AMANDA PACE
NDT Process Engineer, Jedco Inc.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI
CAN YOU TELL ME HOW YOU FIRST
BECAME INVOLVED IN NDT?
I was a banker first, and then I
went to school for nursing. When
COVID hit, I quickly realized that
nursing is not for me. But I did like
the technology side.
I had been working on and
off for a casting house as a visual
inspector, so I knew what NDT
was, but I didn’t have a lot of
hands-on experience.
There was a posting
for a small investment
house, and that’s
where I learned
RT (radiographic
testing) and PT
(liquid penetrant
testing). Within
the first month
of doing
that, I thought “wow, this is incred-
ible.” I absolutely love doing this
every day, even if it is challenging
work. I’m sweaty, covered in pene-
trant, but so happy and fulfilled.
I watched CSI growing up, and it
was like CSI of airplane parts—how
cool is that?
CAN YOU TELL US MORE
ABOUT YOUR CURRENT ROLE?
WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY?
When I began my journey at
Jedco Inc., I was RT and PT Level II
as well as the supervisor. That
gave me an opportunity to see
the management side of things
and also continue doing what I
love. Over time, I realized my heart
is with quality and process. So,
[management] passed on those
supervision duties to someone
else, and now I get to focus just on
the process and auditing.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR
INVOLVEMENT WITH ASNT?
It started with a webinar that Toni
Bailey did on plagiarism. I could
feel her passion when she talks,
and I said, ASNT is an organiza-
tion that I want to be involved
in, because look at this
woman—she loves what she
does. And she has an orga-
nization that supports that.
So, I applied for and was
accepted into the RISE
program. I was unsure
what I was going to
get out of it, but it was
incredible.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS SOME OF
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING
THE NDT INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW?
I’m going to completely skip over
the obvious of being a woman
in NDT, just because ASNT as an
organization is really addressing
that. There are so many women
I have met over the last couple
years who are driving the change
that I see within the organization.
We’re making steps.
And then the big one is
employee retention and training.
We have such a shortage of poten-
tial good hires and good qualified
applicants.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU
GIVE SOMEBODY CONSIDERING
A CAREER IN NDT?
Do a job shadow, even if it’s for
a day. It is incredible to see how
NDT mixes together chemistry,
math, and problem solving.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER EITHER
PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL
MILESTONES THAT YOU’RE
WORKING TOWARD?
I am becoming more involved with
the Women in NDT (WIN) Council
through ASNT. I want to see that
group of women be global.
This year I’m aiming for eddy
current Level II, and I am going to
be eligible to test for Level III next
year in RT and PT.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE
QUOTE THAT INSPIRES YOU
IN YOUR WORK LIFE?
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Theodore Roosevelt was onto
something with that.
SCOPE
|
ATWORK
74
M AT E R I A L S E V A L U AT I O N • M A R C H 2 0 2 5
NDT Process Engineer, Jedco Inc.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI
CAN YOU TELL ME HOW YOU FIRST
BECAME INVOLVED IN NDT?
I was a banker first, and then I
went to school for nursing. When
COVID hit, I quickly realized that
nursing is not for me. But I did like
the technology side.
I had been working on and
off for a casting house as a visual
inspector, so I knew what NDT
was, but I didn’t have a lot of
hands-on experience.
There was a posting
for a small investment
house, and that’s
where I learned
RT (radiographic
testing) and PT
(liquid penetrant
testing). Within
the first month
of doing
that, I thought “wow, this is incred-
ible.” I absolutely love doing this
every day, even if it is challenging
work. I’m sweaty, covered in pene-
trant, but so happy and fulfilled.
I watched CSI growing up, and it
was like CSI of airplane parts—how
cool is that?
CAN YOU TELL US MORE
ABOUT YOUR CURRENT ROLE?
WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY?
When I began my journey at
Jedco Inc., I was RT and PT Level II
as well as the supervisor. That
gave me an opportunity to see
the management side of things
and also continue doing what I
love. Over time, I realized my heart
is with quality and process. So,
[management] passed on those
supervision duties to someone
else, and now I get to focus just on
the process and auditing.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR
INVOLVEMENT WITH ASNT?
It started with a webinar that Toni
Bailey did on plagiarism. I could
feel her passion when she talks,
and I said, ASNT is an organiza-
tion that I want to be involved
in, because look at this
woman—she loves what she
does. And she has an orga-
nization that supports that.
So, I applied for and was
accepted into the RISE
program. I was unsure
what I was going to
get out of it, but it was
incredible.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS SOME OF
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING
THE NDT INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW?
I’m going to completely skip over
the obvious of being a woman
in NDT, just because ASNT as an
organization is really addressing
that. There are so many women
I have met over the last couple
years who are driving the change
that I see within the organization.
We’re making steps.
And then the big one is
employee retention and training.
We have such a shortage of poten-
tial good hires and good qualified
applicants.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU
GIVE SOMEBODY CONSIDERING
A CAREER IN NDT?
Do a job shadow, even if it’s for
a day. It is incredible to see how
NDT mixes together chemistry,
math, and problem solving.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER EITHER
PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL
MILESTONES THAT YOU’RE
WORKING TOWARD?
I am becoming more involved with
the Women in NDT (WIN) Council
through ASNT. I want to see that
group of women be global.
This year I’m aiming for eddy
current Level II, and I am going to
be eligible to test for Level III next
year in RT and PT.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE
QUOTE THAT INSPIRES YOU
IN YOUR WORK LIFE?
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Theodore Roosevelt was onto
something with that.
SCOPE
|
ATWORK
74
M AT E R I A L S E V A L U AT I O N • M A R C H 2 0 2 5
