Meet the Team

Board of Directors

Todd Prusha CVM President

Todd comes to us from Kirkwood Community college after 34 years working in public education . Todd's experience leading teams to identifying community needs towards creating affordable, accessible, quality training and degree programs, will be leveraged as we continue to grow Cedar Valley Makers as an incredible community resource.

Pete Lilja - CVM Vice President

& Shop Manager

Pete Lilja is a retired Waterloo Firefighter, so brings safety and organizational skills to the makerspace. A longtime maker of things. Pete's interests are varied and hobbies have been many: from high powered rockets and high altitude balloons to fly fishing the activities always have a component to making in them. He enjoys looking for a new skill to develop and something new to make.

Michael Hoffman - CVM Treasurer

Michael Hoffman has a BS in Management and Finance and a Masters of Business Administration. Work experience includes human resource management, project management, and risk management. Michael has a long list of maker projects and interests, which include programming, digital design, CNC, 3dprinting, woodworking, metal shop, and welding, and loves to help others create.

Nicholas Pfeiffer - CVM Secretary

Nick joined CVM in 2019. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a B.S in Mechanical Engineering. He is currently an Engine Application Engineer at John Deere where he has been employed since 2011. Nick learned many hands-on skills at a young age by working with his father who was a part time contractor and cabinet maker. Those skills have now developed into hobbies that benefit greatly from the tools available at CVM.

Mohammed Albasri - Board Member

Mohammed is a recent graduate of the Electrical Engineering Technology program at UNI. He comes to us with initiative, skill and a passion for making. He has been a great resource on shop automation projects, and ideas on how to make CVM a better resource for the community.

MacKenzie Koth- Board Member

Mackenzie joined CVM in early 2021. She currently works as a New Product Development Engineer at John Deere with a focus on chassis wiring harness design. She grew up in Florida and did simple wood working projects with her father, which influenced her desire to become a mechanical engineer. Her hobbies include digital design, wood working, cycling, and traveling.

Dave McKeown - Board Member

Dave is enjoying retirement after a long career in software development and electrical engineering, and he brings his talent to Cedar Valley Makers troubleshooting and installing systems and helping with workshops and events:

Education:

Hawkeye Institute of Technology Associate Degree in Electronics Engineering Technology Wartburg College Bachelors of Arts Degree in Computer Science

Experience: Sperry Univac Computer - Technician

John Deere - Electrician

General Dynamics - Avionics Software Engineer

Tandy Research and Development - Diagnostic Software Engineer

Automation Systems and Controls - Controls Engineer

Warren Transport - Director of Software Development

Sara Smith - Board Member

Long before the term “makers” described those of us who like to make all kinds of things, Sara was using the Childcraft series of the Encyclopedia Britannica set to learn how to make things. Specially, the appropriately titled “Make and Do” book. This led her to degrees at UNI for arts, teaching, and technology. While at UNI she taught in the graphic technology program for 15 years. Currently she teaches at Hawkeye Community College in the Adult Education and Literacy program. At the Makerspace, Sara especially likes to focus on the Cricut, lasers, and learning more about wood construction. She has a very broad range of interests and experience with materials and techniques, from painting to sewing and much more. She definitely likes to help others learn about trying out new techniques and strategies for making things.