Omar Aponte was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering before coming to RIT in 2007 to pursue a Master of Engineering (M.E.) degree in engineering management.

Omar started his engineering career in the manufacturing sector, where he held positions such as Production Planner and Manufacturing Supervisor. After completing his Master's degree at RIT, he transitioned to the service industry as a Logistics Manager and then Operations Manager. Omar recalls “My new RIT degree opened up many doors and allowed me to take on additional roles as an external consultant, technical trainer and college professor. These experiences greatly expanded my professional toolkit and exposed me to energy and water conservation projects, which eventually led me to become passionate about environmental sustainability.” This passion motivated him to pursue a new degree in 2017, a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering that would allow him to further develop his skills and firmly establish himself in the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability space.

What first attracted him to completing a Ph.D. was the heavy emphasis on research that the RIT programs have. He summarizes, “By that point in my career, I had already realized that I enjoyed the research, analysis, development, and implementation tasks more than the day-to-day management tasks. I was already looking to complete a new graduate degree that would allow me to concentrate more on those activities within the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability space.”

“There were three main factors that made RIT the perfect place for me to complete my Ph.D.,” explains Omar.

1. The program allowed me to really focus on what I was passionate about, regardless of how interconnected the topics were or how many colleges I was working across.

2. I already knew from my experience completing my Master's degree that the faculty was top-notch, both as people and as professionals.

3. The institute's facilities, infrastructure and recognition made me confident that I would have all the necessary support, both while completing the program and continuing my career once I finished.

Omar’s research focuses on applying data analytics and forecasting to improve energy efficiency and reduce negative environmental impacts. It was a great cross-college experience for him because he was officially enrolled in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, but also took several classes through the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences and the Golisano Institute for Sustainability throughout the program.

Omar says, “he was very fortunate to be accepted by Dr. Katie McConky, Ph.D., as her doctoral student and to be guided and mentored by her throughout my entire program. Dr. K, as her students affectionately refer to her, is as passionate about her courses and the topics discussed as she is about her students’ success, not only at RIT, but also in their careers and in life. She was open to and supportive of my academic interests, and she kept me inspired, motivated and challenged throughout my program.”

The fact that a Ph.D. would also allow him to expand his career as an academic was an additional incentive to pursue the Ph.D. Omar currently teaches a seminar course called Explorations of Place & Space for students enrolled in the RIT Honors Program. His specific section focuses on teaching and equipping students with introductory tools and frameworks to evaluate sustainability challenges through the lenses of critical thinking and systems thinking.

In addition to all of this, Omar serves as the AABOD secretary and has been on the Alumni board since January 2022.

Omar firmly believes that there is tremendous personal and professional value in staying connected to our alma mater, and he has experienced it himself. Serving on the RIT Alumni Association’s Board of Directors is important to him because it allows him to help RIT build more bridges with its alumni and work to help Alumni stay connected in ways that can evolve alongside their professional careers, lifestyles and life circumstances. RIT has so much to offer its alumni, including connections with former professors and Career Services, as well as mentoring, networking, and leadership opportunities through boards and councils such as the RIT Alumni Association Board of Directors. 

Omar believes that serving RIT on a council or advisory board is important because it is one of the best opportunities for you to contribute and help ensure that future RIT students and alumni—maybe even your own kids or relatives—can have the same, or hopefully an even better experience than the one you’ve had with our alma mater. For most students and alumni, RIT has played a pivotal role in shaping who we are, so we know how important that relationship is, and we want to help make it the best it can be for future students and alumni. Omar states that “personally, my experiences as a member of the RIT Alumni Association have helped me become a better board member and contribute more value to the other boards and councils that I have joined since.”

If all of his work doesn’t seem enough, Omar also prides himself on mentoring other current students by participating in panels and serving as a guest speaker for classes, student organizations such as Latino America Unida, Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Inc., and RIT internal units such as the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement and the Graduate School.

Omar is currently the Data Manager for the Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region. The Accelerator's work focuses on developing and supporting initiatives that help to create healthier, more equitable, and regenerative communities by catalyzing local efforts to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and address the effects of climate change.

In 5 years, Omar expects to continue to be active and making a positive impact within the environmental sustainability space by contributing to meaningful solutions specially at the local level. He wants to be intentional about creating space for personal joy, continued learning, and growth as a healthy and well-rounded human being. According to Omar, “to me, a successful life is not only about personal wealth and professional success, but also about maintaining a sense of purpose, curiosity, balance, and fulfillment throughout the journey.”

Clearly Omar is a true RIT Alumni leader and mentor who engages in all of the ways he suggests for other RIT Alumni worldwide!