Stevens alumnus receives Presidential Meritorious Rank Award

HOBOKEN , N.J. — Howard Sumka, an alumnus of Stevens Institute of Technology, received the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award on November 17. Andrew Natsios, head of US Agency for International Development (USAID), presented the award to this year’s recipients at the Agency’s annual awards ceremony in Washington .

Sumka, Stevens Class of 1966, is from Woodbridge , NJ . He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Stevens, a master’s degree in materials from Northwestern University , and a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina .

Sumka was recognized for his work over a three-year period as USAID Mission Director in Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) Mission Director since 2002. He was director in Albania during the Kosovo refugee emergency and, among other things, led the US assistance effort to rehabilitate communities that hosted nearly half a million refugees. Over the course of his development career, he has managed programs in such areas as urban development and infrastructure, rule of law and local governance. He has served tours in Washington , D.C. and Nairobi , Kenya .

He joined USAID in 1985 after having worked for several years in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Since 2002, Sumka has overseen USAID’s programs in BiH, which focus on economic development, democratic reform, minority returns and reconstruction.

Each year, the US president honors a small group of career senior executives with the President’s Rank Award for exceptional long-term accomplishments. Winners of this prestigious award are chosen through a rigorous selection process that recognizes strong leaders who achieve results and consistently demonstrate strength, integrity, industry and a relentless commitment to excellence in public service. They are nominated by their agency heads, evaluated by boards of private citizens and approved by the president.

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.