Class Notes

Submit a Class Note
Two alumns pose under giant polar bear ice sculpture

The 1950s and ’60s featured a Winter Weekend hosted by the junior class, which included all sorts of winter fun.

1953

Robert Goldberg and his wife, Marge, are now in an independent facility in Portland, Maine. “As with most of the other residents, it is because a child or other relative is close by. We don’t travel too much anymore but we both still drive. Here’s to old RPI.” Posted 2024-01-10

1954

Gerald H. Brody says that Marvin Menzin’s letter triggered some memories. “Before COVID, Marvin and Peggy used to host a gathering at his cape house for a few of his RPI/AEPI schoolmates and wives. Attendees included Jerry Olderman (’58), Ken Lissak (’54), Stan Shaffran (‘57), and myself. One year, a contingent (with wives) from New York/New Jersey drove up to join us, including Bob Meyers (’54), Murray Boden, Jerry Alderman, and Sheldon Kozlowski. In recent years, we have lunched annually with Marvin and Jerry Olderman. I retired from Raytheon in 1994 after 40 years of design and program management assignments, half on commercial projects and half on government contracts, mostly Navy. They included two years of overseas airport cutovers involving reservation and boarding activities for multiple airlines. My last assignment was deputy program manager for NESP, a $500 million-plus contract for the Navy’s portion of the Milstar program. We designed, developed, and manufactured ground terminals for ships, submarines, shore stations, and a transportable system used in Desert Storm to provide secure communications between the Pentagon and commanders in theater.” Posted 2024-01-10
Bill Neuberg says that at RPI, he studied things he was interested in, but didn’t care about marks and graduated next to last in the class. He went into the Navy flight training program and was the first in the class to graduate. He did active duty as a flight instructor, flew in three reserve squadrons, and went back in for the Cuban Missile Crisis in the ferry squadron. That got him involved with the flight information system called NOTAMs, where he made a significant contribution. He then got out of the Navy and developed a process to make Cream of Tartar with his father. He next got involved with printing ink, where he developed micronized wax and later the use of micronized PTFE, better known as Teflon. This was just prior to 1970. Since then, he developed the five-man company into one of 250 people with worldwide sales and manufacturing. “I met my wife, Ricki, 60 years ago. She taught school and had the riding club. We now live on a horse farm in New Jersey. I go to work in Newark three days a week and still play with chemistry and horse around. I hope to be last in the class to retire.” Posted 2024-01-10

1955

George Hewitt
George Hewitt celebrated turning 90 years young this summer! He was joined by family for the big day, including his three daughters and their families. His secret to a long, healthy life: live in the present, don’t sweat the small stuff, and stay active. These days, George enjoys working in his garden, taking regular walks near his home in the Seattle area, and cheering on the Mariners. Posted 2024-01-12

1959

Sheldon Weinbaum and President Joe Biden
Sheldon Weinbaum ’59, Ph.D., was recognized with the National Medal of Science by U.S. President Joe Biden at a White House ceremony on October 24. The award is the highest honor for scientific achievement bestowed by the United States government. The award recognizes individuals deserving of special recognition for their outstanding cumulative contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or behavioral or social sciences, in service to the nation. “We are enormously proud of Dr. Weinbaum’s achievements,” said President Marty Schmidt ’81, Ph.D. “The National Medal of Science is a crowning honor for such a tremendous giant of biomedical engineering. The work he has pioneered has saved countless lives around the world. Beyond that, he has long been a staunch advocate for women and underrepresented groups in science and engineering careers. We are delighted President Biden has chosen him for this great honor.” Posted 2024-01-12

1966

Richard Felak
Richard Felak (M.S. ’67) was extremely fortunate to have been a graduate of Dr. Eric T.B. Gross’ School of Electric Power Systems Engineering in the days when it was a going concern at The ’Tute. Since 1990, after a multifaceted career at General Electric, Rich has been very busy with his own electric power systems consulting business — and for the last seven years he has been doing it only on a pro bono basis to assist people and institutions (such as RPI) with various challenging technical and commercial issues that have been shaking up the industry and its participants. While staying active professionally as a Life Senior Member of the IEEE, a former panelist of the American Arbitration Association, and publishing 40 papers and presentations — plus serving as an expert witness at Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and State regulatory proceedings — due to his love of experiencing all that traveling our planet brings, he has luckily also found the time and health to visit 77 countries — some on business but most on pleasure. For example, although he had already been to Egypt twice — first for GE and then as an independent consultant to the World Bank — he recently returned from his third enjoyable trip to Misr with more fond memories. Posted 2024-01-12

1968

Ira Goldman had a hip replaced in 2020 and a knee replaced in April 2023, but is back to sailing, swimming, and other summer activities and will try skiing. In July, he completed 10 years on the Board of the Keuka Lake Association, including four years as secretary, but is still on the Finance Committee for the Hillside Family of Agencies in Rochester, New York, and chairs the monthly Eagle Scout Board of Review in Clifton Springs, New York. Posted 2024-01-12

1969

Architects from the RPI Class of 1969
David George-Nichols says that for the second year in a row, 1969 architects held a mini-reunion last year in the Finger Lakes, and then last fall in Sedona, Arizona, hosted by Bob Marriott. Attending were Mike Auerbach, Bill Bernstein, Rich Bodane, Barry Mabel, David George-Nichols, and Kim Spurgeon, along with spouses and significant others. Posted 2024-01-12

1970

Rick Hartt reports that since moving to Rochester, he has continued working with his therapy dog ALLY, who is certified by Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs. Since 2015, ALLY and Rick have now done over 550 therapy dog visits. The Rochester Area Administrators of Volunteer Services awarded ALLY and Rick their 2023 Award for Volunteer Service. ALLY and seven people were nominated, ALLY being the only dog. Julia MacDonald ‘72 and Rick spent time in March in the Caribbean on the island of Grenada celebrating both their birthdays and their 47th wedding anniversary. In Rick’s spare time, he was appointed to the Rush New York Zoning Board of Appeals in January 2022 and was appointed chairperson in January 2023. He continues to volunteer with the Rensselaer Newman Foundation and is very supportive of the re-invigoration of student leadership activity in not only the Student Union but on the campus with the support of President Schmidt. “If you are on Facebook, go to the private RPI Class of 1970 page created by Steve Valentine and you will be added to the group, which now has 90 members.” Posted 2024-01-12

1971

Steven Naumann, M.S. ’72, wrote an opinion piece titled “We must act now to protect the electric grid from drones,” which The Hill published on January 10, 2023. Posted 2024-01-12

1973

Mick Rodrigue Walot and Irv Walot
Mick (Michele) Rodrigue Walot and Irv (Irwin) Walot, Class of ’72, send greetings from the “left” coast to the old Burdett Bunch and ex habitués of “Ye Olde Cattle Trough” on the occasion of our 50th wedding anniversary. Still together! Irv is a retired vascular/interventional radiologist and neuro-radiol­ogist. Michele, after working at Texaco as a geochemist for most of a decade, earned a master’s in counseling, and was a longtime member of the board of directors and past board president of Jewish Family Service of Orange County and on the Jewish Federation of Orange County board. She has had a long career as a mom, social activist, and community volunteer. “We never quite made it out of college and have lived on campus at the University of California, Irvine for the past 42 years.” Posted 2024-01-17
Gary DiCamillo shares, "We look forward to seeing our fellow 1973 classmates at the reunion dinner on Friday, October 13th. President Marty Schmidt '81 will be the guest speaker."


 
Posted 2023-09-19

1974

James Wernicke reports that the Class of 1974 is beginning to prepare for the Golden Reunion in 2024. “We could use help from all Class of 1974 alumni. Let us know if you are coming and can help with planning (planning not required). Tune in to the Facebook page at RPI 74 or thru LinkedIn at RPI ’74. Note the apostrophe.” Posted 2024-01-17

1975

Bob Dowgwillo is now one-year retired from a 42-year career as an aerodynamicist with McDonnell Douglas and Boeing. With the three kids long out of the house, he and his wife downsized into their 115-year-old duplex in the historic Skinker DeBalieviere neighborhood in St. Louis. In January, they became proud grandparents for the first time. Posted 2024-01-17

1976

John Hill and Jim Barber
John Hill and Jim Barber ’76, while biking the Erie Canal this summer, thought it would be great to have a reunion of all the alums who lived in the E-Dorms in the mid-’70s. If you are interested in an E-Dorm re­union, send John or Jim a note at johnbhill1789@gmail.com or jjbarber@alum.mit.edu. Posted 2024-01-17
Ken Schmalz started right out of RPI with Kimberly-Clark Corp. The first third of his career was in engineering roles, the middle third in plant manager/operations roles, and the final third in supply chain and logistics roles. He retired in May 2015 after 39 years with the same company. He then bridged into his encore career as an instructor/consultant in Lean Leadership/Manufacturing techniques for the local technical college. He did that for three years before retiring completely in June 2018. He and his wife were married in 1984. Their daughter graduated college and is now married and working in Minnesota. “Raising a family and career took us through Connecticut, Texas, South Carolina, and Wisconsin (three times) before ending up just a few miles south of the hallowed, frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. Go Packers! We’ve settled into a place overlooking a local lake for some peace and tranquility for a while anyway. Our address is W5473 Meilke Rd., Menasha, WI 54952.” Posted 2024-01-17
Robert Eisenstat
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has recognized Robert D. Eisenstat ’76, FAIA, and Paul D. Mankins, FAIA, with the 2022 AIA Award for Excellence in Public Architecture, honoring both as “individuals who design distinguished public facilities and advocate for design excellence.” Robert’s early career included 15 years of private practice in the U.S. and Brazil. In 1990, he joined the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, helping enhance the New York City region’s public realm. In 2013, he became the chief architect of Port Authority, overseeing projects aimed at transforming the area’s public transportation and neighborhoods. In his tenure, Robert has served on the LaGuardia Airport Redevelopment Program selection committee, a $3.6 billion effort to modernize one of the country’s busiest airports, and supervised expansive projects, including a $10 billion master plan to revamp the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he also led transportation planning for downtown Manhattan and spearheaded the reintroduction of the city’s PATH commuter rail service at the World Trade Center. From 2007 onward, Eisenstat has co-chaired AIA New York’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, championing well-designed infrastructure and fostering connections between design leaders and technical experts. Posted 2023-03-30

1977

Emmett Partain has retired after 39 years of company service from his R&D position at the Dow Chemical Company. He and his wife (Karen Wisniewski, Class of 1980) are spending some of their retirement time traveling around the U.S. and Canada on their bucket list to visit each NHL arena. Posted 2024-01-17
Leslie Bradshaw
Leslie Bradshaw retired from BAE Systems after 42 years, 42 weeks, and 42 days. He received their annual Fritz Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023. The award states: “A gifted and dedicated engineer who developed innovative test solution architectures for our most complex systems. He was the backbone of our test equip­ment design group throughout his forty-two year career.” Posted 2024-01-17

1978

Kathryn Prigmore
Riding the Vortex, a group of women focused on increasing diversity in architecture, recently won the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Whitney M. Young Jr. Award. Kathryn Prigmore ’78 is one of the four women being honored. For more than a decade, Riding the Vortex, a collaboration of African American women representing the entire spectrum of practice, has endeavored to increase the number of people of color licensed to practice architecture in the U.S. Vortex has directly responded to civil rights leader Whitney M. Young Jr.’s observations on the disheartening history of American architecture. According to the AIA, perhaps the greatest contribution Vortex has made thus far is its direct impact on the increased number of African American women architects, which from 2007 to 2020 has risen from approximately 175 to more than 500, according to the Directory of African-American Architects. Kathryn is a design practice leader with over 40 years of design and management experience for award-winning architectural projects of a wide range. Registered to practice architecture in 1982, she was one of the first 20 African American women registered to practice architecture in the United States; the fifth African American woman elevated to AIA fellowship; and the 75th African American fellow. The number of practicing African American architects had been a stagnant 2% in recent decades. In the early 1990s, there were just 1,800 licensed African American architects in the country, and only 30 of them were women. As of the summer of 2021, those numbers have grown to 2,435 and 533, respectively, and Vortex has been a major catalyst in the 254% growth in African American women architects. Posted 2023-03-24
David Brown Kinloch is a senior partner at Appalachian Hydro Associates, which dedicated its new 2.64 MW hydroelectric power plant, The Matilda Hamilton Fee Hydroelectric Station at Lock and Dam 12 on the Kentucky River, on September 21, 2021. It is a run-of-river plant built in the abandoned lock chamber. It uses submersible turbine-generators, with variable frequency drives to maximize output with changing river levels and changing head. Projects at other locks and dams are planned. Posted 2023-03-23

1979

Mark Eagle had his second grandchild in June. He continues to mentor, advise, and invest in startups and does fractional CTO work in Denver, Colorado. He received his pickleball certification and has started teaching. His motto is make a difference, have fun, and oh, by the way, make some money. Posted 2024-01-17
Nicholas Miller
Nicholas Miller ‘80G, received the 2021 U.S. CIGRE Philip Sporn Award for Electric Power Systems Engineering. Nicholas’ father-in-law, Allan Greenwood, held the Philip Sporn Professorship at Rensselaer. Posted 2023-03-24

1980

Bob Schuetz
Bob Schuetz was named chief executive officer of Energy Northwest, a public power utility providing over 1,300 megawatts of clean energy to the Pacific Northwest. Bob served over 28 years in the U.S. Navy before entering the civilian energy industry and served in a variety of leadership roles at Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station before assuming his current role. Posted 2023-03-24
Edward Ahlsen-Girard
Edward Ahlsen-Girard returned to Philmont Scout Ranch last June with a crew from Troop 544 and Troop 401 out of Northwest Florida, and summitted the Tooth of Time in 2021, despite an interesting knee injury along the way. Posted 2023-03-24
Chris Dufresne is looking forward to retirement in about “400 work days! Didn’t expect to work this long but I have a few important objectives to achieve at Boston Scientific in Galway before I hang up the skates. I watch in amazement at our younger daughter, Alison, who is the engineering manager at Masten Space Systems in Mojave, California. She has built a large team with the goal of designing, building, validating, and putting a Lunar Lander on a SpaceEx flight in November 2023. “Xelene 1” is destined for the Lunar South Pole to conduct a wide range of experiments. Although NASA funded, complex missions by small start-ups are inherently risky so we are crossing our fingers that Masten hits its milestones.” Posted 2023-03-24

1981

Tom Litzinger will retire in May 2022 after 37 years of employment at Penn State. He was assistant dean for educational innovation and accreditation and director of the Leonhard Center in the College of Engineering. Posted 2023-03-24

1982

Robert J. Fairchild is a senior partner at Appalachian Hydro Associates, which dedicated its new 2.64 MW hydroelectric power plant, The Matilda Hamilton Fee Hydroelectric Station at Lock and Dam 12 on the Kentucky River, on September 21, 2021. It is a run-of-river plant built in the abandoned lock chamber. It uses submersible turbinegenerators, with variable frequency drives to maximize output with changing river levels and changing head. Projects at other locks and dams are planned. Posted 2023-03-24
Craig Maiman
Craig Maiman spent six years building his Sling 4 aircraft, which took flight on September 30, 2020. “It took longer than I expected but was so worth it as it flies like a charm. I’ll be flying to many beautiful destinations around my home base in Eastern Massachusetts and beyond.” Posted 2023-03-24

1983

Stephanie McGann
Stephanie McGann, DMD received two major milestone awards over the course of two weeks in July of this year. The first is her passion for tae kwon do as she worked tirelessly to be eligible to compete in the tournament of champions, and came home with a gold medal and a world championship in extreme weapons forms. She was the first-ever world champion in her school in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The second milestone was completing the requirements for Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). The Mastership Award is the highest honor available in the AGD and one of the most respected designations in the profession. This accomplish­ment meets the highest criteria for professional excellence. To accomplish this, Dr. McGann completed 1,100 hours of continuing dental education in the 16 disciplines of dentistry, including 400 hours dedicated to hands-on skills and techniques. As a recipient of this award, she has joined the top 2% of members of the dental community who exceed the basic requirements and continue to advance their knowledge and skills.  Posted 2024-01-17
Doug Robinson has returned to work for Rensse­laer as the IP Manager. Doug has been a practicing patent attorney for 37 years and most recently was the executive director of Intellectual Property at Lenovo. Posted 2024-01-17

1984

Lee Whiteman, Barry Tapscott, Harry Payne, and Bert Gamory
Pictured left to right are Lee Whiteman (M.S. ’84), Barry Tapscott (’72, M.S. ’74), Harry Payne (’72), and Bert Gamory (M.S. ’86) wearing RPI alumni hats. They came together for an October 2022 Renewal of Vows celebration in Rochester, New York. Leo is a project manager at Verizon. Barry is retired. Harry is an associate professor at Monroe Community College. Bert is a full professor at Monroe Community College. Posted 2024-01-23
Dr. Charles A. Sternbach, ’84 Ph.D., will receive the Michel T. Halbouty Outstanding Leadership Award at the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) IMAGE 2024 event. The Halbouty Award is given in recognition of outstanding and exceptional leadership in the petroleum geo-sciences. It is the AAPG’s most distinguished leadership award. Posted 2024-01-17

1985

Members of the 1985 NCAA men's hockey team
The 1985 NCAA championship men’s hockey team gathered last spring to celebrate Mike Sadeghpour’s birthday. From left to right seated: Terry Butryn ’87, Randy Koudys ’84, Jeff Whiteside ’85, Marc Foland ’87, and Neil Hernberg ’87. From left to right standing: Michael Poisson ’86, Pierre Langevin ’85, Mike Sadeghpour ’85, Mike Robinson ’87, and Frank Ferreira ’84 (holding sign). Posted 2024-01-17
Adam Kushner was offered an adjunct teaching position at CUNY Spitzer School of Architecture in upper Manhattan to teach one of the country’s first architectural courses on 3D printing. Posted 2023-03-24
Peter M. Athanas, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Peter authored or co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers and two book chapters. He served on numerous proposal review panels, including review panels for the National Science Foundation. In the classroom, he taught both undergraduate and graduate courses. He directed more than 90 master’s degree and 20 Ph.D. students, and served on more than 220 master’s degree and Ph.D. committees in total. Posted 2023-03-24
Mark Lepofsky
Mark Lepofsky, ’87 Ph.D., PMP, was appointed CEO of FACTOR INC., where he previously served as COO. FACTOR solves complex problems related to risk management through consulting and custom application development for industry and government clients. Mark and his wife, Tricia, celebrated their 32nd anniversary and live in Arlington, Virginia. Posted 2023-03-24
Eric Gruff is senior vice president of chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) at Lengo
Therapeutics. With nearly 30 years of experience in drug development, Eric has specific expertise
in regulatory affairs.
Posted 2023-03-24

1986

Robert Psholka has joined Guardair Corporation, the largest U.S. manufacturer of OSHA compliant safety air guns and pneumatic vacuums, as the new director of operations. He brings over 30 years of experience leading operations in industrial manufacturing. Posted 2023-03-24

1987

Vice Adm. Dean Peters and Vice Adm. Carl Chebi
After reading his orders from the podium, Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, right, salutes Vice Adm. Dean Peters and assumes duties as Commander, Naval Air Systems Command on Sept. 9 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
Navy Vice Adm. Carl Chebi ’87, deputy program executive officer for the Joint Strike Fighter, has been named commander of Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). He assumed responsibilities as commander in September 2021. In line with his nomination, Carl was promoted to the rank of vice admiral.  He served as the Navy PEO for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence and space systems from 2017-2019 and held a short stint as vice commander of NAVAIR. From 2014-2016, he was program manager of the Naval Integrated Fire Control–Counter Air system and led engineering, integration, test, fielding and training efforts for the branch’s air warfare systems. He also worked as deputy program manager in the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office and program manager in the Precision Strike Weapons Program Office. Carl has logged more than 3,700 flight hours and 700 carrier arrested landings with various military aircraft platforms. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and the Meritorious Service Medal. Posted 2023-03-24
Adam Stewart has spent over 30 years in the software industry, joining the executive teams at startup companies after their first round of VC money and then taking them to exit. After six such exits, he is leaving the software industry in search of his next gig, potentially developing a one-year business training curriculum for high school students. He continues to reside in the Capitol Region of New York. Adam was a waiter at Holmes and Watson in Troy. Posted 2023-03-24
Abe Mantell, a professor of mathematics at Nassau Community College (SUNY) in New York, was awarded the Mathematical Association of America’s Meritorious Service Award at its annual meeting (MathFest 2021). Posted 2023-03-24

1988

Suzanne Cano Meeker, MBA ’93, just celebrated 27 years of marriage and 13 years in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is a process engineer for Bank of America/Global Operations and, after a long and winding career, loves every minute of her current role! Her two chil­dren have both finished college and are well on their way with their careers. Tennis, pickleball, dance lessons, cooking, and volunteering with nonprofit boards fill her time when she is not working or traveling the world with her husband. The 11th address can be “written in ink!” #emptynestlife Posted 2024-01-17
Gary Borla
Gary F. Borla, MBA, worked during the “crunch” summer 2020 period for the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census was scheduled to begin on April 1, 2020, but field operations for the 2020 census were pushed back because of precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. After leading his Connecticut team to an earlier than expected finish, Gary assisted the Census efforts in several other states. The coronavirus pandemic was ongoing during the six-month period Gary was involved, making personal contact with residents much more difficult. Gary proposed a flexible contact option for his jurisdiction which allowed the teams to adjust their schedules to respond to the ongoing intelligence gathered regarding resident and census enumerator availability. Intelligence gathering was enhanced by Gary’s development and implementation of the Residential Intelligence Gathering Group Effort Design. When the scheduling issues resulting from the pandemic were fully realized, the data collection period needed to be expanded. It was, however, shortened by four months at the President’s order. A retired Eversource executive, Gary has a long and deep history of volunteerism, having twice received his employer’s “Volunteer of the Year” award. Gary is currently working on another nonfiction book; working title is My Life as a Paperboy. Posted 2023-03-24

1989

Richard Monda continues to progress in his second career. He has received tenure and has been promoted from instructor to assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. Posted 2024-01-17
Anthony Marchese
The University of Rhode Island (URI) has named Anthony J. Marchese ’89 dean of the College of Engineering and the Vincent and Estelle Murphy Professor of Engineering. Anthony comes to URI from Colorado State University, where he served as associate dean for academic and student affairs for the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering. The University of Rhode Island College of Engineering is home to more than 1,600 undergraduate and 200 graduate students. Over the past decade, the college has seen enrollment nearly double, along with substantial growth in research funding, partnerships, philanthropic support, and investment in new faculty. “As a first-generation college student, engineering researcher, and educator, I am simultaneously humbled and exhilarated at the prospect of stewarding the College of Engineering on its upward trajectory, while staying grounded in its core values as a public, land-grant research university,” he said. Anthony is an expert in internal combustion engines, biofuels, and methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, and his work has been broadly disseminated in over 350 journal, conference, and invited presentations. He is also a dedicated engineering educator and recipient of numerous honors and awards for his excellence in teaching, including the American Society for Engineering Education Kauffman Award for Technology Entrepreneurship. In 2001, he was named a Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Posted 2023-03-24
March Gallagher (née Sadowitz) was re-elected to serve a second term as the Ulster County comptroller. She serves on the board of the Hudson Valley Farm and Food Growth Fund. Prior to serving as comptroller, she served as the president and CEO of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley. Posted 2023-03-24

1990

Michael J. Lembo, PE, was elevated to the level of fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). After 35 years of membership in ASCE, he has now joined a select group that accounts for less than 3% of the total Society. Posted 2023-03-24
Rajeev Arora, an ed tech and enterprise software veteran, is the new chief product officer at Capture Higher Ed. With more than 30 years of experience growing global software companies from concept to industry-leading businesses, Rajeev will oversee product strategy and development at Capture, an enrollment management and marketing firm that has served hundreds of institutions across the country. Posted 2023-03-24

1991

Jason Hagopian, AIA, started his own architecture and design company, Neuvio Architects, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, specializing in delivering built solutions to complex challenges in a variety of project sectors, including commercial, retail, hospitality, government and neuvio.com. Posted 2023-03-24
Sherif Mityas
Sherif Mityas has been named operating partner of JAMCO Interests, a private equity group based in Texas specializing in hospitality and retail-related investments. A highly experienced restaurant and retail executive, Sherif has held various executive positions in consulting and the retail-restaurant industry sectors, most notably as the chief experience officer for TGI Fridays and as the chief executive officer for Hollywood Video/Movie Gallery. In 2020, he was named as one of the Top 10 Innovators in the restaurant industry by Nation’s Restaurant News in their annual Power List rankings. Posted 2023-03-24

1992

Brian Durant
Brian Durant retired from the U.S. Navy at the end of August 2021 after 29 years of active duty. His last, “and possibly most rewarding,” assignment (2020-2021) was with Operation Warp Speed as a deputy for supply, production, and distribution managing all Defense Production Act activities and supply chain issues for vaccine production and administration. Prior to that, Brian was major program manager within the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for Standard Missile 3, the Navy’s ballistic missile interceptor (2016-2020). Prior to that, he was Commanding Officer of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, the U.S. Navy’s largest surface warfare R&D facility working on projects as diverse as Railgun and Direct Energy to the Aegis Combat System and Chem-Bio defense (2013-2016). He has since taken on a role with BAE as their program manager supporting NATO Seasparrow. “I’ve had the opportunity to serve with RPI graduates multiple times throughout my career — five of us in Djibouti, Africa, together in 2007 (three from ’92 — Steve Eron, Hassan Bermiss, and I), at MDA (Bill Cooley ’88), and now at NATO Seasparrow working for CAPT Tom Seigenthaler ’99. Posted 2023-03-24

1993

Chuck Waddington
Chuck Waddington has been the head volleyball coach at D-II Angelo State University (Texas) since 2008. In the spring of 2021, his team won the AVCA Division II National Championship held in Dallas. The fall 2021 team won their third straight Lone Star Conference Championship and advanced to their 10th straight NCAA Tourney. They finished the season 24-5 and ranked #13 in the nation. Posted 2023-03-24
Bob Land is now the president and general manager USA of Berlin Brands Group, the second largest Amazon roll-up company in the world with more than $1.5 billion in private equity funding. They are hiring for more than 100 roles, with special preference going to RPI students and alums. Posted 2023-03-24

1994

Michael Dinsmore has been promoted to vice president of platform technology at Editas Medicine. In the new role, Michael will oversee the infor­matics, computational biology, sequencing, and screening teams at the company, which is focused on developing CRISPR-based genomic medicines. Editas Medicine is currently conducting clinical trials for the treatment of sickle cell disease, where his leadership and expertise in these areas will contribute to the advancement of this cutting-edge field. Posted 2024-01-17
Patricia Shevy
Patricia “Tricia” Shevy was elected as a fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel in recognition of having made outstanding contributions to the practice of trust and estate law. Posted 2024-01-17
Dr. Elizabeth Hudson has been promoted to a new position as the regional chief of infectious diseases for Kaiser Permanente (KP) Southern California. Throughout the pandemic, she acted as the thought-leader on the direction and decisions KP has made in treatment and management of COVID-19 for all of Southern California. Posted 2023-03-24

1995

Mark Dresser
Mark Dresser, M.S. ’95, was elected as president of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the oldest and largest scientific and medical professional society focused on translational science and clinical pharmacology. Mark is the first openly LGBTQ+ president in the society’s 122-year history. An active member of ASCPT since 2010, Mark is senior vice president, biomarker sciences and clinical pharmacology, at Gilead Sciences Inc., adjunct professor at the University of California San Francisco, and an advocate for LGBTQ+ equality in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Posted 2023-03-24
Chuck Taylor is the deputy director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP). Also known as Naval Reactors, the NNPP is a joint Department of the Navy and Department of Energy agency responsible for the nuclear reactors that power the U. S. Navy’s aircraft carrier and submarine fleets. Chuck is the senior civilian for the program, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. He was also the recipient of a Presidential Rank Award in 2018 at the Distinguished Executive level. Chuck lives in Maryland with his wife, Shannon, and four children. Posted 2023-03-24
Gary Lynn, ’95 Ph.D., is a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology. In 2021, he entered a graduate student team from Stevens in the inaugural Global Scaling Challenge hosted by the University of New Mexico that included 17 graduate, undergraduate, and Ph.D. teams from India, Austria, England, and the U.S. He mentored the team through the three-day virtual challenge, creating strategies for three real-world biological companies hoping to expand or otherwise scale up their operations. Gary’s team won three first-place prizes including the grand prize in late April, sharing $20,000 in prize money. Posted 2023-03-24

1997

Joseph McIssac
Joseph (Jay) McIsaac, M.D., M.S., MBA, CPE, FASA was recently recognized by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) as NACD Directorship Certified®. Directors who earn this designation signal to boards, investors, and other stakeholders that they are keeping on top of the emerging issues and trends impacting financial perfor­mance, disrupting business models, and changing the competitive landscape. Posted 2024-01-17
Michael Gottlieb
Michael Gottlieb has launched a new venture called Tulips for Good! They sell clothing and accessories that support charities focused on providing equal opportunities to all kids. “Since my days as philanthropy VP at LXA, I’ve always had a passion for giv­ing back and this business is a continuation of that passion!” Posted 2024-01-17
Nicolle Zellner
The Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society has awarded the Carl Sagan Medal for excellence in public communication to Nicolle Zellner, Ph.D. ’97, the Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow Trustees’ Professor in the Sciences at Albion College, for her effective and wide-ranging outreach activities, reaching diverse audiences spanning more than 20 years. According to DPS, Nicolle has spoken to thousands of people around the country and has reached millions more through her written articles, television appearances, radio interviews, and more. She uses every opportunity to convey her passion and enthusiasm for space science to audiences of all ages, often bringing these topics to audiences who might otherwise not seek them out. She regularly offers public observing nights at Albion College and encourages college and community members to look up, especially during worldwide events, such as the annual International Observe the Moon Night, the 2012 Venus transit, and the 2017 Great American Solar Eclipse. Nicolle co-founded the public observing program at Rensselaer, is a member of one of the first classes of NASA’s Solar System Ambassadors, and is also a member of the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program. Learn more about the Carl Sagan Medal: dps.aas.org/prizes/sagan. Posted 2023-03-24
Ganesh Vedantham has been named senior vice president, technical development, at Bio-Marin Pharmaceutica lnc. Previously, he spent more than two decades at Amgen/Immunex in increasingly senior roles across the organization. Posted 2023-03-24

1998

Elyse Santic was presented with the National Hispanic Business Group Corporate Leadership Award at their 36th Annual Gala Awards & Scholarship Presentation at Cipriani Wall Street. Posted 2024-01-17
Henry Wong is “stoked” to discover that the U.S. Patent Trademark Office has issued his fourth patent — Stylus and Position CalculationMethod (Patent Number 11,119,589) — from his invention disclosure at Wacom. Posted 2023-03-24
Victor Larson has been promoted to chief technical officer for VirnetX Holding Corporation, an Internet security software and technology company. He is a co-inventor of the VirnetX technologies. Posted 2023-03-24
Rohan Kelkar has been named executive vice-president of Schneider Electric’s Power Products global business Schneider Electric. Rohan will drive the division’s electrical distribution transformation business and develop innovative solutions, delivering more connected, and circular products to the market. Posted 2023-03-24

1999

Doug Rozsa, Greg Mucci, Lucius DiPhillips, Anthony Pergolotti, and Craig Osika
Over Memorial Day weekend, classmates from RPI Class of 1999 gathered together in Truckee, California. They enjoyed a weekend of boating, hiking, pickleball, and reminiscing about the adventures they shared living together in downtown Troy in 1998-99.Pictured left to right: Doug Rozsa, Greg Mucci, Lucius DiPhillips, Anthony Pergolotti, and Craig Osika. Posted 2024-01-17
Sarah Boswell, Ph.D. ’03, has joined Ginkgo Bioworks: The Organism Company, whose mission is to “make biology easier to engineer.” Sarah spent 10 years as a staff scientist at Harvard Medical School. Posted 2023-03-24

2001

Ben Brillat
Ben Brillat ’01 has been appointed a 2023 Distinguished Engineer at Kyndryl, the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider. He joins the new class of 2023 Distinguished Engineers and one new Designer that were announced in May. This group of leaders is recognized for their groundbreaking contributions in the fields of engineering, programming, infrastructure services, cyber-resilience, technical design, and experience design. “I was honored to be appointed as a Distinguished Engineer at Kyndryl,” Ben said. “Even during my time as an undergraduate at Rensselaer, I’ve been working to bring connectivity and networks where they are needed most. The culture of collaboration and encouraging natural curiosity that was fostered during my time at the university are also core values at Kyndryl and critical to customer-facing successes. Posted 2024-01-22
Brian Boswell became a CFP right at the onset of the pandemic and has navigated the Boswell triplets through middle school while starting his own financial planning practice. Posted 2023-03-24
Angela Copeland has been appointed vice president of marketing for Recruiter.com Group Inc., a sector leader in on-demand recruiting solutions. Angela joins Recruiter.com from NEA Member Benefits, where she was the head of product and digital marketing. Posted 2023-03-24
Eric Keipper has joined Electric Last Mile Inc.’s global leadership team as executive director of vehicle integration. He brings in-depth experience from his career at General Motors, Chrysler/FCA, Karma Automotive, and most recently, Pratt Miller Engineering. Posted 2023-03-24

2002

Michael Choe has retired from the U.S. Navy after a 20-year career as a pilot. He is now a first officer on the 737 for United Airlines and resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and two children. Posted 2024-01-17
Lt. Col. John Riker took command of the 442nd Civil Engineer Squadron November 7, 2021 in a ceremony held on Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. Prior to joining the 442nd Civil Engineer Squadron, John served in the Colorado Air National Guard as chief of the readiness division, 240th Civil Engineer Flight, Buckley AFB, Colorado. Posted 2023-03-24
Mehul Doshi has been named chief product and technology officer at ACT. He will lead development and execution of the organization’s product and technology roadmap, working with other members of ACT’s senior leadership team to launch new supports and bring innovative technology to market so that ACT can continuously improve the services it provides to students. Posted 2023-03-24

2003

Jennifer Warren-Dyment, Esq., was appointed to assistant town manager of Oxford, Massachusetts. She has spent much of her career in public service. Posted 2023-03-24
Kristin Bauer has joined TCGplayer, a technology platform for the collectibles industry and operator of the largest online marketplace for trading card games, as chief supply chain officer. In this newly created role, Kristen will be responsible for advancing TCGplayer’s end-to-end supply chain strategy, including overseeing its fulfillment center operations in Syracuse, New York. Posted 2023-03-24

2004

Last Energy’s 20 MWe micro power plant.
Last Energy’s 20 MWe micro power plant.
Christian Robinson, P.E., has accepted the role of director of electrical engineering at Last Energy, a next-gen nuclear company that factory-manufactures a 20 MWe micro power plant for “behind-the-meter” industrial customers under the Power Purchase Agreement business model. https://www.lastenergy.com/ Posted 2024-01-17
Megan Prucnal was select­ed as an associate technical fellow with The Boeing Compa­ny. As a structural analyst, her areas of focus are optimization and additive manufacturing. Her husband, Rich Davis ’04, is a production engineering manager with Boeing. They have two sons, 8 and 11, and reside near Philadelphia.   Posted 2024-01-17
Katie Karaffa reports that Amanda Camadine and Neeraj Joshi had a son named Nolan Atlas Joshi on March 26. They are both in love with him and overjoyed. Posted 2024-01-17
Jennifer (Ganesh) Davda has been named Loeb & Loeb law firm’s first chief diversity officer. Based in the Los Angeles office, Jennifer will work closely with firm leadership to continue to build upon the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Posted 2023-03-24
Sherwin Gandhi — who co-founded Jeeves, a company that brings together global finance and technology for businesses and initially raised $131 million from investors — has raised another $57 million for the business. Posted 2023-03-24

2005

Heather Wyld, a project engineer at CHA Consulting, has been selected as an Engineering News-Record Top Young Professional in the New York/New Jersey region. Posted 2023-03-24
Christian Scott has been selected by Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in Atlanta as the agency’s new resident inspector at the McGuire Nuclear Station in Huntersville, North Carolina. Posted 2023-03-24
Bryan Knight has joined Zus Health as a technologist. He currently resides outside Boston with his wife and daughter. Posted 2023-03-24
Allison (White) Sharp has started a new position as associate director, quality assurance, at Regeneron. Posted 2023-03-24
Vicky Garcia is now a team lead at NASA, working on the newest launch vehicle, Artemis I. She’s been with NASA for 14 years. Her 6-year-old son is the light of her life and keeps her on her toes. Posted 2023-03-24
Sam and Sonya (Mazumdar) Sengupta had a son named Zayn (pronounced Zane, like Billy Zane) Sengupta. This big boy clocked in at 9 pounds, 7 ounces on 2/2/22! Although it’s already been an eventful ride into parenthood, they are happy and excited that he’s finally here. Posted 2023-03-24
Eun Joo You worked in IT security for about eight years and then got her master’s degree in social work to become a psychotherapist. Posted 2023-03-24

2006

Rian Bahran, Ph.D., currently serves as assistant director for nuclear technology and strategy in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), leading policy development and providing advice to the president and the executive office of the president on issues related to nuclear energy, security, and emerging technology. OSTP is led by a Senate-confirmed director, who also serves as assistant to the president for science and technology, a member of the President’s Cabinet. Dr. Bahran recently served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as a senior science and policy adviser. For his exemplary performance during his time at the Pentagon, he received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. He began his career at Los Alamos as a postdoc in the X Computational Physics Division, and went on to become a program manager and R&D Scientist in the Nuclear Engineering Division, where he was a recipient of the prestigious “Most Promising Asian Engineer of the Year” for leading the development of transformative nuclear technology solutions. Posted 2024-01-17
Gregory Moyer was promoted to senior technical director, distinguished engineer for software engineering at Nationwide, a provider of property and casualty insurance and financial services. Posted 2023-03-24
Krista Manna, founder and owner of KR Architecture & Interiors, an Abington, Massachusetts-
based architectural firm, has been selected as a 2021 “40 Under 40” award winner by Cape & Plymouth Business. The awards spotlight the region’s top young business leaders who excel in their industry and show dynamic leadership.
Posted 2023-03-24
Xufeng Sun, Ph.D., has been promoted to vice president of formulation and technology transfer at Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing. He is responsible for managing a team of process engineers, and overseeing and developing filling and formulation protocols, batch records, and studies at the company. Posted 2023-03-24

2007

Xiaodun (Susan) Mou
Xiaodun (Susan) Mou, Ph.D. ’07, was named chief executive officer of CorrectSequence Therapeutics. Correctseq is a biotechnology company leading the evolution of new gene editing technologies with a special focus on base editing for the permanent cure of genetic diseases to benefit global patients. She will lead the clinical application of base editing technology, the expansion of therapeutic pipelines, the establishment of a global standard CMC platform, and the cGMP manufacturing of gene editing medicines. Posted 2023-03-24

2008

Laura Wontrop Klauser
In January 2021, Chevrolet officials named Laura Wontrop Klauser ’08 sports car racing program manager. Her role includes engineering and technical oversight of Corvette Racing on behalf of Chevrolet. Laura’s appointment signals a shift toward an engineering-based approach throughout its motorsports programs. “It’s a huge honor to move into this role with Corvette Racing,” said Laura, who has been part of General Motors’ racing activities for the last five years. “It unquestionably is one of the premier programs in all of sports car endurance racing. My goal is to promote more synergy between our racing programs and funnel our technical learnings back to GM so we continue to make and sell better cars to car fans and customers throughout the world.”  Laura began at General Motors in 2008 and spent eight years on the production side of the business, including advanced design work on the Corvette C7. Motorsports competition came calling in 2016 after stints on the Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Cruze and Spark production teams. She was named Program Manager for the Cadillac ATS-V.R effort in the Pirelli World Challenge. “We are pleased to have someone as enthusiastic and experienced as Laura as our Sports Car Racing program manager,” said Mark Stielow, Chevrolet director of motorsport competition engineering. “Corvette Racing and GM’s road-racing efforts will benefit from her engineering experience with both the Corvette and Cadillac production cars, and her relationship with a large number of our fans and Corvette owners.” Posted 2023-03-24
David F. Tamaroff, a longtime advocate for content creators, is leading the legal team at intellectual property protection firm American Films Inc. He was formerly the company’s outside counsel at Florida-based Morgan & Morgan, P.A. Posted 2023-03-24
James Patsalides is a visiting professor of marketing at Mitchell College. He will teach management, focusing on how to use a combination of data analytics and human interaction to help managers make better decisions. He brings more than 20 years of management experience and more than 10 years of teaching experience in higher education, including eight years as associate professor at Albertus Magnus College. Posted 2023-03-24

2009

Matthew Connelly, who received a BS in biomedical engineering, attended SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse after RPI, where he obtained his Medical Doctorate. He completed his residency at Indiana University School of Medicine and now is an emergency room doctor in the Community Health Network in Fishers, Indiana. He is the medical director of the Community Health-South hospital in Fishers. Posted 2023-03-24
Dave Latta
Dave Latta, M.S., has been appointed Commanding Officer of the Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NROTC) program and Professor of Naval Science at Rensselaer. He is a career nuclear submarine officer who has served aboard both fast-attack and strategic deterrent submarines. He most recently commanded USS Scranton in San Diego, California, from 2019 to 2021, leading one seven- month deployment to the Western Pacific. Posted 2023-03-24

2010

Sally Vincent married software developer Alex Palash in 2021. Sally is a senior threat research engineer at LogRhythm and gives frequent security talks/trainings for SANS, RSA, and Ultimate Windows Security. Posted 2023-03-24
Jenna Evans has been named a partner in Pardi Partnership Architects PC. She joined the company in 2011 as an intern. Her experience ranges from institutional and commercial office design to retail and multi-family housing, as well as residential. Posted 2023-03-24

2011

Arpit Bakshi, MBA, is a science fiction writer whose second book was published this year by one of the largest trade publishers in India, Rupa Publications. The book is doing exceptionally well in its niche genre and getting highlighted in print and online media. Posted 2023-03-24

2013

Allan La Grenade-Finch has accepted a position — after eight rewarding years serving students across D.C. with City Year — with Springboard Collaborative, a national education nonprofit that partners with parents to close the literacy gap between home and school. Allan serves as their Northeast executive director. Posted 2023-03-24

2014

Emily Mastropiero joined firm ownership and was subsequently promoted to partner at Square Feet Studio. Established in 2001, SFS is an architecture, planning, and design firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Posted 2024-01-17
Tanya Bruno
Tanya Bruno has joined CPL, a full-service design firm in Albany. As a senior drafter, Tanya is responsible for creating, updating, and overseeing architectural plans for a variety of project types. She also assists teams in developing survey maps and layouts. Prior to joining CPL, Tanya served as a designer at 3tarchitects. She has a master of architecture degree from Rensselaer and a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from Skidmore College. Posted 2023-03-24

2019

Kristen Anderson has become a registered architect in the State of New York after passing the six Architect Registration Exams and documenting 5,000+ experience hours. In recognition of her licensure, the firm she has been with since graduating (Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, NYC office) has promoted her to staff architect. Posted 2024-01-17
Lila Sferlazza has been promoted to associate at Pickard Chilton, an award-winning architecture studio. Sferlazza is currently a key designer for a 1.25 million-gross-square-foot corporate mass timber campus in California. Recently, she was a designer for 325 Main, Google Cambridge’s next-generation headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Posted 2024-01-17
Alexandra Fearn is a racecar driver competing weekly in the Limited Late Model (and sometimes Late Model) classes at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford, Connecticut. She is the winningest female in the track’s long and storied history. In 2021, she was the #1 ranked driver across all divisions and won the Limited Late Model class championship. When she is not racing, she is attending law school and hopes to practice IP law after graduation. Posted 2023-03-24
Prasanna Date, Ph.D. ’19, a research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in the “Healthcare and Science” category. His work seeks to enable faster and more effective data analysis in scientific and consumer applications such as high-energy physics and self-driving cars. Posted 2023-03-24