Gov. McGreevey and other luminaries to speak, receive honorary degrees

Family, friends and graduates will fill Stevens Institute of Technology's Canavan Arena for this year's two commencement ceremonies, May 23. Guest speakers will offer insights from the perspectives of government, global business, marketing and investment. In addition, first-in-class undergraduate students will recount their own milestones as they congratulate classmates.

About 300 undergraduate and 800 graduate candidates will march. The two ceremonies take place at Canavan Arena, Schaefer Athletic Center, approximately one-half block south of 8th Street and Castle Point Terrace on Stevens' campus in Hoboken. (Note to reporters and photographers: Media attending will need to contact Cass Bruton-Ward, above, for press parking - no exceptions.)

Undergraduate ceremony - 10:30 a.m.

Speakers for the undergraduate ceremony include the Governor of New Jersey, the Hon. James E. McGreevey; the world-renowned author and Silicon Valley marketing expert Regis McKenna; and an illustrious leader for IBM's Global Services, Katherine C. Hegmann. Each will deliver an address and receive an honorary doctorate from Stevens. Four first-in-class honorees - students who have earned perfect 4.0 grade point averages - will also offer brief remarks.

Gov. McGreevey, the 51st governor of New Jersey, has made education a cornerstone of his administration. "Education is the engine which will continue to drive our state economy," he noted when announcing his executive order for an Education Cabinet.

Forbes magazine describes Regis McKenna as "the marketing guru of Silicon Valley." He has worked with more than 300 startups, including Apple and Intel, and he is the author of five books on technology business strategies and marketing, including "Total Access," his latest.

A role model in her field, Katherine Hegmann serves IBM's Global Services division as the General Manager of Business Innovation Services, Americas. A key part of her responsibilities is overseeing IBM's business strategy and information technology consulting activities in the western hemisphere.

This year's first-in-class graduates, all of whom achieved perfect 4.0 grade point averages while at Stevens, are Alison Cozzubbo Sleath, Sharad Mallya, and Dorothy Sippo.

Graduate Ceremony - 6 p.m.

A highly successful Stevens alumnus and Board of Trustees vice-chairman will have the privilege of speaking to one of the largest graduate classes in Stevens' history. During the ceremony about 23 doctoral candidates will be hooded.

The speaker, Steven Shulman ('62, MS '63), is the winner of last year's Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. '36 Entrepreneur Award. The annual award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurial spirit and leadership.

Shulman, an active investment banker, investor and principal for The Hampton Group, has made his mark in the world in a variety of ways. He has owned several successful companies for which he has served as both an investor and board member.

(Commencement speaker bios follow.)

THE HONORABLE JAMES E. MCGREEVEY
HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT

The Honorable James E. McGreevey is New Jersey's 51st governor. The grandson of a Jersey City police officer, he was born in Jersey City, grew up in Carteret and attended high school in Metuchen. The son of a Marine Corps Drill Instructor and a nurse, Gov. McGreevey is a straight-talking advocate for working families and New Jersey values. Elected on Nov. 6, 2001, and inaugurated on Jan. 15, 2002, he brings to his governorship the values his parents taught him - hard work, integrity and honesty. As governor, he is committed to fighting for better schools, fiscal responsibility, and the safety and security of all of New Jersey's citizens.

Prior to being elected governor, Gov. McGreevey served as Mayor of Woodbridge, the state's sixth largest municipality. A hands-on chief executive first elected in 1992, he started a public/private partnership that brought more than 6,000 new jobs and millions in new investment into the township. He also led the effort to revitalize Woodbridge's downtown business district and put more police on the streets, resulting in a decrease in overall crime of nearly 40 percent since 1991. He stabilized the municipality's property taxes and professionalized the financial management of the town, thus allowing for improved services and streamlined operations. As mayor, he also created another public/private partnership, "Woodbridge Tech 2000," which brought computers into to the classrooms and connected senior citizens to the Internet. Under his leadership, Woodbridge became a forerunner in public health initiatives. The people of Woodbridge re-elected him with more than 80 percent of the vote in 1999.

Gov. McGreevey also served in the State Assembly in 1990 and 1991 and in the State Senate from 1994 to 1997. During his tenure in the legislature, he focused his efforts on ensuring better government, a cleaner environment, and quality health care. He sponsored and co-sponsored laws which established a state budget cap, strict ethical standards for public officials, and health reforms. He was a key sponsor of the Pollution Prevention Act, which received the Best Bet Award for Environmental Achievement from the National Center for Policy Alternatives.

Recognizing his commitment and leadership on health care issues, President Clinton appointed Gov. McGreevey to the National Cancer Advisory Board in 1998. Gov. McGreevey has also served as Chair of the United States Conference of Mayors Subcommittee on Health Insurance and as Vice President of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. In addition to his experience as a state legislator and expertise in running a major municipality, Gov. McGreevey has served as a Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor, Executive Director of the State Parole Board, and in a management position for Merck & Company.

Gov. McGreevey, who worked his way through college and graduate school, holds a B.A. degree from Columbia University, a law degree from Georgetown University, and a master's degree in education from Harvard University.

KATHERINE C. HEGMANN
HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT

A role model for leadership in the high-technology sector, Katherine C. Hegmann is the General Manager of Business Innovation Services, Americas, for IBM Global Services. Born and raised in Maryland, she began her professional career at the David Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center in 1978. In 1979 she joined IBM Federal Systems as an associate engineer at the Manassas, Va., site.

From 1989 to1992, Ms. Hegmann held several positions managing large complex Department of Defense systems integration programs. From 1992 to 1994, she was vice president, Manassas Laboratory, responsible for some 1,200 engineers, programmers, manufacturing and operations personnel supporting federal and commercial systems integration programs.

IBM sold the Federal Systems Division, which is now owned and operated by Lockheed Martin. From 1994 to 1997 Ms. Hegmann was senior vice president, Navy Systems, responsible for all domestic and international Navy business. The following year, she was named president, Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems, responsible for providing products, systems and services throughout the world. Under her leadership, the company received a prestigious Carnegie-Mellon Software Engineering Institute-CMM Level 5 rating for quality and reliability of processes, as well as two National Performance Review Hammer Awards from Vice President Al Gore for significant contributions to the U.S. Navy.

In 2000, Ms. Hegmann rejoined IBM as General Manager, Global Application Management Services Delivery in IBM Global Services, responsible for delivering worldwide application development, maintenance and e-business solutions to IBM's strategic outsourcing customers and to the IBM Corporation. She was later named general manager, Application Management Services, Americas, adding AMS sales for the Americas to her responsibilities.

Ms. Hegmann was most recently appointed General Manager, Business Innovation Services, Americas, in IBM Global Services, responsible for business transformation, application solutions and enterprise integration services. A key part of her responsibilities is overseeing IBM's business strategy and information technology consulting activities in the Western Hemisphere.

A graduate of Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Va., with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Economics, Ms. Hegmann has also completed graduate work in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She attended Seminar XXI - Foreign Policies, International Relations and the National Interest, sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Secretary of the Navy appointed her as Chairman of the Navy Research Advisory Committee.

She has served on several university boards and provides leadership to women in engineering. She is currently a member of the Trustees for Webb Institute, College of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. She is also Executive-in-Residence at Mary Washington College.

REGIS MCKENNA
HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT

Regis McKenna, considered the marketing guru of Silicon Valley, is a well-known technology marketing consultant, advisor to entrepreneurs, venture capitalist and author. He founded his own high-tech marketing firm, Regis McKenna, Inc., in 1970 after working in the marketing departments of two pioneering semiconductor companies. Over the past 30 years, the firm has evolved from a high-tech outsource marketing business focused on high-tech start-ups, to a broad-based marketing strategy firm servicing international clients in many different industries. Mr. McKenna retired as Chairman and an active partner in the firm in October 2000.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa., he moved to Silicon Valley in 1962. In 1965, he joined the marketing department of General Micro Electronics, the first company to develop and market commercial MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) products, the basis for much of today's electronics technology. He joined another start-up, National Semiconductor, in 1967 where, as Marketing Services Manager, he helped direct National's marketing strategies in the early stages of the company's growth.

Mr. McKenna has worked with more than 300 startups, including Apple and Intel. He is the author of five books on technology business strategies and marketing, including Total Access: Giving Customers What They Want in an Anytime, Anywhere World (2002), his latest. In it, he explains how marketing as we know it is disappearing, and what is already replacing it. Throughout his career, he has written and lectured extensively on the social and market effects of technological change, advancing innovations in marketing theories and practices.

Mr. McKenna and his firm worked with a number of entrepreneurial startups during their formation years, including America Online, Apple, Compaq, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Intel, Linear Technology, Lotus, Microsoft, National Semiconductor, Silicon Graphics, 3COM, and many others. Mr. McKenna helped launch some of the most important technological innovations of the last 30 years. He also pioneered many of the theories and practices of technology marketing that have become integrated into the marketing mainstream. His book Relationship Marketing (1991) is a pioneering work in the concept of one-to-one marketing. Mr. McKenna has also written The Regis Touch (1985) and Who's Afraid of Big Blue (1989) as well as Real Time, Preparing For The Age Of The Never Satisfied Customer (1997), which analyzes the effects of technology on the marketplace and describes how high-speed electronics enables ready access to information, products and services - and in the process, generates increased expectations for immediate satisfaction.

Mr. McKenna is Chairman of the Board of the Santa Clara University Center for Science, Technology and Society. He is a trustee at Santa Clara University, the Advisory Board of the Haas School of Business University of California Berkeley and the Economic Strategies Institute. He is also an investor and on the board of a number of high technology companies. He attended Saint Vincent College and is a liberal arts graduate of Duquesne University.

STEVEN SHULMAN
HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT

Steven Shulman is a highly successful entrepreneur, Stevens alumnus and the Vice-Chairman of the Stevens Board of Trustees. Last year, Stevens honored him with the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. '36 Entrepreneur Award. The annual award - named for the late Stevens Board of Trustees Chairman, benefactor and alumnus Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. - recognizes outstanding entrepreneurial spirit and leadership. Reinforcing the importance he places on entrepreneurial education, Mr. Shulman has established a faculty chair in entrepreneurship during the current Campaign for Stevens.

Mr. Shulman, an active investment banker, investor and principal for The Hampton Group, has made his mark in the world in a variety of ways with a number of diverse companies. He began his career in 1967 as an associate in Burnham & Company, where he remained until 1969. He served as Senior Vice President of Development of Wheelabrator-Frye, Inc., and its successor company, The Signal Companies, Inc., from 1970-1984. In this capacity, he was very involved in a large number of acquisitions, liquidations, and corporate restructurings, including refinancing and spin-offs.

From 1984 to the present, Mr. Shulman has been active as an investment banker and investor. He has been involved in the ownership of several companies where he has served both as an investor and active board member. He was the Chairman of Wilshire Restaurant Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Marie Callender Pie Shops, Inc., which he and a group purchased in 1989 and subsequently sold in 1999.

He and his fraternity brother from Stevens, Leon Kirschner, Class of '62, were actively involved for over 15 years in building a successful material handling company, Ermanco, Inc. The company was recently sold to Paragon Technologies, Inc., where Mr. Shulman is currently an active board member.

Mr. Shulman is the Chairman and CEO of Terrace Food Group, Inc., a produce and dairy products distributor serving the south Florida market, including cruise ships and many of the leading hotels in that area. He is also a Managing Director of Latona Associates, a private merchant bank, and he is active on the boards of several companies in a diversified number of industries.

Mr. Shulman received two degrees from Stevens: a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1962, and a Master of Science in Industrial Management in 1963.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.

Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.  

For the latest news about Stevens, please visit StevensNewsService.com.