Class Notes
1960's
Thomas E. Sampson ’63
Carefree, Arizona
Tom has been awarded the Vincent J. DeVito Distinguished Service Award by The Institute of Nuclear Materials Management. The award recognizes his many technical contributions and achievements in the development of gamma spectrometry systems for nuclear safeguards.
Thomas K. Glasgow ’68
Rocky River, Ohio
Tom taught a course in “Elements of Metallurgy” in January at ASM World Headquarters in Novelty, Ohio. He’s a retired Consulting Technologist for the Materials Division of the NASA Glenn Research Center and a Fellow of ASM International, where he was the initiator of an ASM program rewarding teachers for introducing engineering concepts into elementary schools. Tom earned his bachelor’s degree in metallurgy from Case Institute of Technology.
1970s
P. Jeffrey Bloom ’70
London, England
Jeff and his company, Synchro Arts, won a 2019 Technical and Engineering Emmy Award for engineering creativity. The award recognizes Synchro Arts' software, which synchronizes dialogue to moving images and has become a mainstay of Hollywood sound editors. It’s been used in TV shows like Game of Thrones and Star Trek and by producers and engineers working with artists like David Bowie, Queen, Elton John and Rhianna. Jeff, a physicist and a musician from Columbus, Ohio, founded the company 25 years ago. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Case Institute of Technology.
Kenneth First ’71
Midland, Michigan
Ken recently retired from the Dow Chemical Company and is a part-time staff consultant with the AIChE Center for Chemical Process Safety and a part-time lecturer at the University of Michigan. In February, he addressed the Mid-Michigan Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and talked about process safety. Ken earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.
Philip King ’72
Saint Charles, Missouri
Phil received the Achievement Award from the Engineers’ Club of St. Louis for his contributions to engineering over many years. The award, the club’s highest honor, recognizes Phil’s work designing, developing and producing military helmet mounted displays for pilots of fighter/attack aircraft. He did most of this work at McDonnell Douglas and later Boeing in St. Louis. Phil earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Case Institute of Technology. He attended the award ceremony with his wife, Kathy, a 1972 graduate of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.
Larry Enterline ’74
Buford, Georgia
Larry was appointed to the board of directors of Compass Diversified Holdings, an owner of leading middle market businesses. The retired CEO of FOX Factory Holding Corp., Larry has more than 30 years of public company leadership and operating experience. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.
Diana Essock ’75
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Diana was elected vice president of ASM International October 1, 2019, at MS&T19, the Materials Science & Technology technical meeting and exhibition in Portland, Oregon. She’s president of Metamark in Cleveland. She earned her degree in metallurgy from Case Institute of Technology, where she was the first female undergraduate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Stephen Mraz ’79
Cleveland, Ohio
Steve was named senior editor of Hydraulics & Pneumatics, a trade publication of Endeavor Business Media. For more than 30 years Steve has been writing on engineering management, fastening and joining, tribology, motion control, materials and mechanical engineering. He earned his biomedical engineering degree from Case Institute of Technology, then entered the Navy, where he flew as a Naval flight officer in an airborne early warning squadron.
1980s
Thomas Botzman, ’81, PhD
Alliance, Ohio
Tom was named the 13th president of the University of Mount Union, starting in July 2020. He will step down as president of Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania. A former Mount Union faculty member and administrator, Tom began his career with a bachelor’s degree in polymer and macromolecular engineering from Case Institute of Technology. He worked in private industry before joining academia, including as a polymer engineer for Goodyear, and is the inventor on 12 patents.
Shih-Chin Chen, PhD ’84
Dublin, Ohio
Shih-Chin received the Gold Medal Award for lifelong scientific achievements from the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry. He’s a corporate executive engineer at the Columbus area offices ABB Group, a Swiss multi-national that develops robotics, electrical and automation technology. He earned his doctorate in systems and control engineering from Case Institute of Technology.
Joseph Rencis, PhD ’85
San Dimas, California
Joe was added to the Alumni Wall of Distinction at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, where he earned his A.A.S. and B.S. degrees in architectural and building construction engineering technology before earning his doctorate in civil engineering from Case. He’s a professor of mechanical engineering and Dean of the College Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona.
Krishna Venkataswamy, PhD ’85
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Krishna has been named Executive Vice President, Business Development, at Illinois-based Star Thermoplastic Alloys & Rubbers. In his new role, he will lead business development, marketing and innovation. Previously, he was the Chief Technology Officer at Interface Performance Materials. Across 30 years, Krishna has been recognized with numerous awards in the polymer materials industry. He earned his doctorate in chemistry from Case Institute of Technology.
Chris DellaCorte ’86, MS ’87, PhD ’89
Medina, Ohio
Chris received ASM International’s 2019 Engineering Materials Achievement Award October 1st at MS&T19, the Materials Science & Technology technical meeting and exhibition in Portland, Oregon. The award committee recognized his work in the development and commercialization of NiTi alloys for corrosion resistant, high load capacity bearing, gear and mechanical component applications. Chris is a senior technologist at the NASA Glenn Research Center. He earned three engineering degrees at Case Institute of Technology, including a doctorate.
Toni Marechaux, MS’86, Phd ’89
Washington, D.C.
Toni, a consulting scientist on environmental and industrial issues, was elected to the board of trustees of ASM International at its October 2019 assembly. She earned her master’s and doctorate degrees at Case Institute of Technology, where she specialized in metallurgy. Before moving to Washington, she supported NASA Glenn as a scientist with ZIN Technologies.
Raymond Fryan, MS ’87, PhD ’95
Massillon, Ohio
Ray, the treasurer of ASM International, is Vice President for Technology & Quality at the TimkenSteel Corp. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Case in materials science and engineering and has worked for Timken for more than 35 years. A distance runner, he has finished many Boston marathons.
Enrique Conterno ‘89
Indianapolis, Indiana
Enrique has joined San Francisco-based FibroGen as Chief Executive Officer of the biopharmaceutical company and a member of its Board of Directors, effective January 2020. He had recently stepped down as a senior vice president for Eli Lilly and Company, where he served as President of Lilly USA and President of Lilly Diabetes. Enrique came to Case as an international student from Peru and earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
1990s
Vicente Nazario ’90
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Vicente leads engineering operations as the Director and Site Leader for Honeywell Aerospace Puerto Rico. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and applied physics from Case Institute of Technology and joined Honeywell in 2007 as one of its first 12 employees on the island. Today, Honeywell’s workforce in the U.S. commonwealth nears 1,000.
Robert Stoll MS ’90, PhD
Westlake, Ohio
Bob is running for a second term on the Westlake School Board in suburban Cleveland. After earning his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Case, he worked as an engineer, a plant manager and a technical director. In 2012, Bob joined the faculty of Ashland University as a professor in supply chain management.
Evan Morris, PhD ’91
Madison, Connecticut
Evan has accepted a position as vice president of scientific imaging research at Invicro in its New Haven, Conn., facility. A specialist in brain imaging, he’s a professor of radiology and biomedical imaging at the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science. Evan earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering from the Case School of Engineering.
Gabe Nelson ’92, ’95, PhD ’02
Wilmington, Massachusetts
Gabe has joined Massachusetts-based Berkshire Grey as a Senior Principal Roboticist. Previously, he was the Senior Robot Scientist at Boston Dynamics, where he worked for 16 years. Gabe earned three mechanical engineering degrees at Case, including his doctorate.
Jason L. Mitchell ’94
Bellevue, Washington
Jason is a software engineer at video game maker Valve, where he has worked on such game franchises as Steam and Left 4 Dead. He has spoken at graphics and game development conferences around the world. Jason earned his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at Case, where he was a writer and editor for The Observer.
Elliot Bendoly ’96
Worthington, Ohio
Elliot finished a three-year term as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Students and Programs at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business and returned to the faculty ranks as a Professor of Management Sciences. He earned bachelors’ degrees in materials engineering and economics at Case.
Steven F. Hubbard, PhD ’97
Weston, Massachusetts
Steve joined the faculty of Stonehill College in Easton, MA, as a visiting Assistant Professor of Physics. Previously he was a long-time faculty member and Interim Dean of the Division of Science and Mathematics at Lorain County Community College. Over the course of his career, Steve served on Ohio statewide education panels and was elected an at-large trustee to the Ohio Academy of Science. He earned his doctorate in physics in 1997 from the Case School of Engineering.
Bridget Smith ’97, MSE ’99
Newport Beach, California
Bridget, a patent attorney, is joining Lowenstein & Weatherwax in Los Angeles to specialize in administrative challenges to patent validity. Previously she was co-chairwoman of the PTAB group at Knobbe Martens. Bridget earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering at Case. She worked as a software engineer at Motorola and as a data scientist consultant at Khimetrics Inc. before earning her law degree at Arizona State.
Robert Trefz ’99
South Elgin, Illinois
Rob has been promoted to Vice President of Marketing at Emerson tools, where he has worked since 2004. Rob, a licensed engineer, earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Case School of Engineering and a master’s in business administration degree from the Weatherhead School at CWRU.
2000s
Carmen Fontana ’00, MSE ’05
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Carmen leads the Modern Software Delivery Practice at Centric Consulting, where she focuses on the Cloud and artificial Intelligence offerings. She’s also a busy writer and speaker and an advisor to the Women in Tech Initiative at CWRU. Carmen earned her bachelor’s degree in systems and control and her master’s in computer engineering at the Case School of Engineering.
Eric Perreault, PhD ’00
Evanston, Illinois
Eric was a featured speaker at the BME Distinguished Lecture Series at the University of California, Irvine, in February. He talked about neural and musculoskeletal systems are how they are linked in the control of movement and posture. Eric, who earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering from the Case School of Engineering, is a professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University.
Robert Ferguson, ME ’02
Newnan, Georgia
Bob, the Vice President of Global R&D for Vernay Laboratories, was selected to participate in NASA’s HERA program at the Johnson Space Center beginning August 16, 2019. HERA, or Human Exploration Research Analog, is a three-story habitat designed to test isolation, confinement and remote conditions in space exploration. Bob was one of four volunteers to enter the habitat for Mission XX, which runs for 45 days.
Alex Thurston, MSE ’04
Belmont, Massachusetts
Alex is an applications engineering manager at Olympus Scientific Solutions, where he leads a team that helps customers develop and institute new uses for XRF and XRD products. He entered the metals manufacturing industry after earning a master’s degree in materials science from Case.
Elaine Hillenmeyer ’05, PhD
Beaverton, Oregon
Elaine, a regulatory consultant for medical devices, was inducted into the Spartan Club Hall of Fame at Homecoming 2019. She was a four time All-American swimmer while earning her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Case School of Engineering. As a senior, she was named CWRU’s Female Athlete of the Year. Elaine went on to earn her doctorate in bioengineering from the University of Washington.
Eric Diven ’06
Somerville, Massachusetts
Eric was awarded the Members Choice Award at the annual Juried Woodworking Exhibition at Wharton Esherick Museum in Chester County, PA, for a piece he calls “Springtime in Bronze.” He earned his degree in computer science at Case and worked as a programmer until 2017, when he entered the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts. He then founded Long Walk Woodworking, a Somerville shop where he crafts traditional and contemporary furniture.
2010s
Lakshman “Lucky” Tavag ’10
Cleveland, Ohio
Lucky is vice president of engineering at Axuall, a Cleveland startup whose blockchain technology recently attracted $3 million in seed funding from investors. Previously he was director of engineering at Votem Corp. and MOAT. Lucky came to Case as an international student from India and earned his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering.
Fred Hatfull ’11
San Francisco, California
Fred is the senior technical lead for Yelp, having recently moved from management back to a technical role where he works with operations and engineering teams across the company. Fred earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Case School of Engineering. His senior year, he won the Chairman’s Award for a student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science who shows exceptional academic or leadership potential.
Ryan Kowalski ’13, PhD
Bedminster, New Jersey
Ryan has joined C.W. Brabender as a food extrusion specialist, responsible for driving the development of single- and twin-screw extrusion applications and assisting clients with formulations. He earned his bachelor’s in chemistry from Case and received his doctorate in food science from Washington State University.
Maryam Hashemian, MS ’13
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Maryam has moved into the position of Senior Systems Security Engineer at Rockwell Automation, which she joined in 2013. She earned her master’s degree in computer engineering from Case and is working toward her doctorate degree.
Abigail Sevier '15, MS '17
St. Louis, Missouri
Abby was the featured speaker at the Soar into STEM program of the St. Louis Science Center in April 2019. An aerospace engineer for Boeing Research and Technology, she talked about her experience with Boeing and the NASA Glenn Research Center to illustrate the team-based process of developing aerospace vehicles. She also staged a live demonstration of vertical lift aerodynamics using a small UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), or drone. Abby earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering and her master’s in aerospace engineering at Case.
Bingying "Judy" Feng '16
San Francisco, California
Judy is the co-founder of AntX Technologies, which she and a friend launched in 2019. The company has developed a “smart scale” that not only weighs food but provides calorie counts and nutritional information. She exhibited the technology at CES 2020 as part of the CWRU presentation team. An international student from China, Judy earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Case and her master’s in systems engineering at Penn.
Ailin Yu '17
Los Angeles, California
Ailin is a satellite avionics software engineer at SpaceX, where she previously worked on launch systems software. She graduated from CWRU with a triple major in Systems and Control Engineering, Computer Engineering and Musical Performance.
Cassandra Laios ’18, MEM ’19
Owego, New York
Cassandra is an electrical engineer for Lockheed Martin’s electronic systems sector in upstate New York. In 2019, the year she graduated, she won the NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track and Field Hammer Throw Championship, becoming only the 15th NCAA Champion in the 48-year history of CWRU athletics. In September, she was named a Top 30 Honoree for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year award.