Engineering Alumni
Engineering Alumni
Engineering Alumni Stories
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.
Jennifer Indovina '06
Jennifer Indovina ’06 (electrical engineering), ’07 (MBA) - KGCOE alumna, entrepreneur, international TED Fellow and adjunct faculty member - was part of the WXXI team that won a 2021 New York Emmy for its educational and career focused programming, “I Can be What?” As host of the program, Indovina interacts with individuals in exciting jobs—from zookeepers to pilots to dancers—to show how young people can make career dreams possible.
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.
2021
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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
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
2019
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Lynn Bishop, ‘93
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Steven Carlson, ‘88
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Thomas Jefferson, ‘94
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Sergey Katsev, ‘06
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Michael Oshetski, ‘03
