Ryan Fitzgerald

About Ryan Fitzgerald

I am excited to begin my professional journey at Swagelok in Solon, Ohio, working within the Order Fulfillment Center of the Ultra High Purity Group. I have been granted the incredible opportunity to participate in Swagelok’s Career Development Program, which will allow me to rotate through three distinct roles across various departments over the next three and a half years. This program is designed to foster my growth in both technical and leadership skills, equipping me with the competencies needed to evolve into an engineering leader.In addition to my rotations, I am proud to serve as the Programming Committee Chair for NextGEN. Our mission is to provide career-minded young associates with development opportunities through intentional relationship building, enhancing organizational awareness, and creating a positive community impact. We specifically aim to amplify the voices of Millennial and Generation Z associates while leveraging the diverse experiences of different generations. This role will further enhance my leadership capabilities and commitment to fostering a supportive environment for emerging talent.

Experience

1. Quality Engineer - Career Development Program

   Swagelok

   Jan 2025 — Present · Highland Heights, OH, US

   This role provided a fast-paced, cross-functional learning experience as I rotated through three facilities, each with unique processes and teams. It demanded critical thinking, collaboration, and data-driven solutions.• Spearheaded a new automation initiative by mining historic mill data to calculate baseline defect rates, developing off-the-mill visual acceptance criteria based on downstream operations to distinguish true rejects from defects removed later, and modeling expected improvements using Keyence smart gaging—enabling real-time defect prevention at the source.• Supervised two summer engineering interns, assigning projects, mentoring their development of soft skills, and ensuring deliverables consistently met Swagelok’s standards.• Owned and led corrective-action problem-solving activities. One highlighted solution was a statistically driven training plan to improve operators’ ability to spot and classify defects on a 1/8\" VCR bead, ensuring 90% confidence against type I errors and 99.5% confidence against type II errors• Conducted basic and advanced process capability studies to validate manufacturing processes and optimize inspection frequencies—strengthening Swagelok’s core value of quality assurance.

Education

• University of Dayton

  Mechanical Engineering , Concentration in Aerospace

  2019 — 2023

• Hoover High School

  My Project Lead the Way