Team Members & Alliances
Key Team Members
Earle Bidez, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Earle Bidez’s professional experience includes over 15 years as a mechanical engineer with Harbert International and Alabama Power Company. As a Senior Distribution Engineer for Alabama Power Company, Earle was responsible for the design of power distribution systems in both commercial and residential sites. Following his tenure at Alabama Power, he began working with his wife, Martha Bidez, and assumed the title of Vice President and COO of BioEchoes, Inc. Earle holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Degree from Auburn University.
Kathryn M Mergl, Senior Research Engineer
Kathy Mergl has over 28 years experience in the engineering field, with more than 20 of those years functioning as a project engineer in both office and field environments around the world. More recently her research has focused on consumer products safety research, ANSI compliance, and litigation support, particularly in the transportation sector. Kathy is an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, American Society of Safety Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). In 2003, she served as chair of the SWE National Conference with an attendance of over 4,000 people. Prior to joining BioEchoes, Kathy worked for Fluor Technology, Inc. and Rust Engineers / Raytheon E & C / Washington Group International. She holds a B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University and certifications from Saddleback College. She is active in the Birmingham, Alabama community – chairing the development of the Chelsea Nature Walk project, encouraging citywide recycling, and volunteering at local botanical gardens.
Donald S Burke III, Senior Research Engineer
Donny Burke has over five years experience in the bioengineering field, making extensive contributions to consumer products safety. Specializing the areas of mishap investigation, injury prevention, information analysis, project conceptualization, planning, and execution, Donny has been published in numerous journals and conference proceedings and has delivered technical presentations around the world. He is currently an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, American Society of Safety Engineers, Biomedical Engineering Society, and the International System Safety Society. He is also the acting treasurer in the Birmingham professional chapter of Engineers without Borders. Donny holds dual B.S. degrees from University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) – Biology with honors and Biomedical Engineering – and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Engineering at UAB.
Key Alliances
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- SAFE Laboratories
- Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance
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