Title: Senior Engineering Technologist
Company: American Electric Power Company, Inc.
Location: Buchanan, Michigan, United States
Wayne E. Wollenzien, senior engineering technologist at the American Electric Power Company, Inc., has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Engineers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in electrical engineering.
Though he’s been showcasing his expertise in the field for nearly 25 years, Mr. Wollenzien’s first career experience was in the retail space. From 1999 to 2007, he was a retail sales manager for Ebertos Inc. and Soccer Master, now doing business as Soccer.com. Concurrently with that position, Mr. Wollenzien joined Everett Charles Technologies in 2001 as a senior printed circuit board (PCB) designer. For more than five years, he assisted with addressing customer needs, evaluating schematics and board files for errors and producing fabrication files for new boards.
After establishing himself at Everett Charles Technologies, Mr. Wollenzien was hired by R&D Altanova for the position of senior PCB designer. He fulfilled similar duties there, including creating, updating, and managing schematics and board files, maintaining templates and aiding in the creation of new technology processes. During his tenure at R&D Altanova, Mr. Wollenzien achieved a major milestone by developing a circuit board that his clients could use to test their devices, saving them potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, while proud of this achievement, he also found his time working on printed circuit boards frustrating due to limited opportunities to apply what he learned in school and an expectation that he would simply follow customer demands.
Keeping that frustration in mind, Mr. Wollenzien shifted directions in 2015, assuming the role of protection and control technician at American Electric Power Company, Inc. Throughout his 10 years at this company, he was promoted to positions of increasing seniority; he’s served in his current position of senior engineering technologist since 2024. Mr. Wollenzien is responsible for maintaining relays between power stations, setting up networking within stations, documenting and fixing problems, and overseeing on-site construction and contractor work. He also evolves strategies for future projects, regularly working on plans that span up to four years in advance.
Mr. Wollenzien’s performance in the field was born of his academic journey. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology from DeVry University in 2001. Mr. Wollenzien’s advancement was also supported by his affiliation with professional organizations. Most notably, he was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers during his college years.
Known for his contributions as a civic-minded citizen, Mr. Wollenzien participates in community events. In the past, he has volunteered as part of Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, including assisting at the CFD Old West Museum, which honors the history of this event and region. Mr. Wollenzien has been presented with multiple annual awards and has obtained certificates of completion for five and 10 years of service at American Electric Power Company, Inc. He credits his success to the strong sense of community and fellowship that he feels with his colleagues.
In addition to his professional life, Mr. Wollenzien is engaged to be married. He enjoys spending his free time building radio-controlled cars and display model cars. As he moves forward, Mr. Wollenzien hopes to lead his local and regional group at American Electric Power Company, Inc., in growing and becoming stronger. He intends to stay involved on a hands-on level rather than moving into a supervisory role and is eager to continue developing his skills and knowledge.
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