Will Velkoff
DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING, CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION
WILL VELKOFF GREW UP with a love for auto racing passed down through his family. He spent his teenage years in his father’s small auto repair shop, where he learned how mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical systems work.
When he found out during a college tour about the Formula SAE program—a competition where students can design, manufacture, and race a formula-style car—Velkoff was sold on pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. “They had nice machine shops and a good assembly area, and I could see them working on CAD and doing calculations to figure out what needed to be solved on the car,” he said. “It was really something I wanted to get into.” At Curtiss-Wright, Velkoff recently led the design and testing of a new valve system responsible for the Emergency Core Cooling System function on the NuScale Small Modular Reactor program—one of the pillars to reactor safety. “We methodically progressed from conceptual to final design,” Velkoff said. “Once we reached prototype testing, the valves performed flawlessly—it was a great feeling.”
“You’re going to spend a lot of time at work. Find a field you’re passionate about and make a career out of it.”
Will Velkoff
When his role expanded to include a whole other department—about 60 to 70 more people, doubling his staff—Velkoff rose to the occasion. “I had to shift a lot of time, focus on managing the new department, and delegate and rely on others in my engineering team to carry the load,” he said. His method was to take a calm and measured approach, working through organizational needs systematically.
Velkoff developed his leadership skills through mentors and his workplace. “Within Curtiss-Wright, there’s a New Business Leader program where they identify some early career employees and offer a rigorous management training over a span of two years,” he explained. “Being a part of that was a real boost and helped me when I first transitioned to a management role.”
Although his work certainly keeps him busy, Velkoff said he still finds time to continue pursuing his passion for racing. “I run a partial schedule in a semi-pro series as a private tier entry, trying to challenge some of the young up-and-coming racers. It’s a lot of fun.”
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