About the Chamber
Founded in Houston in 2017, the Polish American Chamber of Commerce in Texas is a non-profit organization serving to connect and facilitate business interests between Poland and Texas; and in a broader sense between Poland and the USA.
We aspire to collaborate with businesses regardless of industry and ranging from the smallest businesses to the largest multi-nationals on both sides of the Atlantic as well as with all relevant governmental, academic and non-profit organizations.
Management & Board
Art Dunal, Ph.D. - President and Chairman of the Board
Art is a seasoned finance and management executive, holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Gdańsk and an MSc in Economics specializing in IT and Econometrics from the Poznań University of Economics. Currently serving as the Vice President and CFO at Dover Precision Components (an operating company within NYSE: DOV, S&P 500). Art began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young before moving on trough different leadership roles at Scania and Rolls-Royce, where he was responsible for maritime operations in Poland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. In 2016, Art relocated to Houston, Texas, assuming the role of Regional Finance Manager for North America at Rolls-Royce Marine North America. In 2019, he followed Rolls-Royce Marine carve-out and joined Kongsberg, a leading Norwegian technological firm. Later, from 2021 to 2023, he held the position of Senior Finance Director at Shape, a Private Equity Portfolio company. Art has undergone professional development in various countries, including Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the United States. Beyond his professional endeavors, Art serves as the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Polish-American Chamber of Commerce in Texas, headquartered in Houston. His achievements include being recognized as one of the Top 25 CFOs in Houston 2024 by Top CFOs Magazine.
Slawek Piankowski - Vice President and Board Member
Slawomir is a highly accomplished maritime professional with a Master of Science degree, obtained upon graduating from Gdynia Maritime University in 2002. He began his career as a junior officer, gaining invaluable experience on various vessels. Joining Chipolbrok lines in 2005, he swiftly advanced within the company and earned the esteemed position of ship Captain in 2012. In 2014, he joined Chipolbrok America Inc at Houston, TX, assuming the role of President in 2016. As President, he demonstrates exceptional leadership, guiding the company towards continued success and establishing a strong presence in the maritime industry.
Thalía Krüger - Secretary and Founding Board member
Thalía, a SNAME (Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers) Fellow, is a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer who serves as Business Development Director and US Country Manager at Neko Energy US. Thalía earned her MSc degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the Shipbuilding Institute of the Gdansk University of Technology in Poland, where she studied after being awarded a full scholarship by the Ecuadorian government. She has extensive experience in the Marine and Offshore sectors, honing her technical skills and taking on strategic account management and business development responsibilities. She began her career as a programmer and designer, advancing to positions such as shipyard project engineer, marine inspections chief surveyor, technical superintendent, entrepreneur, principal engineer, project manager, global offshore account manager, senior marine/offshore/wind consultant, and senior business development manager. Representing professional societies such as SNAME and ASME, Thalía has made positive and impactful contributions to the industry by organizing high-level panel discussions and technical sessions at various industry forums (OTC, SNAME Offshore Symposium, SNAME Maritime Convention) on relevant topics, followed by actions and publications that have received awards. She is an engaging mentor with a passion for promoting education, especially empowering women in STEM careers, particularly in the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering fields. As an influential industry leader committed to participating in the energy transition, Thalía focuses on bridging the gap between energy innovators and other industry leaders, accelerating the commercialization of clean and efficient technologies for a sustainable future.
Horacio Licon - Founding Board Member
Horacio is Director of Energy and Sustainability Partnerships at the International Rescue Committee. Previously, he was Partnerships Director for CERAWeek, Vice President of International Investment & Trade at the Greater Houston Partnership and World Bank's Private Sector Liaison Officer for Texas. In prior roles, he created the global market research unit for Mexico’s largest company, PEMEX on international procurement. He was Head of Trade & Investment and Energy at the British Consulate General in Houston and Deputy Head of Trade and Investment at the British Embassy in Mexico City, He holds a Bachelors of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Mat Podskarbi - Founding Board Member
Mat is an experienced sales and business development leader with a focus on technology commercialization, product management, and strategic sales. He is currently the Data Infrastructure Lead at AVEVA. Previously, he was the SVP of Business Development and Product at Akselos, MIT spin-off backed by Shell. Mat has also held significant roles at Yokogawa and Schlumberger. He is a founding member and President of the Polish American Chamber of Commerce in Texas and mentors at the University of Houston Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship. Mat holds a Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering from Cracow University of Technology.
Magdalena Milewska - Director of Operations and Treasurer
Magda is a highly effective human resources professional with 11 years of proven and awarded experience in recruitment, training, and raising employee efficiency gained in Antal International and People Ltd. She has worked with international companies from different sectors, including FMCG, financial shared service centers, real estate, consulting, pharma & medical devices, manufacturing. Magda holds a Masters of Science in Human Resources Management from The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Since August 2018 Magda has been based in Katy, Texas with her husband and three children.
Greg Kusinski, Ph.D. - Founding Board Member
Greg serves as the Team Lead for Regulatory Affairs within the Gulf of Mexico Business Unit at Chevron. In this capacity, he spearheads the development of regulatory strategies for major capital projects and technology qualification. With over 25 years of experience in the energy industry, Greg has held diverse roles encompassing major capital project execution, regulatory compliance, and technology development and commercialization. Greg earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering from UC Berkeley, augmenting his academic achievements with an Executive MBA focused on Corporate Strategy and Finance from Rice University. Additionally, he completed the Management of Technology program at UC Berkeley. Active within his industry, Greg chairs the Technology Policy Committee of the NOIA, was elected to the Executive Committee of ASME Petroleum Division and is a member of the Board of Directors for OTC. Greg is also active in the academic institutions, as a Board Member and President of the Rice Jones School Business Partners and serves as an Advisory Board Member for the UC Berkeley Materials Science Department and UC San Diego Nanoengineering. He supports the Oceans Energy Safety Institute as a chair of the Industry Advisory Board.
Waldemar Priebe, Ph.D. - Founding Board Member
Dr. Waldemar Priebe is a distinguished scientist and a global authority in the field of medicinal chemistry. He holds the position of Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He also holds the title of Professor of Chemistry in the Republic of Poland, granted in 2004 by the President of Poland, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, in recognition of his seminal contributions in the field of Chemistry. His research is focused on the discovery and development of new anticancer therapies and, more recently, therapies for infectious diseases. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, and his work has led to over 70 patents and numerous licenses by pharmaceutical companies. He is also a founder of 6 biotechnology companies, 4 of which, after successful IPOs, were listed on NASDAQ. Dr. Priebe is a graduate of Warsaw University and a PhD program at the Polish Academy of Sciences. He actively fosters collaboration between academic institutions in Texas and Poland, with over 40 Polish researchers having trained in his laboratory. In 2013, he received the Medal of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Order of Polonia Restituta (Officer's Cross Class) awarded by the President of Poland, Bronislaw Komorowski. In 2015, Dr. Priebe was appointed by the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, to the National Development Council of Poland (Narodowa Rada Rozwoju) and received the Outstanding Polish Scientist Award. In 2023, Dr. Priebe received an honorary degree (Doctor Honoris Causa) from Bialystok University of Technology in recognition of his academic achievements and fostering cooperation between Polish and American academia. He is also a Board Member of the Polish-American Council of Texas and a Trustee of the Kościuszko Foundation, as well as President of the foundation's Texas Chapter. Dr. Priebe and his wife, Dr. Teresa Szwarocka-Priebe, reside in Houston and have two daughters, Anna and Elizabeth, and a son, Christopher.
Jim Mazurkiewicz, Ph.D. - Founding Board Member
Jim serves as a Regents Fellow, Leadership Program Director and Professor of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. He is a fifth generation Polish American and a native of the Brazos Valley. Jim’s family originally settled in Washington County at the end of the 19th century and they still own and operate the family farm in Chappell Hill, Texas. He graduated from Waller High School and received a B.S. and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and a Masters from Texas Tech University. He is currently President of the Polish American Council of Texas, an organization bringing together all of Texas Polonia. Jim is vested in building bridges between Poland and Texas, which include academic, cultural and business exchange. Jim has been the recipient of several awards and some of these include the Regents Fellow in 2012, the Bryan /College Station Volunteer of the Year Award in 2013, the Medal of Merit from the Polish President in 2016 and the Medal of Honor from the Polish Minister of Agriculture in 2011. Jim married Kathy Gore from Houston in 1978 and they are proud parents of three children.
Dr. Zbigniew Wojciechowski - Founding Board Member
Zbigniew is an Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at the Institute for Academic Medicine at the Houston Methodist Hospital (Weill Cornell Medical College). He obtained his MD at the Jagiellonian University School of Medicine (Kraków, Poland) and his Clinical Fellowship at the University of Washington. Zbigniew served the Houston Polish community as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland from 2003 until the opening of the new Polish Consulate in 2017. He is also the lead organizer of the annual Polish Film Festival in Houston.
Adam Urban - Founding Board Member
Adam has held various production, operations, technical leadership and corporate strategy roles across Shell's upstream deepwater and onshore businesses since 2005. A native of the Upper Silesia region of Poland, he holds a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and has lived in Texas and Brazil. Currently he is based in Houston as the Production Excellence Lead for Shell's Canadian and Argentine assets. Adam's main passions include mentoring students and junior employees, supporting the Polish communities of Houston & of his hometown and outdoor activities in the mountains.
Advisory Board
Piotr Przybylski, Ph.D. - Energy Industry Advisor
Piotr is an accomplished Geoscientist and Engineer with over 20 years of experience in the Oil & Gas Industry and Academia. He holds a PhD in Geophysics (Purdue University) as well as Masters in Mining & Geology (Kraków, Poland) and Masters in Mine Surveying & Geodesy (Freiberg, Germany). As a former Deputy Lead of the Unconventional Resources CoP at BP, Piotr is an expert in sharing the best practices and recent technologies in shales, tight sands, conventional sands, and carbonates. He is currently working for Berger Geosciences LLC as a Geohazard Geologist III, where he estimates drilling hazards for planned oil & gas offshore wells. Piotr is also a liaison between Berger Geosciences and Poland for offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea.