During the Spring Governance Meetings on March 22, 2025 the ABET Board of Delegates, which is comprised of representatives from each of ABET’s 34 member societies, elected three officers to the Board of Directors.
Charles Menke, M.S., was named as the 2025-26 ABET president-elect. Bob Schmidt, M.S., was named the 2025-26 Board of Directors’ secretary and Ellayne Ganzfried, M.S., was re-elected for a second term as public director.
Learn more about these officers before they are inaugurated during the Fall Governance Meetings later this year:
Charles “Charlie” Menke, M.S., has 35 years of experience with Caterpillar Inc., a Fortune 100 corporation and the world’s largest construction equipment manufacturer. Charlie is currently the product development services director at Caterpillar. In the role, he’s responsible for enterprise processes and tools related to product lifecycle, risk, cost and project management. In addition, he is applying Generative Al to mature processes to improve efficiency, velocity and quality. Previously, Charlie led facility operations and test engineering at the Caterpillar’s Peoria Proving Ground facility and quality management for the Earthmoving business unit, which includes ten manufacturing operations worldwide.
After joining Caterpillar in 1990, Charlie spent 15 years in design of construction and forest equipment in Aurora, IL. He relocated to Peoria, IL in 2005 and held several leadership positions in Caterpillar’s applied research department. In 2008, he became manager of Caterpillar’s drivetrain laboratory, with responsibilities for operations and test engineering. Since 2010, he has been leading machine validation at Caterpillar with responsibility for proving ground operations and test engineering at multiple facilities in the U.S. and China. He led validation efforts for Caterpillar’s Tier 4 emission compliant new product introductions, and, most recently, he led the Earthmoving business unit to historic best-quality levels.
Charlie is past-chair of ABET’s Industry Advisory Council where he also served as a member from2009 to 2019. He is currently serving his second term as at-large director, with appointments to the Finance Committee and IAC Board liaison. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Marquette University and a master’s in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a member of SAE International and the American Society for Quality. Charlie lives in the Peoria, IL area with his family. His hobbies include boating and golf.
Robert E. Schmidt, M.S., PLS, retired from Norwich University as director of institutional research and effectiveness and professor of architecture and civil engineering in 2011. Robert spent his career in both industry and academia. He started his career as a field engineer for the Vermont Department of Transportation before serving in the U.S. Army. He led R.E. Schmidt Surveys, offering property and topographic surveys, while holding faculty positions at Vermont Technical College and Gaston College before beginning his 30-year tenure at Norwich University.
A committed volunteer with ABET since 1978, Schmidt has held numerous leadership roles, including chair of the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC), member of the ABET Board of Delegates and member of the Governance, Audit, Finance and Nominating Committees. Beyond ABET, Schmidt has been actively involved with the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), contributing to exam development and program criteria revisions.
Ellayne S. Ganzfried, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist. She is a clinical associate professor and the director of the Speech, Language and Hearing Center at Pace University. Ellayne is also the director of the Office of Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice in the College of Health Professions at Pace University. Ellayne was the former executive director of the National Aphasia Association. She has her own consulting company, E&I Associates, Inc. and is a consultant for rehabilitation and not-for profit organizations. She is past president of the NYS Speech Language Hearing Association (NYSSLHA), Long Island Speech Language Hearing Association (LISHA) and the Council of State Association Presidents for Speech Language Pathology and Audiology (CSAP).
Ellayne is a Fellow of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (NAP). She is chair-elect of the NAP Speech-Language Pathology Academy. Ellayne was a site visitor for ASHA’s Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) and a practitioner member of the CAA for four years. She has recently been elected to serve as an academic member of the CAA starting in 2025. Ellayne served as the public commissioner for the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Council of ABET from 2010-2020. She is currently serving as the public director on ABET’s Board of Directors.
Ellayne has created and managed several speech, hearing and rehabilitation programs in New York and Massachusetts. She has been involved with interprofessional education and interprofessional practices throughout her career. She is the co-author of the book “The Word Escapes Me- Voices of Aphasia.” Ellayne has written articles and presented regionally, nationally and internationally on a variety of topics including aphasia, communication, rehabilitation, accreditation and leadership skills.