Connie Bowling has been appointed as director of the AWS Foundation's Solutions Opportunity Squad, Gulf Coast Division. The Solutions Opportunity Squad is a part of the AWS Foundation's Welder Workforce Development Program.

Bowling will lead Solutions Opportunity Squad endeavors in the Gulf Coast.

The Solutions Opportunity Squad team is made up of new AWS staff members who consult with and build strategies for users and welding educational institutions. It was created as part of the AWS Foundation's Welder Workforce Development Program that was launched in 2006 to contend with the growing shortage of skilled welders in the United States.

Bowling has been working in the welding industry for nearly 10 years in welding engineering and manufacturing engineering capacities.

She last served with Bell Steel Co. in Pensacola, Fla., where she managed purchasing and quality assurance. She previously held positions as a welding engineer at Atlantic Marine Inc. in Mobile, Ala., and as a supply management engineer at John Deere Seeding Group in Moline, Ill.

Bowling received her Bachelor of Science degree in welding engineering at The Ohio State University.