Past EAA Board Members
Mr. Baranyk has over forty-six years experience as an Engineer, Executive and Consultant. His Executive experience spans twenty-one years with full P&L responsibility for a series of Fortune 500 Manufacturing Divisions, a family owned business and a printing/packaging partnership. In one assignment he assumed control of a $30 Million Fortune 500 machine tool division in December of 1972 that lost $2 Million that year. One year later, with the help of his team, the division reported a $2 Million profit on a $5 Million increase in sales. He ultimately led the Division to $80 Million in sales in 1980 with five plants in four states and Puerto Rico. His responsibilities included licensees in Japan, Italy and Brazil.
During his Fortune 500 management career Mr. Baranyk coached a series of managers within these Divisions who went on to successful careers as corporate executives and owner/operators of their own businesses.
Mr. Baranyk’s consulting experience includes four years working exclusively for Fortune 500 firms such as G.E., U. S. Steel, Union Carbide, U. S. Industries, Gulf+Western Industries (Paramount) and United Technologies performing Strategic Planning and Strategic Analyses related to New Product Development and Acquisitions. Since 1989 he has consulted exclusively both independently and as a member of the Geo. S. Olive CPA firm for family/privately owned businesses in a variety of industries including Construction, Real Estate Development, Textile Distribution, Metalworking Manufacturing, Food Products and Long Term Health Care. His work for these firms includes assisting the owners to professionalize their management systems, Succession Planning for generational transition of Management and Ownership, Strategic Planning, Strategic Analyses and Coaching/Mentoring of managers.
Mr. Baranyk has served as an unpaid volunteer on two Government Efficiency Commissions for the State of Indiana including Subcommittee Chairmanships and Commission Co-chairman. Mr. Baranyk served as the Chairman of the General Government Subcommittee of the first Efficiency Commission (2003-2004) and as both Co-Chairman of the second Efficiency Commission as well as Chairman of the K-12 Spending Subcommittee. The work of both Commissions has helped guide the development of State Government policy on a number of critical issues including the structure of the Governor’s staff and improving the State Chart of Accounts to support improved agency management.
Mr. Baranyk serves on the Boards of several family owned businesses and on the Boards of the Indianapolis Civic Theatre and Christamore House, an Indianapolis inner-city service organization where he and his wife, Susanne, have served as tutors. He also serves as a volunteer to Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s Offender Re-entry Program helping felons released from prison successfully re-enter civil society.
Mr. Baranyk holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He has been married for forty-six years to Susanne Marie Esber (B.Sc. 1962); they have three children and seven grandchildren.
Craig Blough is a Capital Sales and Farm Automation Specialist for DeLaval of Indiana. In this capacity, Craig works with dairy farmers to provide equipment, technology and solutions in herd management and automation that improve the efficiency of their dairy operations. DeLaval is the global leader in supplying solutions that improve the performance of farms for professional food producers.
Prior to joining DeLaval, He worked at John Deere (Deere & Co.) in various roles within Technical Product Support, Marketing, Product Management and Global Projects functional areas.
Craig graduated from Purdue in 2009 with a BS in Agricultural & Biological Engineering: Machine Systems. He subsequently completed his MS-MBA in Food and Agribusiness Management in 2014. This dual degree consists of a MS from Purdue University in Agricultural Economics and an MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. In his spare time, he enjoys working on, managing and developing his family dairy farm, traveling, adventure sports, chesemaking and spending time with his friends.
Sedona graduated from Purdue in 2019 with a BS in Multidisciplinary Engineering, and a concentration in Visual Design. After graduating she moved out to the San Francisco Bay Area to start her career at Cisco Meraki and is currently a Quality Engineer. Cisco Meraki is a cloud-managed IT solutions company, and Sedona has been enjoying the daily problem solving her role offers as well as the impact her company is making to help fulfill remote networking needs since the pandemic began.
During her undergrad, she was involved in numerous groups such as Society of Women Engineers, Purdue Badminton Club, and co-founded MDESS (Multidisciplinary Engineering Student Society), which helped build a strong community among her MDE & IDE colleagues who fondly call themselves “purple squirrels” (give it a google). She also served as an RA & REA at Shreve Hall for 3 years, and when she wasn’t at the residence hall, she found herself in Armstrong Hall. There she was a College of Engineering Ambassador, and also an EPICS Team Lead for a unique project to celebrate Purdue’s 150th Anniversary. The Bell Tower- shaped penny press that stands in the Armstrong Atrium was the proud final product of her team’s hard work & creativity, and one of her favorite memories at Purdue was revealing the penny press at the Dean’s dinner during homecoming 2018.
Residing in Fremont, CA, Sedona spends her time outside work exploring the northern Bay Area, playing badminton, and most recently volunteering with the EAA as an ambassador and now new board member. She is looking forward to connecting with fellow Boilermakers both on campus & abroad and hopes to show that we all are Purdue Engineers for life.
David is President of Eco Oxygen Technologies, LLC (ECO2). Founded in 2002 and based in Indianapolis IN, ECO2 has built their business on being an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemical treatments for water and wastewater treatment. Initially focusing on odor and corrosion prevention, ECO2 has helped clients across the country and internationally solve their water quality needs.
David holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil / Environmental Engineering from Purdue University (CE 2000) and is a licensed professional engineer in Indiana and Kentucky. He is an active member in a number of professional and civic organizations including; Purdue Engineering Alumni Board, Boy Scouts of America Circle City Board, a member of Water Environment Federation Air Quality Committee and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
David has been a featured speaker at a number of internationally recognized conferences including Water Environment Federation (WETEC) technical exhibition and EPA National 104(g) Operators Trainers conference. He has been published in numerous technical journals including Clear Waters the New York Water Environment Association publication and served as a peer reviewer for Water & Environment Federation (WEF), Water Practice Online Journal. David holds several US and international Patents centered on gas transfer systems relating to water quality and wastewater treatment.
David resides in Carmel, IN and is married to Anne (Pesek) Clidence (Purdue HTM 2000) and has four children. David comes from a long line of Purdue graduates and this legacy will continue with his oldest son who will be attending Purdue as a freshman in Fall 2017.
Frederick Cooper is a 1974 BSEE graduate from Purdue, who in his freshman year co-founded the Society of Black Engineers (SBE) along with classmate Edward Barnett (deceased). Their goal was to improve the recruitment and retention of black engineering students at Purdue. The organization grew and was the precursor to the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).
A Chicago native, Fred attended Purdue on a full football scholarship where he was a three-year starter and became captain of the defense his senior year. After graduation he played pro-football for two years, including a stint with the Detroit Lions. Fred then began a 25-year tenure with the Bell System and held numerous engineering and business positions that included P&L responsibility for Lucent Technologies’ $100M a year wireless base station software development business. Fred now works as a commercial real estate consultant at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices where he helps clients meet their Return on Investment (ROI) objectives by investing in commercial real estate.
Fred continues to be a beacon of encouragement to students that they can play big time intercollegiate athletics and major in engineering at Purdue.
Fred currently resides in Hillsborough, New Jersey, in the New York City metro area.
Words of Encouragement to New Engineering Alumni: I am a Purdue Engineer for Life! I also played football at Purdue. Football taught me it didn't make any difference whether I made a mistake, or got a bad call from a referee, I had 40 seconds to get over it and be lined up ready for the next play. My engineering degree from Purdue taught me no matter how hard a problem or situation is...I can figure it out.
Adam graduated in 2004 with a degree in mechanical engineering. While at Purdue, Adam was fortunate enough to co-op with Kimberly-Clark Corporation, working in various design and manufacturing capacities. Since graduation, He has worked in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry for Eli Lilly and Company, Roche Diagnostics and Genentech He currently works as a Senior Manager of Outsourced Manufacturing for Gilead Sciences, where he is responsible for the manufacturing of injectable drugs, medical devices and oral drugs.
In addition to Mechanical Engineering, Adam has continued his education, earning an associate's degree in EET from IUPUI and an MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. He'll complete his Master's in Public Health from University of California at Berkeley in 2019.
Originally from Holland, PA, he and his wife Liz (Purdue BA Communications, 2005) reside in San Francisco, CA where they've been running the local chapter of the Purdue Alumni Club since 2014. When not coordinating club activities, he enjoys playing outdoors and exploring California.
Jenny Gattari is a 1985 Industrial Engineering graduate of Purdue University. In addition to the BS of IE she also holds an MBA. She currently works for Pfizer as a global Senior Director, Portfolio Network Strategy in Lake Forest, IL. She has broad experience in pharmaceutical sales, marketing, pricing, contracting, global program management, R&D, planning and manufacturing operations.
Words of Advice to New Engineering Alumni: Words of Advice to New Engineering Alumni: When you think about the last four years, you will probably remember that your greatest lessons came from outside the classroom. Commit to being a life-long learner! Congratulations and best wishes as you begin your career journey!
"Do what you WANT, not what you CAN."-
Nadine Haupt
Nadine Haupt works with F.A.S.T. (Fearless, Ambitious, Strong, and Trailblazing) Women who want to break through career plateaus, accelerate their income and impact substantially, and fall in love with Monday mornings. Through professional speaking, private and group coaching and mentoring in the proprietary "Reignite Your D.R.I.V.E." signature system, Nadine shows them how --- faster and more easily than by going it alone.
If you are looking for a proven professional who can guide you to address why you are not advancing, what is standing in your way of financial success, and how to create endless opportunities for growth and advancement, you'e in the right place.
Since 1994, Nadine blazed a successful trail from pit lane to the corporate boardroom â including becoming the first female trackside engineer in IndyCar Racing. Navigating the twists and turns of start-ups, niche businesses, consulting firms and corporations, Nadine is a pioneer for women in traditionally male-dominated technical fields and an expert on how to succeed in them. Now she shares her insider secrets with ambitious career women who are eager to follow her lead.
In addition to her licensure as a Professional Engineer, Nadine holds three engineering degrees (BSME - Purdue, MSME - Oakland, MSMSE - IIT) and an MBA (Pepperdine). She also holds an Associate Coaching Certification with the International Coach Federation and certification as a Professional Coach and Energy Leadership Index - Master Practitioner with the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching. Her expertise, business success, and devotion to mentoring women recently earned her nominations for the 2014 and 2015 Influential Woman In Trucking Award.
By helping women to continually take proactive action with focus and confidence, Nadine is creating a community of F.A.S.T. Women who are wildly successful, financially independent, and thriving in their professional and personal lives. Her new book, Fall in Love with Monday Mornings: A Career Woman's Guide to Increasing Impact, Influence, and Income, was released in June 2015.
Nadine's clients are drawn to her passion, authenticity, professionalism, and down-to-earth style. Her no-nonsense approach challenges clients, while her compassion and support encourages them to make bold moves. Clients are inspired to do more, be more, and have more...because that's what being a F.A.S.T. Woman is all about.
Proceed full speed ahead by booking your Introductory Consultation Session NOW by calling (888) 277-0610 or online at www.FASTWomeninBusiness.com. Follow Nadine on Twitter @FASTWomeninBiz and connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/nrhaupt.
Words of Advice to New Engineering Alumni: “Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on.” - “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
In our world of instant gratification, it’s sometimes hard to see that you can choose where you end up. We all have choices in our lives. In business, in career, in relationships, with our health, and with our money. Every day we are faced with choices. Do the best you can with the information you have in front of you. Try new things. Set off in new directions. Expand your comfort zone. Enjoy the journey. And know - that you still have time to change the road you’re on.
Cindy Humphrey, a seasoned professional with 25+ years of experience in the telecommunications and medical device industries, most recently served as vice president of product and marketing for Cochlear Americas. She was responsible for all marketing and product management for the $300M product lines assisting those with hearing loss. The group of 45 people on her team worked together to restore hearing capabilities to those with moderate to severe hearing loss and to manage the volunteer network that cares so much about expanding the assistance.
Cindy’s prior roles were all at CenturyLink (previously Qwest, US West, Mountain Bell). Her final responsibilities were in the Business Markets Group (BMG) of CenturyLink. In this role, she handled a broad scope of responsibility in reaching all segments of the business market, including medium- to large-size businesses, government and education accounts. She managed a team of marketing and product professionals working to equip the company with the types of tools that drove growth in the business market.
Before joining BMG, Cindy was a regional vice president for Qwest Wholesale, responsible for sales to wireless carriers. Her group, serving accounts from the smallest wireless customers to the very largest, achieved increased sales levels in a declining market in multiple years.
Ms. Humphrey began her career as a network manager and, after that, held a variety of positions, including product manager and director for multiple product lines; market manager and channel manager. Additionally, she holds a patent for work completed in a product development position.
Cindy is a graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor of science degree in engineering and holds a master’s of business administration with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Denver. She was awarded the B-to-B Marketer of the year award from the Direct Marketing Association in 2011 and many of the campaigns and projects her teams worked on have received accolades. .
She and her husband, Craig, reside in Denver and are the parents of two children.
Vice President
2018 -
2023
Wendy Kerr is a 2006 Mechanical Engineering graduate from Purdue. After interning at General Motors and Eli Lilly, she started working for Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a Johnson and Johnson company, after graduation. Wendy completed rotations in advanced analytics, design, development, and quality engineering as part of Ethicon Endo-Surgery’s New College Hire program. She now works as a design engineer creating new medical devices for minimally invasive surgeries.
Wendy has been on the Engineering Alumni Association board since 2006. She is also active in Purdue recruiting at Ethicon Endo-Surgery. While at Purdue, Wendy was on the Purdue Engineering Student Council (PESC) and Mortar Board.
In her free time, Wendy enjoys running, soccer and reading. She also coaches youth soccer, volunteers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and is on Give Back Cincinnati’s Hands-On Committee.
Eric Kirtcheff is responsible for Essence’s enablement of ad technology and integration of data systems for client adserving platforms. Essence’s mission is to make advertising more valuable to the world or clients such as Google, Method, Hewlett Packard, and Netflix. In his role as Global Director of Ad Operations his responsibilities include setting up campaigns for success from onboarding through campaign architecture to results measurement. His efforts have focused on improving data measurement, privacy solutions and brand safety technologies.
Prior to joining Essence he was Senior Manager of Solutions Engineering at Akamai, leading the presales efforts and onboarding clients through to execution. Previously, Eric held various leadership positions at DoubleClick and Yahoo in technology operations, product management, and client services. He has worked on such high profile campaigns as Howard Stern’s move to Sirius, Hillary Clinton for America(2008) and the Mission Impossible III(Live Event). In this process he played a key role in pioneering solutions for the digital marketing industry. He is regular speaker at Admonsters panels on various industry topics.
Eric has a BSEE from the Purdue University from 1999. He joined the board in August of 2015.
Rick Kosdrosky currently serves as the Program Manager for a number of classified efforts on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas. Rick studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue, and was one of the early graduates of the Division of Interdisciplinary Engineering in 1976.
An early teenage fascination with electronics and aviation led Rick to earn a pilot’s license while in high school. The draw of Purdue’s storied history in aviation, and worldwide engineering reputation, led him to Purdue. While at Purdue, he found excellent diversions as a member of the Purdue Crew, and as President of the Purdue Sports Car Club where he began competing in motorsports events. That love continues today, as Rick has been a nationally-licensed road racer with the Sports Car Club of America for over 25 years.
A Boilermaker through and through, Rick is a Lifetime Member of the President’s Council, frequent guest speaker in engineering classrooms, and an active on-campus recruiter for Lockheed Martin. He and his wife Cheryl live in Granbury, Texas. Their son Aaron is a recent graduate of Purdue.
Jack is a vice president and partner of American Structurepoint, leading the Architecture, Structural and Planning Groups. In 1998, he received a bachelor of science degree in agricultural and biological engineering from Purdue University. In 1999, just one year after college, Jack joined American Structurepoint as an entry-level site design engineer. His experience includes site layout, grading, hydrology, road design, earthwork, utilities, water quality design, construction cost estimates, and permitting, as well as field investigations and preliminary site analyses. At age 25, Jack became one of only a dozen certified floodplain managers (CFM) in the state of Indiana. Since earning his professional engineering license in Indiana in 2004, Jack has developed impeccable relationships with real estate developers in the Midwest, propelling the accelerated growth of the company’s private-sector civil engineering practice.
In January of 2006, Jack was promoted to vice president, focusing on client and project sales strategies and taking charge of the Civil Group. He later accepted principal responsibility for American Structurepoint’s Survey and Planning Groups. In May of 2011, Jack was invited to share ownership of the company. In 2012, ENR Midwest magazine selected Jack among its annual Top 20 Under 40 list, which honors young design and construction professionals on the basis of their contributions to their profession and their community. In 2013, he began leading the charge of American Structurepoint's Architecture and Structural Groups. Last month, Jack was selected to participate in the fall 2015 Stanley K. Lacey Executive Leadership Series.
Kevin Metrocavage currently serves as the International Space Station (ISS) Operations Manager. In this role, he is responsible for maintaining overall situational awareness of the planning and execution of ISS complex operations for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters (HQ) in Washington, DC. Metrocavage manages ISS real-time and contingency support from the NASA HQ Space Operations Center and provides input and status to Directorate and ISS Division leadership as well as external agencies as appropriate.
Previously, Metrocavage worked in Mission Control at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX where he served as a Flight Controller, Instructor, and Manager for the International Space Station (ISS) Motion Control Systems (MCS) group. As an Attitude Determination and Control Officer (ADCO), Metrocavage planned, coordinated, monitored, and executed ISS maneuvers in support of a variety of complex operations.
Metrocavage supported 18 ISS Assembly Missions and over 56 ISS Expeditions from Houston, Washington D.C. and internationally in Moscow, Russia. NASA has recognized Metrocavage with multiple individual and team awards, most notably the NASA Spaceflight Awareness Award in 2011 which is one of the highest awards presented to NASA and industry personnel.
Prior to joining NASA, Metrocavage earned his Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University where he also served as Basketball Manager for the three-time Big Ten Champions from 1993-96 and recently served on the Alumni Board of Directors.
He also served for thirteen years as the President of the Purdue Alumni Club of Houston, a regional club with "Gold Status" recognition during his tenure. Metrocavage also worked as a Space Camp Counselor and continues to have a passion for education, family, sports, human spaceflight, and of course his beloved alma mater.
Words of Advice to New Engineering Alumni: As you transition from the academic to workforce environment, earn a reputation early as someone who works hard, is adaptable, solves problems, and stays vigilant in your technical, safety and ethical areas of focus. Dedication to doing your work, and treating people, the "right way" will take you far!
Steve Miller is a Senior Engineer at Hitachi Automotive in Farmington Hills, MI. Steve is a 2002 graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Additionally, he holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering (2006) from Purdue and an MBA from Indiana University(2008).
Following graduation in 2002, Mr. Miller worked for Visteon Corporation, holding positions in manufacturing and design engineering of automotive powertrain components. In 2004, he moved to Hitachi Automotive working as a design engineer for electronic engine components. Currently, he is a Senior Engineer at Hitachi for direct injection fuel systems. Steve serves as the engineering project leader for the 2010 GM LAF fuel system, and also specializes in engine and vehicle testing.
Steve joined the Purdue EAA Board in 2008 and currently holds the Secretary position. While at Purdue, he was an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and continues to be a member of SAE. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, playing and watching sports, cars, and skiing.
Carlos Moreno is the Procurement Director for Kimberly-Clark’s Latin American Operations. He received his BS in Industrial Engineering from Purdue in 1994 and his MBA from Thunderbird, where he was a Fulbright Scholar, in 2000. Carlos has been with Kimberly-Clark for more than twenty years in various Supply Chain functions. He has been a pioneer in optimization systems and has played key roles in the company’s rapid expansion and corporate citizenship in neighboring communities throughout Latin America. His career has been characterized by continuous growth in Manufacturing, Logistics, Continuous Improvement and Procurement in consumer goods Supply Chains across several geographies. He has recruited, developed and motivated top performing teams that share his passion for excellence and integrity.
Carlos Moreno is a regular contributor to several educational causes in El Salvador, promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). He is an enthusiastic robotics fan who helped form a rural elementary school club in Sitio del Niño close to San Salvador, which won against major odds, international recognition in Colombia and Germany. Carlos enjoys analytics, cross cultural communication and traveling. He has been a member of the Purdue President’s Council since 2003 and won the Oustanding Industrial Engineering Award in 2015. Carlos currently resides in El Salvador and can be contacted at: cemoreno@kcc.com or sv.linkedin.com/pub/carlos-moreno/14/b34/88a.
Words of Encouragement to New Engineering Alumni: Welcome to the Purdue Engineer for life network! You must be feeling blessed and fortunate for having completed one of the best Engineering programs in the world. The journey just begins, you have the head, the hands, and the heart to exceed any goal you set to pursue.
Bob’s career has included over 30 years in senior management positions with the Sterling Fluid Systems, a multi-national corporation, in its rotating equipment and engineered systems businesses. Assignments have included division management in the USA, Canada, and Mexico as well as group management of Latin America and corporate Business Development. Currently he is principal of Bobkat Partners LLC, an engineering and management services firm.
Since starting his own firm, assignments have included COO for a torque converter manufacturer and president of a consulting engineering firm specializing in combustion processes. In addition, he is an engineering consultant with a wastewater treatment firm and for several major pump manufacturers.
Bob has served as Chairman and President of the Hydraulic Institute, the North American pump industry’s standards writing trade organization. He is an advisory board member for Purdue’s Graduate School of Mechanical Engineering Herrick Laboratories and has served on the advisory councils for Purdue’s Technical Assistance Program and the Indiana Manufacturing Extension Partnership. In addition Bob was Chair of Purdue’s Parents Campaign. Civically, Bob is a Public Works Board member for the City of Indianapolis and serves the Town of Williams Creek on the town council as treasurer.
Bob holds a Masters Degree in Management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.
At Procter & Gamble, Kimberly's role is the Global Director of Fabric Care Engineering and she is based in Cincinnati, OH. Fabric Care Business includes Billion Dollar Brands like Tide, Gain and Downy. The Business is Global and has a Global footprint. P&G Fabric Care has plant operations and technical centers in all Regions of the World. She is responsible for Capital Investments and Engineering to deliver Innovation, Capacity, Savings and Plant Operations. She has a large organization and is responsible to develop engineers to be the next generation of leaders. She has Engineering teams who sit in Technical Centers in all parts of the world. She travels globally and has been to over 40 countries with her role. She works upstream on new innovation with R&D, create designs for our core products/package systems and has responsibility for engineers in the plant operations.
Her Professional Organizations include Ceo and President of non-proft Southwest Ohio Water Company and Director on TechSolve Technology non-proft Board.
Some highlights from her Purdue Days include being a member of the Purdue Marching Band, Purdue American Music Review, Purdue Symphonic Band, and she was a Resident Hall Counselor Windsor.
She married William Riddle in 1991 and has has two children, Benjamin (born 1996) and Nathan (born 1998). She is currently living in Monfort Height, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Words of Encouragement to New Engineering Alumni: You should be so proud of your recent graduation and engineering degree from Purdue. Your Purdue Engineering degree is going to bring unbelievable value, experiences and life time memories to You. Congratulations!
Veronica Rife, P.E., PMP currently serves as Project Manager with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District. Ms. Rife began her career with the Louisville District working as a Structural Engineer in the Structural Section, Design Branch. She has served for several years as Project Manager in Military and Reserve Programs with projects at Ft Knox, Puerto Rico and the Middle East District. For many years she was Project Manager in the Civil Works Program on various Ohio River inland navigation projects in planning, design and construction stages, including the Olmsted Locks and Dam. Prior to the Corps she worked in the Gas Engineering Department for Louisville Gas & Electric in Louisville.
Veronica has a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN majoring in structural engineering. While at Purdue Veronica participated in the Co-op program working with both Ford Motor Company and the Indiana State Highway Commission and was a member of Chi Epsilon. She is a registered Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a member of Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and a registered Project Management Professional.
Veronica resides in Jeffersonville, IN and is married to Scott Rife, also a Purdue alum. Their two daughters and soon to be son-in-law are also Purdue grads.
Mr. Ringenberg is a graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1980.
He began his career with the US Army Corps of Engineers as a Purdue Co-op student in the Engineering Division in 1977 and later served as the Civil Design Coordinator. He later moved into project management and worked various assignments on military projects including a 3-year assignment overseas with the Europe Division, Corps of Engineers, managing Dutch, German and U.S. design contracts. He has also worked as a senior environmental project engineer during which time he developed and administered several large, full-service contracts.
Mr. Ringenberg has served as a Program/Project Manager for worldwide programs for agencies such as the US Army Reserve, US Air Force Reserve and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). In these positions he coordinated the efforts of other Corps districts in providing design and construction services on Reserve and DFAS projects in their geographic locale.
He served as the District’s Cost Reimbursable Program Administrator. In this role he managed the budgetary and scheduling issues associated with projects.
Mr. Ringenberg is currently serving as the chief of the Air Force Reserve and Army Reserve West Section in the Louisville District. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Kentucky and Indiana. He also DAWAI Certified Level 2 in Facilities Engineering.
Mr. Ringenberg has been a volunteer firefighter since 1991 and current serves as the Assistant Chief of the Georgetown Township Fire Protection District.
He married Susie Reed in 1984, a former landscape architect (BS Agriculture 1981) with the Corps of Engineers. They have two children, Whitney, a 2011 Purdue Graduate in Biochemistry and Taylor, a senior studying Mechanical Engineering Technology at the Purdue Technology Center in New Albany.
SHERI ROEDERER DONAHUE
Sheri Donahue received her BS in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University in 1990. She has served for over 26 years in various roles within government, not-for-profit and the private sector. She has worked to serve warfighters, first responders, owners and operators of our national critical infrastructures and the private sector insurance industry. Currently, she is with Humana in the Enterprise Information Protection Department serving as the Cyber Security Strategic Partnerships Director. Prior to joining Humana, she was Program Manager for Security & Intelligence at Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division where she managed a $60M portfolio of Intelligence and Intelligence-related projects for Navy, DoD and other Intelligence agencies of the US Government fusing science and technology with Intelligence to provide knowledge solutions for the warfighter.
Sheri is President Emeritus of the InfraGard National Members Alliance (INMA). As a member of the National Board for 12 years and President for 3 years, she led the private sector entity of this public-private partnership working with the FBI, DHS and other organizations to create partnerships and opportunities for InfraGard and its members to address critical infrastructure and cyber security concerns. She has written articles on public-private partnerships for the Domestic Preparedness Journal and has been interviewed for Emergency Management Magazine. She has received awards and recognition for superior service from the Navy, FBI and Army and was the 2015 recipient of the first annual InfraGard National Members Alliance “Lifetime Leadership Award”.
Over a cumulative 19 years as a DoD civilian working for the Navy, Sheri served in many roles from Project Engineer/Project Manager to Special Programs Manager, Special Security Officer (SSO) and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). She left DoD in 2007 for Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) in Vermont to become the first Managing Director for the INMA while also serving as the President & Executive Director for the Cyber Conflict Studies Association (CCSA) where she worked with government, private corporations and academia to study cyber threats and solutions for the next generation. Prior to returning to DoD in 2010, Sheri worked for as start-up technology company, DisastersNet, as the Director of Customer Support where she developed the training and implementation program for incident command software for healthcare facilities.
Sheri has worked closely with the intelligence community in the protection of Navy and DoD technologies as well as homeland security efforts. Additionally, she has several years of experience in security having served as an SSO for the Navy and Facility Security Officer (FSO) for The Kiernan Group and Kiernan Group Holdings where she also served as a consultant on various topics. She has organized local and regional security conferences as well as acting as technical advisor for OPSEC training videos for first responders. Other organizations in which she has been involved include Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), iKeepSafe Coalition, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk, Michel Vital Foundation, International Sustainability Fund and the American Heart Association.
In her spare time, Sheri enjoys spending time on the lake and flipping houses in her hometown of Louisville, KY. She has one son who is a double major in Political Science and Economics at the University of Kentucky.
Emily Rudzin is a 2007 graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. Emily is a consultant at Slalom Consulting in Chicago, one of Consulting Magazines Top 10 Best Firms to Work Fork in 2010. Prior to joining Slalom, Emily was a Senior Consultant at Crowe Horwath LLP in their Performance consulting practice.
In her career, Emily has had the opportunity of making large impacts in various organizations with experience in business and technology consulting, including custom application development, business process reengineering, software and technology implementations, testing and training. Emily has worked across diverse industries including government, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail car dealerships.
While at Purdue, Emily was highly involved on campus and off. She served as secretary of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, participated in the Society of Women Engineers Mentors & Mentees program as a Mentor, was a teachers assistant for Freshman Engineering Chemistry Tutorial, and was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority.
Emily lives in the suburbs of Chicago where she enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, photography, and community service. She is actively involved in the board and is currently serving as Secretary of the board.
Dr. D.H. R. Sarma is a Principal Technical Fellow and Engineering Group Manager in Advanced Engineering and Business Development at Delphi Electronics and Safety, Kokomo, Indiana. Prior to joining Delphi, his work experience included a one and a half-year stint at CTS Microelectronics in West Lafayette, Indiana. He has over 30 years of experience in electronic materials technologies. He received his B.S. degree from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India and his M.S. and Ph.D. degree from Purdue University. Currently, he supervises the development of key technologies for future Delphi product portfolio.
Dr. Sarma has over 20 publications in prestigious journals and conference proceedings. In addition, he has made presentations extensively in various conferences and technology forums and has served on many discussion panels. He has co-authored a textbook on Fundamentals of Microsystems Packaging. He holds 22 U.S. patents. He currently serves as Chair of the Advanced Engineering Intellectual Property Review Board at Delphi Electronics and Safety. He has been named Outstanding Materials Engineer by Purdue University. He has been inducted into the Delphi Innovation Hall of Fame and holds a Gold Level status in the Hall of Fame. He received the Boss Kettering Award, Delphi /GMs highest engineering honor, TWICE (in 2003 and 2005), His other recognitions include Best Paper and Gold Medal from The Metallurgical Society of AIME, several Best Paper and Outstanding Paper awards from the International Microelectronics and Packaging Society (IMAPS), and two Technical Publicity Awards from Delphi Electronics and Safety for outstanding technical publications. He served as Chair for the Automotive Electronics Product Sector of iNEMI (International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative). He has also served on the Technical Committee of iNEMI and is currently a member of the iNEMI Research Committee. He serves on the Advisory Board of the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University. Dr. Sarma is also a member of the Purdue University Parents Fund-raising Steering Committee.
Dave Sawin is the Vice President of Body Design Division at the Toyota Motor North America Research & Development (TMNA R&D) center based in York Township, Michigan. In this position, Sawin oversees body design operations for North America.
Prior to this assignment, Sawin was General Manager of Body Design 2 and was responsible for body shell and exterior design.
Sawin joined Toyota Technical Center in 1996 as an Engineer in the Body Shell Design Department. In 2009 he was promoted to General Manager of the Quality Promotion Department where he was responsible for design quality activities in North America. After his assignment in the Quality Promotion Department, he served roles as General Manager of Vehicle Performance Development 1 where he was responsible for body and chassis strength performance development and then as General Manager of Body Design 2.
Sawin serves as a board member of Michigan Science Center in Detroit, Michigan and on Purdue Engineering Alumni Association's Board of Directors.
Sawin earned a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
He, his wife Pamela West Sawin (Purdue BSRHI '94) and three children (Zach, Lainey, & Sarah) live outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Words of Advice to New Engineering Alumni: Your Purdue education has prepared you well for many of the curve balls that life may throw at you. As a new College of Engineering Alumni, you are in exclusive company, so take heart that you can persevere through any challenge and will always have other Purdue Alumni behind you willing to support you throughout your career. Please do not hesitate to reach out to those that came before you for advice when faced with a tough challenge!
Dave Schaller is the Strategic Product Planning Manager for Navistar, Inc at their Truck Development & Technology Center. Dave graduated from Purdue University in Electrical Engineering in 1982. He subsequently completed his MBA through Ball State University in 1993.
Dave started his career at United Technologies/Essex Machinery as a factory automation controls engineer. In 1986, he joined Navistar International to develop electronic engine control systems for commercial trucks and buses. Since that time Dave has held several different assignments in vehicle design engineering, R&D, dealer sales training, highway tractor marketing, product management and program management. He holds 4 US patents from his work on truck control systems.
Dave was asked to join the EAA Board in 2009 and is currently serving as vice president. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and has written/presented several SAE papers. Dave enjoys his family including two Purdue students, as well as bicycling, church activities, traveling, and die-cast model development/collecting.
Elizabeth Sickels is a Sales Engineer at General Electric (GE). Ms. Sickels is a 2002 graduate of Purdue University in Materials Science Engineering. She expects to finish her MBA from Michigan State in March 2011.
Ms. Sickels has a background in manufacturing, interning at four different sites for Corning Inc., varying from a borosilicate glass factory, to injection molding, to fiber optics and photonics. Following graduation from Purdue, she went into full time manufacturing of fiberglass for Owens Corning as a Project Engineer. To gain a new perspective, Ms. Sickels went into research and development as a Development Engineer for Ashai Glass Company. She is now a Sales Engineer for GE, under GE Enterprise Solutions. Ms. Sickels provides CNC’s (Computer Numerical Controls) for machine tools and custom engineering solutions. She covers aerospace, automotive, alternative energy, military, and the healthcare sectors.
Ms. Sickels joined the board in 2007, and became President in 2008, and is currently serving as past president. She is a participant for the Women in Engineering Program as an Alumni Panelist. Ms. Sickels enjoys traveling, running, church, and cooking.
Matt Taylor is a Senior Engineer at Cummins Inc. in Columbus, IN. Matt graduated in 2002 from Purdue with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Following that, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Engineering from Purdue and a MBA from the IU-Kelley School of Business.
Matt has worked at Cummins since 2002 and has worked in engine design, production product engineering, mechanical development, and most currently combustion/emissions engineering.
Matt was a member of the Purdue SAE mini-baja team and president from 2000-2002. He enjoys offroading activities including rock crawling, rock racing, general 4-wheeling, and working in the garage. Matt is married and has a daughter. He joined the EEA board in 2009.
Brad is a sales engineer with The Lee Company, a world leader in designing and manufacturing of miniature fluid control devices for a wide range of industries including aerospace, formula 1 racing, oil exploration, automotive and off-highway equipment and medical/scientific instruments.
He was born and raised in the south suburbs of Chicago. Brad's desire to study engineering led him to Purdue University. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in 2013.
For two summers Brad worked at Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories under advisors Dr. Stephen Heister and Scott Meyer.
While at Purdue, Brad was a leader in the Greek community. As a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, he held positions on the executive board including Philanthropy Chair, Recruitment Head and Treasurer.
In addition, Brad was elected to the InterFraternity Council. Brad served as the Director of Philanthropy during his first term; following this term, he was elected Vice President of Operations. Brad's two years on the council were focused on programming, with an emphasis towards improving and generating benefits provided to the average fraternity member.
Brad now resides in Detroit, MI where he is active in the Southeast Michigan Purdue Alumni Association. He is a proud Boilermaker and extremely hopeful for the upcoming Men's basketball team. While not working, Brad enjoys training and competing in triathlons. As well, in the winter you can usually find Brad somewhere snowboarding.
Boiler Up!
Words of Encouragement to New Engineering Alumni: You did it! You've joined an incredibly honored group of alumni. We span the globe and our influence, network is endless. You've become a Purdue Engineer for Life. Take Purdue and this degree with you wherever life leads you. Purdue is now forever apart of you as you are now forever apart of Purdue. Purdue will continue to provide you opportunities you never thought imaginable. Go out there and achieve your wildest dreams. BOILER UP!
Nathan R. Uldricks joined the Purdue Engineering Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2008 and has been serving as president since early 2010. He is a 2006 graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor’s of science degree in industrial engineering and is currently pursuing a master’s of arts degree in government (concentrating in security studies) at Johns Hopkins University and plans to graduate in May 2010 pending completion of his thesis.
Nathan is currently a senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and is serving Department of Defense clientele on strategy and operations engagements. Prior to Booz Allen, Nathan was a consultant for IBM Global Business Services and had internships with Honeywell, United Technologies Corporation's Sikorsky Aircraft, and Butler International. Nathan is also a proud Dairy Queen alumnus from his earlier years.
While at Purdue, Nathan was the president of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, sat on the Purdue Student Government Student Court, a teaching assistant for Dr. James Barany, and held various leadership roles within the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.
He currently resides just outside of Washington, DC in the Court House neighborhood of Arlington, VA. In his free time, he offers pro-bono consulting services through Compass DC for non-profit organizations, volunteers as an alumnus adviser to Kappa Sigma chapters in the DC area, and reads voraciously.
Sara Venn is a Senior Program Manager at T-Mobile USA in Seattle where she has been responsible for delivering various products and programs for the Business Sales, In Store Technology, and GoSmart Teams since 2009. Prior to T-Mobile, Sara worked as engineer in the medical device industry for Edwards Lifesciences in Irvine, CA and in product development/program management for Brunswick Corporation in Arlington, WA.
Sara graduated from Purdue University in 2004 where she received the Outstanding Senior in Engineering Award for the IDE graduating class. As a student, Sara served as Purdue Student Body Vice President and Chairperson of the Campus Safety Task Force. Prior to her senior year she also interned for the Navy at the Navy Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, RI. Additionally, she was heavily involved in PSG, EPICS, and worked as a waitress at Harry's to help pay for school. In 2012, she and her husband endowed scholarship in MSE to help support the next generation of Boilermakers. Most recently, Sara finished her MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in the spring of 2016.
In her spare time, Sara is an avid triathlete competing in a variety of distances, enjoys downhill skiing in the winter, and SCUBA whenever possible. Additionally, Sara has been an active member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training, serving several seasons as team captain, as well as Girls On the Run where she served as SoleMates Chairperson and lead coach for multiple seasons. When not enjoying a sport or volunteering Sara can be found spending time with her golden retriever, Bailey, or enjoying a glass of wine with friends.
Lindsay Williams is an Associate at McKinsey & Company in Dallas, Texas. Lindsay graduated from Purdue University in 2010 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Then, in 2015, she graduated with her MBA from Harvard Business School.
After graduating from Purdue, Lindsay joined Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati. She worked in their Customer Merchandising Solutions group designing displays and bundles for Febreze North America. Before this role, Lindsay worked full-time as a Packaging Modeling & Simulation Analyst, where she lead the packaging and packing equipment modeling globally for Soluble Unit Dose, Tide Pods. She had internships at P&G in chemicals manufacturing and Fabric Care new business development engineering.
Since 2011, Lindsay has served on the Purdue Engineering Alumni Association Board of Directors and currently serves as President Elect. An avid Boilermaker fan, Lindsay enjoys coming back to Purdue to support athletics as much as possible. While at P&G, she led P&G’s technical recruiting efforts at Purdue. Lindsay is an active member of the Purdue Alumni Club (past-Cincinnati; present-Dallas), United Way, and Girls on the Run. In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys traveling, running, yoga, and spending time with her friends and family.
While at Purdue, Lindsay served on the Purdue Engineering Student Council, even as president her senior year. Lindsay was a member of Mortar Board and Kappa Alpha Theta. Involved with the School of Chemical Engineering, Lindsay was a member of Omega Chi Epsilon and ChESAC.
Dr. Nathan Yoder is the Product Development Manager at NanoIntegris, Inc., a leading supplier of premium single-walled nanotube (SWNT) products based in Chicago, IL. He is responsible for managing the company’s production and laboratory facilities, and directing research and development into novel nanomaterial products.
Dr. Yoder graduated in 2002 with a B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) from Purdue University. He subsequently enrolled in the Ph.D. program in the MSE department at Northwestern University and joined the research group of Professor Mark Hersam. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2007 upon completion of his thesis work, which utilized state-of-the-art microscopy and computational techniques to investigate the behavior of organic molecules on semiconductor surfaces.
