Engineering Alumni
Engineering Alumni
Engineering Alumni Stories
Jonah Sharp '20
After an unprecedented senior year and graduation from RIT, Jonah Sharp '20 (mechanical engineering) works as a mechanical systems and design engineer at Constellation Energy - R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario, New York.
As Engineer 2A, Sharp is entrusted with outreach for the plant. He gives tours, attends recruitment events, and participates in a guest lecture series at RIT with Dr. Margaret Bailey and Professor Tim Landschoot. His passion for the nuclear industry and desire to continuously learn and educate the Western New York community about the industry have led him to performing outreach at the plant.
Katelyn Gunderson '15
In 2018, Katelyn Gunderson '15 (mechanical engineering/aerospace engineering) landed her dream job as an engineer and project manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center. In pursuit of her dream of becoming an astronaut, Katelyn then decided to apply for a fellowship at the National Test Pilot School. This program trains both civilian, military test pilots, and flight test engineers and the fellowship is only awarded to one or two students per year. In 2021, she was selected for the Flight Test Engineer Graduate Assistant Program. Katelyn is passionate about advocating for and empowering women in STEM.
Bill Yuknis '94
Bill Yuknis '94 (computer engineering, NTID) has played key roles in several space exploration missions. Most recently, he managed a team of engineers for the James Webb Space Telescope, which is now a million miles from Earth, readying itself to discover the secrets of the early universe. Name a major mission at the Goddard Space Flight Center, and Yuknis' team of 50 engineers has shaped it. In addition to the Webb telescope, that list includes the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Mission (PACE); PACE’s Ocean Color Instrument; and the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope.
Distinguished Alumni
2022: Robert Spina '89
Dr. Bob Spina has over 30 years of experience in high technology start-ups, building teams and technologies. His focus has been on bringing disruptive technologies into established industries.
2021: Michelle S. Spina ’91
Dr. Michelle Spina has over 20 years of technological leadership and strong interpersonal skills with deep management experience in both commercial and Department of Defense markets.
2019: Clayton P. Turner '90
Clayton Turner is the director at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Langley, founded in 1917, is the nation’s first civilian aeronautical research facility and NASA’s first field center.
2018: Michael G. Field '86
Michael G. Field is chief executive officer for The Raymond Corporation, which includes the operations, sales and marketing, engineering and administrative functions at Raymond.
2017: Paul Kayser '93
Paul Kayser has been the Chief Executive Officer and President of Pretium Packaging, LLC, a leading supplier of custom rigid plastic packaging solutions, since February 2016.
2022
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Alan Franz ‘91
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Matthew Hicks ‘08
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Herbert Klumpe ‘88
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Matthew Kulp ‘95
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Bhushan Mehendale ‘06
2021
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Kristian Houghton ‘95
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John T. Kaemmerlen III ‘76
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Scott Reardon ‘96
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Cole Standish ‘99
2020
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Benjamin Castaneda ‘04
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Jeremiah Frick ‘00
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Tim Tobin ‘91
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Christine Vargas ‘93
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Kanika Wright Jeune ‘01
Emerging Leader Award Inductees
This award recognizes recent alumni who have graduated within the past 10 years and have distinguished themselves by living out the Kate Gleason College of Engineering mission.
2022
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August Allen ‘16
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Dimple Joseph ‘18
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Kursten O’Neill ‘11
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Andrea Mazzocchi ‘16
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Bryan Reinheimer ‘11
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Rui Zhou ‘12
2021
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Khaled Alattar ‘19
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Andrew Phillips ’12, ‘14
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Brianna Stephenson-Vallot ‘12
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Kathryn Wurman Lucchesi ‘14
2020
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Eva Ames ‘09
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Brenda Lisitano ‘13
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Bryce Salmi ‘13
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Danielle Walters ‘12
