A long time Idaho resident, Steven enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as an aviation armament and avionics technician on Marine rotary wing aircraft. After his honorable discharge, Steven took a job as a federal technician repairing and maintaining UH-60 and AH-64 airframes. Once retired from federal service, Steven attended Boise State University, where he earned his BS in Materials Science and Engineering and became a ceramics engineer at QTI Sensing Solutions, a manufacturer of high precision temperature sensors.

After a brief tenure as an intern, he moved into the R&D department where he oversaw the design and implementation of new ceramic materials to fit the companies cost reduction initiatives. This position also gave him the insight into all stages of the products lifecycle, from initial design through final process evaluation to failure analysis. After QTI’s acquisition in 2019 by Chicago based CTS Corporation, Steven was promoted the an engineering manager position overseeing teams responsible for production and development of new products.

Steve holds a LSSGB and is an AS9100D auditor.