Matador Insights: Manufacturing

Matador Insights is a series of alumni-led panels designed to inspire and educate students exploring career paths in the Manufacturing industry. These sessions provide valuable insights from professionals as they share their journey in the industry.

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Meet the Speakers!

Darin Kuida, Director Environment Health and Safety, Amgen

Darin Kuida is Director of Environmental Health and Safety at Amgen, where he leads global environmental management programs. His leadership spans air and water quality, and waste management ensuring that Amgen’s facilities worldwide meet the highest standards of safety and environmental stewardship. Darin also plays a key role in due diligence, site integration, and environmental risk management, supporting the seamless expansion and sustainability of Amgen’s global manufacturing network.

With more than three decades of experience in environmental health and safety, Darin has built his career at the intersection of compliance and innovation in the life sciences industry. He has provided integrated EH&S support across manufacturing, research and development, and facility engineering functions, aligning environmental responsibility with the unique challenges of large-scale biotechnology production. A graduate of California State University, Northridge with a B.S. in Environmental and Occupational Health, Darin is recognized for advancing sustainable practices that strengthen Amgen’s mission to deliver vital medicines to patients around the world.

Merqui Absalon, Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Chick Fil-A

Merquisedet (Merqui) A. Absalon is a first generation CSUN ’13 graduate and an American mechanical engineer. Growing up in the SFV, his dad took him to the Van Nuys air shows, and his mom pushed him to keep learning and to persevere. “Quitate de la cabeza que no puedes.” With over 12 years of engineering, design, and manufacturing experience, his travels have taken him to build pacemakers, teach design to high schoolers, build initiators for missiles, work on the F-35 fuselage (and other secret things), and create a continuous improvement program to manufacture tasty lemonade for Chick Fil-A. But he hasn’t forgotten what and who made his journey possible. He credits the professors in CSUN’s ME program and CSUN SHPE with setting the foundation for technical skills, building of relationships, networking with colleagues, and achieving the American dream. Currently, he’s on a journey towards a Masters in Systems Engineering at Cal State Dominguez Hills working on returning to aerospace. In his spare time, you’ll find him reading the Bible, playing drums, or teaching Solidworks to students at College of the Canyons. He currently lives in the Santa Clarita Valley with his awesome wife and his three crazy kids.

Sandra Barba, Quality Engineer, Northrop Grumman

Sandra Barba is a seasoned Quality Engineer with over a decade of experience in aerospace and defense manufacturing. A lifelong resident of the San Fernando Valley, she attended Morningside Elementary, San Fernando Middle School, and graduated from San Fernando High School in 1992. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Machine Design and Fabrication from California State University, Northridge, and a Master of Science in Project Management from the University of Southern California. Sandra began her career as a Mechanical Engineering Intern before advancing through various roles in the aerospace industry, including positions at Sierracin Sylmar (now PPG Industries), Meggitt Safety Systems, Quallion LLC, Klune Industries, and Marvin Engineering Company. Currently serving as a Quality Engineer at Northrop Grumman, Sandra plays a key role in Mission Assurance and Quality Control across aerospace programs, interfacing with engineering, manufacturing, and customer teams to ensure compliance with AS9100 and ISO 9001 standards. Her responsibilities include defining and monitoring mission assurance processes, conducting internal audits, preparing first article inspection packages, managing non-conformance reports, and driving continuous improvement through data analytics and root cause analysis. Sandra holds an AS9100 Lead Auditor certification and an active Department of Defense Secret Clearance. Passionate about her work and community, she continues to contribute to cutting-edge projects involving space launch vehicles, all while proudly raising two sons in the San Fernando Valley.

Kelsi Dunne, Principal Research and Development Engineer, Northrop Grumman

Kelsi Dunne has been a full-time engineer with Northrop Grumman for 6 years as a Tool Design Engineer, Manufacturing Systems Engineer, and a Research Development Engineer. Prior, she was an engineering intern at four different companies throughout her college years which were ACCO Engineered Systems, Kellstrom Defense, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Woodward Inc. She graduated from CSUN in 2019 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and has since received her Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA in 2023. Kelsi works mainly with the fabrication and assembly of composite parts.