Mr. Widener is a Mechanical Engineer with 40+ years of experience in thermal and fluid systems. He graduated with highest honors with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1981. He began his career at General Electric’s Nuclear Energy division in San Jose, CA, where he took rotating assignments as an Edison Engineer. He earned a MSME degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 1984, and subsequently transferred to GE’s Aircraft Engines division (now GE Aviation) in Evendale, OH, where he developed gas turbine combustion systems as an aerothermal specialist. He was the aerothermal lead engineer for the GE YF120 engine, GE’s competitor engine for the Advanced Tactical Fighter program for the USAF. In 1990, he took a position at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, TX, where he developed low-emission diesel engines and other specialized reciprocating engine designs. In 2001, Mr. Widener returned to General Electric, at the Power Systems division (now GE Energy) in Greenville, SC. He developed low-emission combustion systems for stationary gas turbines for eight years, then became a Systems Integration Leader for next-generation gas turbine systems, including GE’s 9HA and 7HA turbine projects. He led GE’s New Technology Integration (NTI) projects and was the Technology Integration Leader for GE’s high-hydrogen combustion system project funded by the US Department of Energy. He retired from GE in November 2018, and now pursues a consulting career in energy-efficient systems.

University of California, Berkeley
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1984

University of Texas at Austin
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1981