marketing, Business Strategy, Business Development, and Sales. He thoroughly enjoys building new relationships, which fuels his passion for collaboration. Chris has served on the SPE-MPD Board of Directors as Sponsorship Chair for the past 3 years, doubling sponsorship support for MiniTec each year. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA with an emphasis in International Business Development and Marketing.