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James Szabo ’77
Beachwood, Ohio
Jim was honored at the 2026 Tri-C JazzFest as a JazzFest Legend for his service to the music and its fans. The Case-trained mathematician has hosted his jazz radio show, Down by the Cuyahoga, for 53 years on campus radio station WRUW-FM 91.1. Airing Fridays from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. since 1974, his show is among the longest-running jazz shows worldwide. Jim is also a founder of the Northeast Ohio Jazz Society.
Catherine O’Riordan ’84
Washington, DC
Catherine published her first book, a memoir about the career of her mother, who became a physician in the 1950’s, and the impact that had on family life and the pathway Catherine took in science and engineering. She retired this year after a career in research and scientific society management, most recently as executive director of the Ecological Society of America. Layers of the Heart: A Daughter’s Memoir of a Trailblazing Pediatric Cardiologist was published in May and is available on Amazon.
Chris Hostetler ’87
Poquoson, Virginia
Chris received the 2026 Distinguished Service Medal from the National Aeronautics Space Administration at its annual awards program in September. He was honored for “strategic vision and leadership in pioneering revolutionary lidar systems, advancing U.S. Earth science, and inspiring the Agency workforce.” Chris is a widely published electrical engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center.
Roger Wei ’96
Solon, Ohio
Roger, a serial entrepreneur, was a featured guest in August when university President Eric Kaler celebrated CWRU’s bicentennial with Chinese alumni via the internet. Wei is the co-founder of Weis & Beyond International, a Hong Kong–based advisory firm serving high-net-worth families and institutions across Asia. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Case School of Engineering.
Ann Funai ’97
Austin, Texas
Ann returned to campus in September to address the CWRU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series. Her topic: “Leading at the Intersection of Technology, Business and Innovation.” She’s a founding limited partner of Operator Collective, a business-to-business venture capital firm, and the former CIO and vice president of business platform transformation at IBM. Ann earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science at the Case School of Engineering.
Sandra Oh Lin ’97
Los Altos, California
Sandra kicked off CWRU’s Bicentennial Speaker Series in March by engaging in an online conversation with University President Eric Kaler. The chemical engineer talked about how Case influenced her successful career. Sandra is the founder and president of KiwiCo., which designs and builds creative play kits that have been delivered to more than 50 million children worldwide.
Maria (Walker) Bennett, MS ’98
Beachwood, Ohio
Maria delivered a presentation titled “Medtech Startup Journey: From a Master’s Thesis to Being Acquired by Medtronic,” in September as part of the CWRU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series. The biomedical engineer founded and built SPR Therapeutics, which recently sold to Medtronic for $650 million. Maria’s pain management company sprang from her research into electrical nerve stimulation at the Case School of Engineering.
Qiang “Al” Zhang, MS ’00, PhD ’01
Shanghai, China
Qiang, a medical imaging expert, was a featured guest in August when university President Eric Kaler celebrated CWRU’s bicentennial with Chinese alumni via the internet. He is the co-founder, CEO and chairman of the board of United Imaging Healthcare. Qiang earned his advanced degrees in biomedical engineering at the Case School of Engineering.
Scott Bindel ’04, MEM ’05
Northfield, Ohio
Scott was named a Notable leader in Architecture, Engineering & Construction by Crain’s Cleveland Business. He’s an operations manager for Gilbane Building Co., where he guided the growth of the Cleveland office from 58 to 82 men and women. Scott is also a trustee for the Cleveland Restoration Society.
Nathan Kundzt ’04, PhD
Austin, Texas
Nathan is the chief technology officer at Neurophos, a Texas startup developing optical chips to reduce the power consumption of AI systems. Its microchips uses beams of light to perform some of the calculations now handled by electronic circuits. In January, the company reported raising $110 million in a Series A funding round led by Gates Frontier, Bill Gates’ venture capital firm. Nathan earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering physics at Case, where he ran cross country and directed a musical for Footlighters, the student-run theater company.
Matthew MacEwan ’04, MD, PhD
St. Louis, Missouri
Matt addressed the CWRU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series via the internet Sept. 1 and shared insights into building a bioscience success story. He’s the founder and chief science officer of Acera Surgical, which develops materials to promote regenerative medicine and heal stubborn wounds. What began as a four-person team in 2013 is now a 150-person company based in St. Louis. In 2025, Acera was acquired by Solventum—a global health care company—for $725 million. Matt earned his Case degree in biomedical engineering.
Zachary J. Floro ’13
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Zach in May self-published his first novel, Empires End, an historical fantasy set in Rome. It can be purchased through his website, zachfloro.com, as well as through online booksellers. Zach, a Case-trained mathematician, is married to Seema Jain ’13, MD, who recently joined University Hospitals as associate program director of its Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Elizabeth Barrios, MS ’15, PhD
Huntsville, Alabama
Elizabeth joined VALT Enterprizes as a senior principal TPS engineer in Huntsville. Previously she was a materials engineer for Blue Origin. In 2021, Elizabeth was honored with a Young Space Leader Award from the International Astronautical Federation.
Ethan Pickering ’15, MS '16 PhD
Athens, Georgia
Ethan is a co-founder of Prophet AI, a startup using cameras and computer vision to track and monitor poultry for farms and food producers. He leads the Computational Agricultural Lab at the University of Georgia, where he’s an associate professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. A farmer’s son from Northeast Ohio, Ethan earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Case, where he was a ThinkEnergy Fellow with the Great Lakes Energy Institute. He went on to Caltech for his doctorate.
Jing Lyon ’16
Cleveland, Ohio
Jing joined the board of trustees of the Ohio Energy Project, a non-profit organization promoting energy education. She’s the executive director of the Ohio Fuel Cell and Energy Coalition and a senior advisor to Power Up Local. Previously, Jing served as interim CEO and managing director of BRITE Energy Innovators. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Case School of Engineering and is an adjunct instructor in the Weatherhead School of Management.
Michael LaFramboise ’18, PhD
San Francisco, California
Michael is the CEO and co-founder of Aurelius Systems, which recently raised $40 million in a Series A funding round. The company builds AI-powered laser platforms designed to protect troops, bases, and infrastructure from hostile drones. Michael shared his vision with the campus community in September as part of the CWRU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series of the Veale Institute of Entrepreneurship.
Clayton Cooper ’19, MS ’20, PhD ‘24
Oxford, Ohio
Clayton was selected to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) 2026 list of 30 Under 30 honorees, a distinction meant to identify rising leaders in the field. He’s an assistant professor of mechanical and manufacturing engineering at Miami University, where he’s the advisor for RedHawk Racing, a group of students who design, build, and test Formula and Baja vehicles.
Grace Furnas ’19
South Lake Tahoe, California
Grace has joined ABB as a project manager on its electrification services team. Previously, she was a project manager for Fortune Brands Innovations. Grace earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Case, where she served on the executive board of Camp Kesem.
Nathaniel Braman, PhD ’20
Cleveland, Ohio
Nate addressed the campus community in October as part of the CWRU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series. The biomedical engineer talked about bringing AI-powered healthcare technology to patient care. Nate is a cofounder and vice president of AI research and development at Picture Health, a startup that grew out of his research at the Case School of Engineering.
Alex Neyman ’22
Brooklyn, New York
Alex returned to campus Sept. 8 to talk about life at a startup as part of the CWRU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series. He’s the lead engineer for Kinetic Apps, a Brooklyn-based company that uses AI to help small teams build and scale software. Previously, he was a software engineer for Microsoft, where he interned while earning his bachelor’s degree in computer science.
Jace Creech ’25, MS ’26
Cleveland, Ohio
Jace is a bridge engineer for the Cleveland offices of Michael Baker International, a civil engineering firm where he interned while earning his master’s degree in structural engineering. Jace returned to campus in October to share career advice with students as part of Case Connect, a networking event sponsored by the Case Alumni Association.
Zul Kazeem ’25
Cleveland, Ohio
Zul received the Outstanding Graduate Student Member Award from the Society of Women Engineers. The award recognizes her contributions to SWE, the community and campus as well as academic achievement. Zul, a doctoral student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was one of 10 awardees selected nationwide.
Ben Martin ’25
Lima, Ohio
Ben joined Procter & Gamble as a process engineer at its Plant Supply Warehouse in Lima. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Case while earning scholar athlete honors as a member of the varsity tennis team.
Zachary Solomon ’26
Brookline, Massachusetts
Zach joined Shield AI as a propulsion engineer. He earned bachelors’ degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Case, where he served as a founder and president of the Case Liquid Propulsion Team.
@2020 Case Alumnus Magazine
Case Alumni Association, Inc.
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@2020 Case Alumnus Magazine
Case Alumni Association, Inc.
All rights reserved.