SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI PROFILES
DOUG AKERSON, MS Technology Management
'95
Mr. Akerson has over fifteen years of energy risk management experience
having worked in New York, Washington and Houston. He has advised
multinational oil, gas, mining and power companies and transacted
alternative risk solutions on their behalf. His familiarity with
existing and emerging environmental restrictions coupled with new
renewable energy technologies and markets provide fresh perspectives
for businesses faced with unknown regulatory and competitive uncertainties.
In particular, Mr. Akerson offers management and consulting guidance
focused on among others, project feasibility; strategic development;
economic analysis; and environmental due diligence.
Previous experience included Aon Corporation where Mr. Akerson
was a Director in their Capital Markets and Natural Resources Groups
having concentrated on alternative risk transfer placements involving
single and multiple commodity price risks along with the promulgation
of new insurances addressing climate change. Associated Electric
and Gas Insurance Services, the energy industry mutual, where for
much of the 1990s Mr. Akerson was responsible for business development.
American International Group (AIG) due diligence and commercial
insurance underwriting. Trenwick Reinsurance Company in the position
of accountant.
In
addition to Mr. Akerson’s
work with Global Change Associates, he is the President of Cquest
Ltd., an agricultural bio-renewable
energy Company providing registration and verification services
of greenhouse emission reductions.
He states that the Stevens graduate program provided him with
a well-versed business and technology background. It is often observed
that a fraction can bridge the two disciplines and Stevens bridged
that gap through practical experience and knowledge.
PETER H. ASTOR, BS, MS, PhD Mathematics
Peter H. Astor is an
environmental consultant and a mathematics professor. He founded
his own consulting firm in 1995 which employs
up to 12 people in any one year. He has applied his mathematics
background by building decision models to help managers make good
decisions under uncertainty. He has government clients like the
Port Authority of NY and NJ, US Army Corps of Engineers, and State
Departments of Environmental Protection, and private clients like
Public Service, Con Edison and a multitude of law firms. He splits
his time as a consultant and as a professor for Fairleigh Dickinson
University. He founded the professional alumni group called SAEP,
led the group for five years, and coordinated three regional environmental
conferences. He developed a new statistics program for FDU that
attracted nearly half a million dollars of NSF’s money for
scholarships. He loves his work and his students, and is not interested
in retiring, except perhaps for a little more time on the golf
course.
He
reports, “The diversity of my work and play is a direct
result of my years at Stevens. I was a “science” person.
I suffered through my engineering courses and labs only to find
some years later that this was not wasted time. People pay for
results, not just ideas, so knowing how to run a piece of software
or an arc-welding bead can be impressive.” “Moreover”,
he adds, “the athletic program at Stevens taught me how to
win at tennis, keep physically fit, and to pass this attitude along
to my children. Only a small school could allow someone of limited
ability (me) to play at the varsity level.”
CHRISTOPHER
L. COCCIO, BSME ‘63, MSME, PhD
Christopher L. Coccio is President and CEO of Sono-Tek, Inc., a public corporation
located in Milton, NY. Sono-tek (www.sono-tek.com) develops and
manufactures ultrasonic liquid atomization nozzles
and spraying systems used in the electronics, medical, and other
industries where precision films are required. Prior to this,
he worked for General Electric Company in various engineering,
sales,
marketing, and general management positions, with responsibilities
for businesses with revenues up to $100 million from 1964 to
1996. He has also served as both a Congressional Fellow in the
US Senate,
and as a Legislative Fellow with the New York State Assembly,
both assignments sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers.
He is also a member of the Board of Accumetrics Associates, Inc.
He appreciates the opportunity
he had to attain his undergraduate education at Stevens on an
alumni scholarship, one that allowed
him to attend his first choice in engineering schools. The program
at Stevens was unique in that it offered students a broad exposure
to civil, electrical, chemical, and mechanical engineering, and
this approach has proven its value many times in his career. He
also appreciated the exposure to the Humanities and to physical
education, both of which have been as important as the technical
education over the years. He feels that Stevens provided the foundation
for broad, analytical thinking so necessary for today’s technical
and business world.
STEPHEN P. CUFF,
BS Mechanical Engineering '53
Stephen P. Cuff, BS
ME Stevens Institute of Technology ’53,
OPMP, Harvard Business School ’83, is the CEO and President
of Calex Manufacturing Company, Inc. of Concord, CA, a successful
firm he founded in 1962. Calex Manufactures encapsulated modular
DC/DC Converters for the telecommunications, industrial control
and medical instrument markets. In addition to this, he is the
founding Director of Mt. Diablo National Bank, a locally owned
national commercial bank located in Danville, CA and the Owner
and Operator of Cuff Property Management Company. He has also successfully
founded many other entrepreneurial ventures including Alpha Associates
and Importronics. As a US Navy Ltjg Engineering Duty Officer, Stephen
was the Project Instrumentation Manager and Ships Superintendent
of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, NH and worked on the “ALBACORE”,
then the “worlds Fastest Submarine” and the first of
the modern high speed hull designs. He is a Senior Life Member
of the Instrument Society of America and has published several
articles and conducted seminars and workshops on voltage sensing
devices.
Not one to forget his alma mater, Stephen was a Trustee of Stevens
Institute of Technology from 1992 until 2001 and served as the
Vice Chairman of the Board, Vice Chairman of the Campus Planning
and Building Committee and Chairman of the Advisory Board for the
School of Management. Stephen states that the broad engineering
education at Stevens Institute of Technology prepared him for the
myriad of experiences he has had in his professional life.
FRANK
M. FAWZI, BS Computer Science ’84; MS Management ‘87
Frank M. Fawzi is a proven visionary and business leader who through
his entrepreneurial ventures delivers value to his customers, creates
jobs in the community, and provides a return to his investors.
In 1991 Frank M. Fawzi
founded CommTech Corporation, a leader in the communications
software business. CommTech was started with
a small personal investment, a large vision, and a drive to build
a leader in the telecommunication field. In 1999 recognizing CommTech’s
leadership and management capabilities, Morgan Stanley Venture
Partners provided the company with $15M. The company grew successfully
and sequentially, both organically and through technology acquisitions,
culminating in being acquired in 2001 for $178M by ADC Telecom.
The company served such leading telecommunications companies as
AT&T, Verizon, SBC, and Cablevision while adding over 350 fulltime
employees; and for two consecutive years it was named as one of
the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. by Inc. magazine as well
as being named mid-stage company of the year in 1997 by the New
Jersey Technology Council.
One of CommTech’s many software innovations was the design
and development of the FastFlow® order management platform
and workflow engine. This software application revolutionized the
service creation process by automating common business processes
critical to end-to-end order management and service activation.
The result was an error free and cost effective service creation
process.
Prior to founding CommTech,
Mr. Fawzi worked with AT&T Bell
Laboratories and other divisions of AT&T; Sun Microsystems;
and the Associated Press. While at AT&T, he was lead data communications
architect on a $1.4 billion contract for the U.S. Internal Revenue
Service (IRS), which earned him the Most Valuable Person award.
Contributing to Mr. Fawzi’s prominent success are his vision,
his drive as well as the ability to attract and cultivate key management
personnel.
Mr. Fawzi received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Computer
Science and a Masters of Science in Management Information Systems
from Stevens Institute of Technology, and has participated in the
Wharton Executive Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
He also served on the Communications Board of the New Jersey Technology
Council.
Most Recently, Mr. Fawzi has founded a new venture with the mission
of creating and acquiring innovative content and solutions for
the new mobile world. The new venture (Enter-Act) was founded with
a large personal investment and an even larger vision.
EDWIN
MAY, BE Mechanical Engineering ‘72, MBA Harvard Business
School ‘76
Mr. May states: “My
education at Stevens Tech was certainly a key factor in my success.
Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity was a
key part of my life at Stevens as was WCPR and writing for the
Stute. Stevens was also a positive influence on my father, two
uncles, cousin, and sister who also attended Stevens. Another cousin's
son enters Stevens this fall.
Stevens gave me an organized
framework for thinking through and solving problems that served
me well as a student at Harvard Business
School, in various management / engineering positions during my
years in industry, in leadership positions in trade associations
and technical societies, and now as an independent Quality / Business
Consultant, Chairman of the South Orange Maplewood Business Incubator,
adjunct professor, and political candidate. As a consultant, I
help manufacturing companies earn ISO 9001:2000 Quality System
Certification. As Chairman of SOMBI I help over 100 local small
businesses network, mentor, and support each other. As an adjunct
I teach Industrial Statistics and Quality Systems at another local
engineering school as well as Total Quality Management (under the
auspices of Dr. Merino) at Stevens. I also teach Success in Small
Business and Business Plan Writing at the local adult school. One
of the businesses which I am mentoring belongs to my wife. In my
spare time I am running as a Republican for Maplewood Township
Committee. By the way, over the years I have hired almost a dozen
Co-op students from Stevens for stints at companies I worked for
and helped do some fund raising also.”
EDWIN
A. MAY, BE Mechanical Engineering ‘45
Father of Edwin May
above who regretfully passed away in August of 2003. Mr. May’s business career spanned fifty years, most
of it spent with Becton Dickinson in East Rutherford, NJ and Franklin
Lakes, NJ. He also worked for Idex and Bio Medical Systems in Danbury,
CT, International Paper in Tuxedo Park, NY, Davol in East Greenwich,
Ct, Bostitch (Textron) in East Greenwich, RI, Fairleigh Dickinson
Laboratories, and Science Development Corporation in Allendale,
NJ. Mr. May’s titles ranged from Bio-medical engineer to
President. One major achievement was his leadership role in creating
and managing Becton Dickinson’s Cardiovascular and Special
Instruments Division.
Mr. May helped to develop
the Foley Catheter, Vacutainer, and other devices which are now
in common use in hospitals around the
world. He worked with Dr. DeBakey on the artificial heart, and
with Dr. Heimlich (who later invented the Heimlich maneuver) on
the Heimlich valve. Mr. May helped design, develop, and market
400 medical products/businesses that have produced billions of
dollars in sales for his various employers over the years, and
continue to do so today. More importantly many of Mr. May’s
inventions have directly contributed to saving lives, extending
lives, and improving the quality of life for millions of people
worldwide. His dedication to Stevens is well known and he shall
be missed.
JOHN
R. MICKOWSKI, BE’67, ME’71
John R. Mickowski is CEO of Tymac Controls Corporation, a company
he founded in 1973 after a four year stint at Hewlett-Packard.
Tymac manufactures plant-wide computer networks, process monitors,
real time CNC controls, and complete turnkey manufacturing cells
primarily for the high pressure die casting industry. A global
traveler, his customers include the major automakers and many other
companies throughout the world. He has co-founded and/or invested
in several other firms, including a successful merger, private
sales and IPO.
John invented the world’s first computer graphic analyzer,
based on the first “PC”, the Apple II. Tymac analyzers
rapidly became the industry standard, and was the core technology
which spring-boarded Tymac to prominence in the 80’s. In
the 90’s, these patents were challenged in court, but were
upheld, with John winning every decision all the way to the U.S.
Court of Appeals in Washington. Since then, major automakers and
other large firms have purchased licenses, while he continues to
invent. His latest U.S. Patent is for a revolutionary method of
real time closed loop control which improves response time and
accuracy beyond the prior art. It has numerous potential applications,
ranging from aerospace to farm tractors.
In 1998, the New Jersey
Inventors’ Hall of Fame honored
John with an Inventor of the Year Award in recognition of the benefits
to society generated by his patented computerized method of analysis.
The reduction in scrap, cost reductions and improvements in quality
were estimated to have saved the American die casting industry
billions of dollars.
He is a member of the CEO Club, New Jersey Technical Council and
the Venture Association of New Jersey. He has provided engineering
consulting services to many diverse firms, including the responsibility
for the design of an entire die casting plant under a Defense Department
contract. He has published many technical and management articles
and continues to be a sought-after speaker at industry conventions.
According to John, “Stevens’ B. Eng. curriculum provided
me with a background in each of the engineering disciplines combined
with methods to approach and solve problems in any of them. That
has been a key factor in allowing me to create a challenging and
rewarding career for myself and others. I say ‘create’ because
the Stevens education made it possible for me pursue the many diverse
opportunities that interested me. I am happy to say that in the
process, many jobs, beneficial solutions and wealth for others
have also been generated. I am also grateful to this day for the
leadership and teamwork skills I was given the opportunity to develop
as a Brother and President of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity.”
RONALD F. PARISI, PE
Ronald F. Parisi, PE
is a principal in the firm of Capital Project Management, Inc.
Mr. Parisi has 36 years of professional experience
in the areas of engineering, construction, program management,
and litigation support. He is experienced with a wide range of
capital projects including: refinery & chemical plants, pharmaceutical
facilities, power plants, educational facilities, and mass transit.
His program management skills include construction management,
design coordination, scheduling, and claims analysis/avoidance.
In addition, Mr. Parisi has presented seminars on construction
claims and contract administration.
Mr. Parisi is one of eight original founders of a construction
consulting business established seven years ago. He credits the
diverse educational background received at Stevens with broadening
his skills in three specific areas: the training received in several
engineering disciplines; the exposure to humanities courses to
balance and enrich his technical training; and the participation
in extra curricular activities such as The Stute newspaper and
Inter-Fraternity Council.
WALTER
ULRICH, BS ’68. MMS ‘80
Walter Ulrich, BS ’68, MMS ’80 is an information technology
pioneer who led the development of the first commercially successful
email service in the ‘70s, founded an innovative information
and communication technology strategy firm in the 80’s, advised
Fortune 100 Corporations on key technology and business issues
throughout the 90’s, and assumed leadership roles in the
emerging business community in the new millennium. Currently he
is president and CEO of Mincron Software Systems in Houston, TX.
The Stevens trustee
and former Marine considers Stevens to be “boot
camp for business” for the technology leaders of today and
tomorrow. “The combination of intense technical education,
innovative curriculum, concise introduction to economics and the
humanities, and the spirited exchange with like-minded students
of science and engineering makes Stevens unique. It is ideally
suited to the technology-gifted individual who aspires to leadership.
Stevens taught me to think broadly and analytically, and gave me
the intellectual foundation to attack every opportunity and to
thrive in a demanding and rapidly changing world.”
NATALIE
BIALSKI, BE Computer Engineering '03
Natalie is currently
a technical consultant at a software firm that specializes in
Recognition Software. She states, the curriculum at Stevens has
taught her how to use new technologies at a fast pace. This skill is
important in a world where technology is constantly changing.
Natalie states that Stevens has prepared her with technical skills, but it has also taught her to think logically and analytically
in order to find solutions.
MOUSHMI PATEL, BE Chemical Engineering '00
Moushmi is currently
working as a Procurement Analyst in Global Procurement Business
Planning for Merck & Co., Inc. in Whitehouse
Station, NJ. After graduation from Stevens, she was hired into
Merck's Manufacturing Management Development Program, a two-year
rotational program consisting of four six-month assignments. In
the program she was exposed to working in two technical and two
business areas and made valuable contributions to the Manufacturing
Division in each rotation. After she completed the program she
was elected to complete a 10-month assignment to support the sterile
vaccine manufacturing and filling area. She was transferred to
her current position in Global Procurement upon completion of her
10-month assignment in January of 2003.
She believes her educational
and work experiences throughout her time at Stevens prepared
her for working at Merck and helped her
to follow the career path that she has chosen today. During her
time at Stevens, she knew that she eventually wanted to work in
a business function in a technical industry. The various courses
she completed in the different disciplines of engineering allowed
her to gain a strong technical base and to develop analytical skills.
In her Senior Design classes, she learned the importance of project
planning, teamwork, public speaking, and presentation skills. Her "classroom" education
was enhanced by her various co-op assignments and internships that
prepared her for the "working" world. All these experiences
have helped her gain success in her professional life today.
ELIAS PINTO BE Computer Engineering ‘00
Elias graduated in 2000 with a B.E. in Computer Engineering. For
the past three years, he has worked for Cingular Wireless in the
Cingular Interactive division that provides national wireless data
coverage for hundreds of thousands of wireless devices. As part
of the core Engineering group, he is personally involved in the
design and testing of new technologies for their potential use
in our nation wide network. In his job he uses software design,
network concepts and implementation, analytical thinking and technical
writing to accomplish his daily projects.
Elias firmly believes in the Stevens' approach of a broad education.
It provided him with the confidence of understanding many different
technical areas beyond his specific degree of study. He felt that
it pushed him beyond his reach sometimes, but now he is glad of
the mental stretching and flexing that occurred there, it gave
him endurance and practical tools to deal with the ever-changing
playing field of corporate America. The education also helped him
stand out from today's tough competition plus the stellar legacy
of alumni before him only added to his employment potential. As
a testament to that, his current supervisor is also a Stevens alumni
in EE '79
MICHAEL
SUMULONG
BE Computer Engineering ‘04
Michael Sumulong is a May 2004 graduate of Stevens
Institute of Technology. He was recently accepted into Sandia
National Laboratories OYOC* Program. The Sandia National Laboratory
OYOC Program provides a full tuition toward a Masters degree and a
stipend that is a percentage of the starting salary for a select
number of Computer Engineering and Computer Science graduates. The
graduates are able to select the school of their choice with
emphasis on the area they will eventually be working in at Sandia.
Michael is currently attending Columbia University on
this program. Upon completion of his Masters he hopes to work in the
instrumentation department of Sandia National Laboratories where
instrumentation systems are developed to program microprocessors and
build controller boards. His interest in this field was strongly
stimulated by a variety of pre-professional experiences sponsored by
programs at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Michael attributes his success in finding the
outstanding opportunity at Sandia National Laboratories to knowing
what it was he wanted to pursue and to networking. Although he
utilized all the traditional career search methods such as on-campus
recruiting, internship/coops, and job boards, his ultimate success
came through a friend who shared information about a career fair in
New York. Michael’s determination and follow up to the lead from that
fair brought him to the place he is today. He urges everyone to use
friends, family and who ever else you know to help you find the job
you want. He encourages students to visit a variety of career fairs,
use the career services at your school and never confine yourself to
just one method in your search.
Michael also encourages students to try different kinds
of experiences prior to graduation so that they can focus in on what
it is they truly want. Obtaining a career in Computer Engineering does
not say it all, if your ultimate goal is working on embedded systems
development, such as Michael. Michael states, “Putting your ultimate
goal on your resume may narrow down your available options, but it
gives you the best chance at getting the job you really want.
Following up on leads is also vitally important and taking a chance on
an opportunity is the only way it can ultimately come true.”
*One Year On Campus Program of Sandia National
Laboratories
XUEYAN FENG
BS Business & Technology ‘04
Xueyan Feng was a
member of the first graduating class receiving a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Business and Technology from Stevens Institute of
Technology May 27th, 2004. She has been selected for the
highly regarded Management Associate Program at Citigroup in New
York City. This month she will begin her two-year rotational program
that exposes her to a variety of different roles within the Citibank
Technology Solutions Group. During her indoctrination she will
become familiar with Citibank Project Management, Program, and
Business Analyst Processes.
Xueyan states that
the job seeking process at Stevens Institute of Technology was very
natural and straightforward due to the smoothing efforts of the Office
of Career Development. She was impressed with the one-on-one guidance
and instruction she received in resume writing, interview skills and
the overall career search. She definitely took advantage of the
numerous workshops held by OCD which helped her speak with confidence
at her interviews and resulted in her success.
Xueyan also stated
that the career database utilized by the Career Development office –
StevensTRAK, helped match her experiences with an ideal company that
gave her the opportunity to use her skills. Through this database she
submitted a resume to the Citigroup Summer Associates Program in her
Junior year and was accepted into the program. Her selection
ultimately resulted in her full-time selection for the Management
Associate Program. Xueyan interviewed for all her internship and
full-time opportunities through on-campus recruiting schedules
sponsored by OCD. She noted that her freshmen and sophomore
internships at Consumer Reports and Avaya Communications molded
perfectly to the skill set Citigroup had been searching for and thus,
all were instrumental in achieving her overall career search success.
Xueyan looks forward to a great career at Citigroup.
Famous Stevens Alums
Frederick
Winslow Taylor, 1883,
founder of the field of scientific management.
Fred A. Muschenheim,
1891, founder and builder of the Hotel Astor, New York.
Charles
Stewart Mott, 1897,
co-founder of General Motors. He established the Charles Stewart
Mott Foundation, a major American philanthropy.
Louis
Alan Hazeltine 1906,
inventor of the neutrodyne circuit, which made radio commercially
viable by neutralizing the feedback
noises that plagued radio receivers of the time.
Alexander
Calder ’19, leading 20th
century artist and inventor of the “mobile” art form.
Alfred W.
Fielding ’39, co-developer
of Bubble Wrap®, which revolutionized the packaging industry.
Frederick
Reines ’39,
winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize for the definitive discovery of
the neutrino, a subatomic particle.
Igor
B. Bensen ’40, aviation inventor and entrepreneur.
Inventor of General Electric’s first portable electron microscope.
Rowland
W. Redington ’46,
developer of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computer-aided
tomography (CAT) machines used
in health care.
Leon
Febres Cordero ’53,
former president of Ecuador.
Richard
F. Reeves ’60, noted
author, newspaper columnist and journalist.
Lawrence
T. Babbio, Jr. ’66, vice chairman and president
of Verizon Communications, Domestic Telecom Group.
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