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Jonathan Reichert ’53, PhD
Buffalo, New York
Jonathan is the founder of TeachSpin Inc. and the Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation, both of which support physics labs across the country, including at his alma mater. Through TeachSpin, the Department of Physics has been able to offer nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers for research. Jonathan said his passion for experimental physics education stems from his Case professor, Chuck Smith, “who yelled at us, challenged us, and made laboratory physics instruction both demanding and fun!”
William Hayes ‘67
Danvers, Massachusetts
Bill is chair of the Municipal Light Board in the Town of Danvers, where he stewards one of the oldest municipal electric companies in the nation. He also recently joined the board of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA), Massachusetts & Rhode Island Chapter. Its mission is to improve the lives of people and families impacted by HD and to work toward a world free of the disease.
Warren Sklar ’66
Beachwood, Ohio
Warren, a patent lawyer and partner emeritus at Renner Otto, attended the CIT Football Reunion at Homecoming 2025 and brought his jersey from the 1965 game against the Red Cats of Western Reserve. The Rough Riders won that battle, 15-13, and Warren has vivid recollections of the game.
Robert Minnick ’75
Orlando, Florida
Bob joined the Order of the Engineer at a ceremony at Homecoming 2025, capping a long and distinguished career. After working for Eastman Kodak for 22 years, the chemical engineer joined the Walt Disney Co. and became director of architecture and facilities engineering. “I had a ball,” Bob said, noting he traveled the world inspecting Disney theme parks, hotels and cruise ships. Now semi-retired, he shares his expertise with mostly small amusement park operators as president of RFM Consulting.
Susan Nagorney ’76
Pepper Pike, Ohio
Susie and her husband, Frank Nagorney, ADL ’72, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 9, 2025. After commemorating the occasion with family and friends, they embarked upon a 10-day trip to Hawaii. Susie, a retired professor of mathematics at Cuyahoga Community College, is a former president and member of the board of directors of the Case Alumni Association.
Robert Ferencz ’79, MS ’81, PhD
Petaluma, California
Robert retired from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he worked for 26 years and rose to become leader of the Computational Engineering Division and its 300 technical specialists. An expert in computer simulation of mechanical systems, he now offers his services as a consultant. Robert said he is grateful to Case, which “had a big impact on my life.”
Manuel Alvarado ‘85
Panama City, Panama
Manny founded and is president of an engineering consultancy that provides inspections and quality control for building projects in Panama, many related to the Panama Canal. It taps his 18 years of experience as a civil engineer for the Panama Canal Authority, where he led teams of up to 1,000 people and oversaw a $100 million budget as dredging manager. More recently, he was director of design and construction for the Fourth Bridge over the canal. Manny attended Homecoming 2025 and his 40th class reunion.
Adriana Velazquez Berumen, MS ’86
Geneva, Switzerland
Adriana retired in August from the World Health Organization, where she was the Team Lead on Medical Devices, helping to bring life-changing devices to nations and places in need. In a LinkedIn post, she thanked WHO for “the privilege and great honor to serve humanity” and expressed regret that her work is far from finished. “What I achieved in 16 years of dedicated and passionate work was only a drop of water in an ocean of needs,” she shared. “We should not give up, as biomedical engineers, as health care professionals…we should continue to strive for more affordable, safe, effective medical devices to tackle pandemics, emergencies, primary health care, infectious and non-communicable diseases.”
Traci Duez '87
Sugar Land, Texas
Traci made history at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, returning in August 2025 as the first woman ever to umpire at the series for a second time. A volunteer umpire for 23 years, she brings her diamond experience to her role as president and principal consult for CCR3 Performance Management, where she teaches executives “the split-second decision-making, conflict resolution, and emotional control skills required behind home plate.” Traci earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Case Institute of Technology
Sharon Soltesz ’87, MS ’89, PhD
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Sharon plays guitar with the Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra and reports she is “living the dream” after taking early retirement. A chemical engineer, she worked for the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for nearly 20 years and retired as senior manager of plant network strategy. Sharon said she enjoys traveling and recently built her dream house.
Linda Rae, MS ’90, MBA ’95
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Linda retired from GE Vernova, where she was vice president and general manager, ending a chapter in her distinguished career as a technology executive. An electrical engineer, Linda started at Keithley Instruments and rose to become executive vice president and chief operating officer. She then served Danaher and Fortive corporations in leadership roles, including commercial president for Tektronix. Linda volunteers for the Case Alumni Association and recently joined the board of EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute.
Subbakrishna Shankar, MS '92, PhD '95
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Subba is the chief technology officer of CollaMedix, a Cleveland biotech startup that announced it plans to introduce its first product in 2026. A biomedical engineer, he co-founded the company in 2018 to develop collagen-based products based on electrocompaction technology licensed from Case Western Reserve University. To date, the company has raised $11.6 million in public and private investment, Crain’s Cleveland Business reported.
Charles Tucker Cope ’95, MS ’97
Columbiana, Ohio
Tucker is president of the family construction company, C. Tucker Cope & Associates, which he has led for 23 years. He holds a professional license in six states and is a member of the board of the Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association (MBCEA). Tucker earned his Case degrees in civil engineering.
Brian Wopershall ’97
Fairview Park, Ohio
Brian has joined the board of directors of the Case Alumni Association, where he will serve on the scholarship committee. A civil engineer, Brian is a principal and management consultant at the Cleveland office of Arcadis, a global architecture, engineering and design company.
Mark Elder ’99
League City, Texas
Mark is the EVA hardware manager at the Johnson Space Center, a job growing in importance as NASA prepares for Artemis missions to the Moon. He leads the team responsible for the spacesuits, tools, and logistics that keep astronauts protected during spacewalks. Mark earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Case, where he conducted an experiment for the Johnson Space Center. After working on jet engines for Pratt & Whitney, he joined the nation’s space agency and has been with NASA for more than 25 years.
Andrew Stump ’00, MBA ’06
Mentor, Ohio
Andrew is the Director of Technical Enablement at Rockwell Automation, where he has worked for 27 years. In his current role, he helps manufacturers apply automation solutions in their digital transformations. He also shares his insights as a writer for trade publications like CIO Magazine and RTInsights. Andrew earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Case School of Engineering and an MBA from CWRU.
David Ojala '06, MS '07
Berkeley, California
David was recently named president of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California. He is a principal in the San Francisco office of Thornton Tomasetti, a science and engineering consulting firm, where he specializes in forensic investigations and emergency response, seismic retrofit design, and risk and resilience consulting. David also volunteers as a member of FEMA Urban Search and Rescue California Task Force 4 in Oakland.
Justus Brake ’06, ME ’19
Cleveland, Ohio
Justus joined Shorts Travel Management of Waterloo, Indiana, as director of software development and systems. Previously, he was engineering manager for FSI, a provider of healthcare technology management. Justus earned bachelors’ degrees in mathematics and music before returning to Case for his master’s in engineering management.
Sarah Rovito ’07
Silver Spring, Maryland
Sarah is the senior program officer for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she helps to shape the nation’s science and technology policy. Previously, she was a Congressional fellow and director of science and research policy for the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
Rebecca Winarski '08, PhD
Worcester, Massachusetts
Becca was promoted to associate professor in the Math & Computer Science Department at the College of the Holy Cross, where she specializes in low dimensional topology and geometric group theory. She joined Holy Cross as an assistant professor in 2021.
Alexander Schepelmann ’09, MS ’10, PhD
Cleveland, Ohio
Alex has joined McCaster-Carr as a lead researcher in applied AI, machine learning and robotics. Previously, he was a lead roboticist for the NASA Glenn Research Center. Alex is also the founder and host of Super Make Something, a popular YouTube show that demonstrates state-of-the-art maker techniques.
Melissa Krebs, PhD ’10
Englewood, Colorado
Melissa was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows as part of its 2025 class, distinguishing her as one of the nation’s leading medical and biological engineers. She’s an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Melissa earned her doctorate in biomedical engineering from the Case School of Engineering.
Jun Iida ’13
New York, New York
Jun has been touring the country playing jazz clubs and promoting his debut album, Evergreen, which was released in 2024 by Origin Records. The trumpeter and composer brings a diverse background and training to his craft. The son of a Japanese koto player, Jun studied classical music at Cleveland Institute of Music and jazz through the CWRU Department of Music while earning his bachelor’s degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering from the Case School of Engineering. His music can be heard at www.juniidamusic.com/evergreen
Manfred Franke, PhD ’14
Cleveland, Ohio
Manfred is the CEO of Neuronoff, a Case-connected startup developing treatments for chronic pain. He also recently assumed the role of interim CEO of Calm Medical, a Neuronoff spinoff focused on bladder control. In 2014, Manfred received the Doctoral Excellence Award for Biomedical Engineering from the CWRU School of Medicine.
Connor Gordon ’18
Denver, Colorado
Conner joined the Wallace Design Collective as a civil engineer, a field where he shares his skills widely. He’s the past president of the Denver branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a core volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.
Abdullah Braik, MS ’19, PhD
College Station, Texas
Abdullah is a post-doctoral research assistant at Texas A&M University, where he earned his doctorate and focuses on community resilience to natural hazards as a structural engineer. He earned his master’s degree in civil engineering at Case, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.
Chris Carr ’19, PhD
Princeton, New Jersey
Chris was named one of 15 Princeton Presidential Research Fellows, a program that recognizes and supports outstanding scholars primed to make important contributions in their fields. He joins the Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton, where he researches the interplay between galaxies and their surrounding gaseous atmospheres. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in astronomy and physics from Case, where he hosted the radio show “Enter Galactic” on WRUW.
Ruby Eyoung Lee ‘19
Boulder, Colorado
Ruby is pursuing a law degree at the University of Colorado Law School and this past summer interned at King & Spalding. She earned her Case degree in civil engineering.
Michaela Wright ‘19
Columbus, Ohio
Michaela is a package engineer for Bath & Body Works, where she supports the package development process for several product platforms, including candles, diffusers, soaps and sanitizers. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Macromolecular Science and Engineering at Case, where she was a member of the Women in Science and Engineering Roundtable, the African Student Association and a Spartan cheerleader.
Gregory Curtan ’20
McLean, Virginia
Greg is an engineer for the Turner Construction Company, where he specializes in hyperscale data center projects. Previously he was a project engineer for Kokosing. Greg earned his Case degree in civil engineering.
Akhil Kandhari, PhD ’20
Peabody, Massachusetts
Akhil was named vice president of engineering at Sea Machine Robotics, a company he first joined four years ago as a controls engineer. He earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Case School of Engineering, where he was part of the Biologically Inspired Robotics Lab.
Adam Maraschky, PhD ’20
Lafayette, Colorado
Adam was honored with the Early Career Award by The Electrochemical Society in recognition of his research shaping the future of electrochemistry. As manager of electrochemistry fundamentals at Electra, he leads a team of scientists developing materials and electrolytes for clean iron production. Adam earned his doctorate in chemical engineering from the Case School of Engineering, where he was a ThinkEnergy Fellow with the Great Lakes Energy Institute.
Michel’le Wright ’20, MS ’23
Cleveland, Ohio
Michel’le is a product engineer for PCC Airfoils, where she supports continuous improvement and process control for the casting process of jet engine blades. She earned her master’s degree in engineering management at Case, where she was a member of the Society of Women in Engineering.
Devin Knott ’21
Cincinnati, Ohio
Devin has been named Senior Project Engineer at THP Limited, an architectural engineering consulting firm that he joined in 2022. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Case while minoring in theater arts and was a member of the Players’ Theatre Group.
Claire Daugherty ‘23
Austin, Texas
Claire joined Curtiss-Wright as an R&D engineer supporting its Nuclear Power Sensors division. She reports, “I’m thrilled to contribute to the continued growth of nuclear power and to help make affordable, sustainable, clean energy a reality.” Claire earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Case and added a master’s from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Kayla Wells ’23, MS ’24
Cleveland, Ohio
Kayla returned to campus for Engineers Week 2025, where she shared her skills as part of the alumni team in the Lego Bridge Building Contest. She is a structural engineer for Osborn Engineering.
Caden Kacmarynski ’24
Cleveland, Ohio
Caden is chief AI architect at MorelandConnect, a software development and consulting company. He also serves as chair of the nonprofit board of the Quantum Coalition, a student-rooted network that promotes quantum computing and quantum information sciences. Caden earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering physics at Case, where he founded the Quantum Computing Club.
Steven Leung ’24
Cleveland, Ohio
Steven joined GFT as an associate bridge designer. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Case, where he was president of the Steel Bridge Team and a member of the Cycling Club and Concert Choir.
Zoe Goldberg ’25
New York, New York
Zoe has joined the National Basketball Association as an associate software engineer. She earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Case School of Engineering, where she was president Girls Who Code. A basketball fan, she reports, “I’m incredibly excited to combine my passion for the sport with my love of problem solving and technology.”
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