Class Notes

Did you get a promotion? Get married? Receive an award? Expand your family? Write a book? Meet a personal goal? Chat with a fellow alum about the good old days? We want to hear from you and your WPI classmates do, too! Tell us your latest news and it may appear in Class Notes—it’s a great way to reconnect with your fellow alumni: classnotes@wpi.edu.

David Rice writes, “Every winter for the last sixtyish years, brothers from Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity (AEPi) have met in Florida and every summer in Hull, Mass. This year, the event ran March 21 to 24. Thirteen brothers and a number of their wives attended events that included golf, a museum visit, a boat tour of Sarasota Bay, and pickleball. Of course, the food was a highlight at local restaurants, as well as at Jack Siegel’s and Butch Lofchie’s houses. Jerry Axelrod provided great songs and music at our event. Those attending the reunion with me were Jerry Axelrod ’69, Henry Block ’70, Al Breitman ’70, Neil Glickstein ’69, Neil Hodes ’70, Steve Legomsky ’69, Gary Leventhal ’69, Butch Lofchie ’68, Skip Palter ’70, Steve Phillips ’69, Peter Saltz ’68, and Jack Siegel ’68.”

Jack Siegel, David Rice, Butch Lofchie, and Peter Saltz, all Class of 1968, at WPI Commons in 1964; at right, the same four in 2024.

Dhaval Kikani was interviewed for a story by Automotive Fleet about the evolution of the auto industry. He worked for Ford Motor Company for 40 years before joining National Fleet Services, where he now serves as director of engineering.

Bruce Denson was quoted in “Friends Forever” by Reader’s Digest this past winter. In the article, he said, “I met my best friend, Joe, when he transferred to my high school. There was no logic to our friendship—he was a creative, right-brained person while I was an analytical, left-brained person—but we both felt as if we’d been best friends forever. When Joe told his mom about me, she dug up an old photo and showed it to him. It was Joe and me together as toddlers. It turned out that our families used to live one street apart, before his family moved away, only to return over a decade later. Now, 75 years since that photo was snapped, we are still best friends.” Bruce is a Bronze Star recipient from the Vietnam War. Before retiring, he spent 52 years as a math teacher and worked as a Methodist pastor in Central Massachusetts.

Paul Cleary writes, “I retired as a federal magistrate judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma in 2016 but was recalled to judicial service for each of the past eight years. For more than 20 years, I administered the court’s Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, overseeing mediation of more than 2,000 cases. Today, I continue to serve as a court-sponsored mediator and conduct various criminal pre-trial matters as well.  My wife, Julie, and I have three children. Our first grandchild was born in 2023.”

George Oliver was named as the 2024–2025 board chair for the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. He is chairman and chief executive officer at Johnson Controls.

Harvey Stein was a speaker at the Fordham Gabelli School of Business QuantVision 2024 Conference. He is an expert in quantitative research, technology, and management within the finance industry. He currently serves as the senior vice president of the Labs group at Two Sigma and teaches risk management at Columbia University.  

Elaine (Kokernak) Ritchie shared her news: “Curling brought together two alumnae in St. Paul, Minn., recently … Karen (Hirst) Spaleta ’00 from Fairbanks, Alaska, and myself from Harvard, Mass. I head up the committee of the United States Women’s Curling Association for the National Women’s Bonspiel. Karen and her Fairbanks Curling Club team entered the 75th National Bonspiel at the St. Paul Curling Club from February 14 to 19, 2024. Having just read Karen’s class note in the Fall 2023 WPI Journal, I recognized her name and reached out. Karen and her husband (Jeff Spaleta ’98) curl in Fairbanks. My husband, Don, and I curl at Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland, Mass. Are there other curling alums out there?”

Steve Kaneb attended the inauguration of President Grace Wang as a representative of Catholic University of America, where he has been a trustee for 14 years. He serves as a permanent deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, N.H., and is assigned to parishes in Hampton, Seabrook, and Rye. He spent his career in industrial commercial real estate development and operations. For the past 35 years, he handled real estate matters in his family’s business, including business with the company HP Hood. Steve has been married to Andrea (Fielding) ’84, MBA ’16, since 1984. They live in Exeter, N.H., and have five children and five granddaughters.

Cynthia Kosciuczyk writes, “I recently published my fourth book about the pandemic. I also went to the alumni event at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. A fantastic time, as there hadn’t been a local event for about 10 years. Would be happy to have more of these as well. Congratulations to our new president!”

Robert Kilroy was named to the Worcester Business Journal’s 2024 Power 100 list. He is an attorney who specializes in employment litigation that defends corporations and their executives. He previously served in the U.S. Navy as a weapons and tactics instructor who advised senior officers about deployment of air defense tactics.

Jeff White was named to an advisory role at Collective Audience, a multidisciplinary marketing agency. He has over 30 years of experience as an executive, investor, and entrepreneur in the tech and marketing industry. According to the announcement, he is most known for his co-founding of FingerWorks, the “touch screen” technology provider acquired by Apple that served as the foundation for the iPhone. Jeff says, “My passion has always been how technology can be applied to solve massive problems and drive out inefficiencies in industries that lag in tech adoption.”

Kathleen Loftus was appointed to the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) board of directors. She serves as the vice president of strategic construction projects, energy, and facility services at Retail Business Services. She works to optimize productivity and operations for the company’s “Race to Zero” commitment.

Margaret Shinkle writes, “I earned my First-Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate from Steve Nugent’s Karate Institute. I love teaching my teen students.”

Steven Cobery was featured in an article by Fall River Reporter for his work as a neurosurgeon. He currently practices at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, Mass., where he specializes in treating trauma-induced injuries to the head and spine. “I wanted to come home and use the skills I developed over two-plus decades to help people in my hometown,” he said. “I can’t believe it has worked out.”

Peter Polit was appointed one of three new executives at Consumer Safety Technology, a “leader in substance-use safety and detection products and services,” according to the announcement. He previously served in technology-focused leadership roles with Tidel and Sirius XM. 

David Cortese was appointed as McGraw Hill’s first chief digital information officer. He will oversee digital platform development, information technology and data analytics for the company, according to the company’s announcement. He has over 30 years’ experience in the technology industry, serving in various leadership roles with companies such as Advantage Solutions, ComScore, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Accenture.

Chris Riley writes, “Although I graduated from WPI 32 years ago, I look back and see it has had impact on my family’s trajectory. Besides getting a great education, I met my wife, Kim, while we were a part of WPI Crew, and we have been married 30 years. When Kim wanted to ‘reskill’ in information technology, she attended a C++/Unix certificate program WPI provided. This helped her start a new career path and eventually led to our founding a cloud consulting company. During our 30 years together, we have also raised a wonderful son (Harrison) and daughter (Mackenzie). When our kids were ready to attend college, we came back to WPI’s outreach program to expose them to STEM opportunities and the college campus. The experience helped direct Mackenzie to a PhD track in chemistry and she will attend MIT this fall. Harrison found his calling in information technology, following in our footsteps, and works with cloud computing and full stack development. Looking forward to seeing what they will achieve. Many thanks to the WPI community.” 

Peter Cavallo writes, “I recently left the defense industry and joined Air Products as lead aerodynamic engineer for its turbomachinery division, Rotoflow.” 

Antonio Delgado returned to San Candido, Italy, this past winter, the location of his Interactive Qualifying Project during his time as an undergraduate in 1994. 

Jeevan Ramapriya spoke at the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts “Instant Issues” lunchtime discussion this past April. He is executive director of the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment, having previously served as managing director in State Street Global Service’s regulatory, industry, and government affairs department.

Liz Hitchcock was named to the Business New Hampshire list of 40 Influential Leaders. She is a principal at Orbit, an investment and business consulting group, developer of The Factory on Willow, a multi-use building, and owner of Manchester Distillery and Bookery in the Manchester, N.H., area. “Continue to grow our city in ways that you want to see it grow,” she says of Manchester. “Maybe it starts small. Maybe you become involved in a nonprofit that you think is doing great things, or you better yourself in some way so that someday you can do something bigger, create something.”

Jason Reposa was named to the Worcester Business Journal 2024 Power 100 list. He founded the 2022 “Good Feels” brand, which features cannabis-infused seltzers as well as Good Vibes tincture, which turns any beverage into a cannabis-infused one. Jason also mentors budding entrepreneurs in the Worcester area, especially those in the cannabis industry.

Devin Brande joined the 2024 Space Summit as one of the panelists for “Advancements in Commercial Space Imaging to support future U.S. Defense and Intel Initiatives,” according to an announcement. He is the director of the commercial operations group at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, focused on national security and technology innovation.

Jennifer Rand was interviewed for an article by Albany Business Review for her work as Consigli Construction’s director of operations in its Albany office. She is only the second woman to lead a regional office and is in the top leadership position for the company in the Albany area. Jennifer discusses her career in construction management, her educational journey, and her thoughts on women in the construction industry.

Greg Cole was named chief innovation officer with Opentrons, “a leader in lab automation and makers of accessible lab robotics,” according to the announcement. His role focuses on establishing commercial and academic partnerships with various research institutions and biopharma companies. “Opentrons is propelling automated lab robotics to new heights in scientific research. The opportunity to leverage Opentrons’ technology for laboratory automation will fast-track scientific discoveries, providing an unmatched level of efficiency and precision without compromising on accuracy. I’m looking forward to bringing my expertise in engineering to help them advance Opentrons Flex and other automated solutions,” he said. He previously served as chief technology officer and advisor at AiM Medical Robotics, overseeing the development of surgical robotics.

Brandon Blanchard (MS) was promoted to vice president at Pare Corporation, “a multidisciplinary engineering and planning firm,” according to the announcement. Brandon has worked for Pare for over 20 years as part of its Environmental Division. His varying roles included work in hazardous waste, stormwater, and wastewater engineering.

Jennifer Gallegos was a featured leading participant in SXSW 2024. Co-founder of STEM 3000 and a sales/marketing executive in the climate tech industry, she is a marketing advisor to climate tech companies and has written extensively on emerging technologies.

Tuhina Bhattacharya, MBA ’18, was married this past spring and her 2013 WPI roommates were in attendance, including Sonya Chen, Daniela (Garcia) Hamilton, and Emily Hartzell. They are looking forward to their next get-together.

Jillian Chalke won gold in her Jiu Jitsu weight/belt level at the 2024 Pan American Games in March. 

Kamal Mohamed was presented with the 2024 Vice Admiral Melvin G. Williams Legacy Award by General Dynamics for his engineering work across several high-profile projects at the organization. He said, “It is a privilege to be recognized for my achievements. Breaking barriers, grit, and making an impact through our contribution will last through future generations of STEM students, submarine builders, and mariners. My achievements and legacy would not have been possible without my mentors, champions, sponsors, family, and friends who helped me throughout my journey.” 

Mahesh Kotalggi’s research was featured in an article by Tech Bullion. He has been a fire protection engineering researcher at WPI since 2019, after earning his master’s degree in the same field. According to the article, Mahesh’s research is expansive: “From delving into the fundamentals of dust explosions, to understanding the complexities of oil spills, and developing effective cleanup methods, his work has far-reaching applications for safety standards across various industries.”

Melissa (Wojnowski) Aberdale writes, “Andrew [Aberdale ’18] proposed on March 14, 2021, in Higgins House at exactly 1:59 p.m., for the full effect of Pi-Day nerdiness. We got married on June 17, 2023, at Wychmere Beach Club in Harwich Port, Mass. (Cape Cod).”

Noah Parker, Daniel Pelaez, and Noah Budris founded Cyvl.ai, a company that helps municipalities and firms digitally track the conditions of transportation infrastructure. Their company was the focus of an article for Yahoo! that discussed the work the company does and its recent $6 million investment. “Our core vision—and why we started the company in the first place—is to help the entire world build and maintain better transportation infrastructure,” Pelaez says. “This covers roads, highways, sidewalks, airports, and rail. Anyone from Boston certainly knows this is an area where the city could use a lot of help.”

Jack Duffy-Protentis‘s company eSki was named to BostInno’s “24 Startups to Watch in 2024.” eSki produces the “first electric-powered personal watercraft,” completing its first prototype in 2023. The company is currently based in Worcester, with a manufacturing site planned in Pittsfield.