Class Notes Summer 2025

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.

Stan Graveline writes, “WPI football coach Chris Robertson invited members of the 1954 WPI undefeated team to this year’s season-ending banquet to commemorate the 70th anniversary of that great 1954 season. Unfortunately, only Mike Stephens ’57 and I were able to attend. Even though both of us were underclassmen and minor contributors to this historic team, we were treated as celebrities and received an extremely warm welcome from the 300 people in the Odeum on campus. Both of us gave short reflections on our WPI experience. My grandson, Beck Carrier ’25, was a senior co-captain of this year’s team. Video of the banquet can be found on the WPI football Facebook page.”

Stan continues, “The annual WPI summer-ending Cape Cod clambake was held at Sesuit Harbor in Dennis, Mass., last September. The annual event is held on the Sunday following the Labor Day weekend and is open to all. Norm Taupeka ’58 and I organize this event, which has endured for over 20 years and continues to be well attended. The locals were friendly, the weather and waterside setting were ideal, the Cape Cod-famous food was great, and the fortifications were ample. All in all, it was a great day. Attendees were mostly WPI alumni from the late ’50s and early ’60s. Norm hosted a reception after the cookout at his castle.”

John Wilson was inducted into the 2024 class of the Georgia Aquatic Hall of Fame in Atlanta. He was a longtime official in swimming, participating in multiple national, NCAA, and international meets, including as a starter for women’s swimming at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He retired as CEO and chairman of Paul J. Ford & Company in Columbus, Ohio, and lives with his wife, Pat, in Arlington, Va.

Bob Cundall joined the board of trustees for Catawba College. He has over 30 years of experience in the arts, nonprofit, and corporate sectors and currently serves as executive vice president and chief financial officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. He has also held leadership roles with the Seattle Art Museum and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.

Bob Hart, a WPI trustee and founder and CEO of TruAmerica Multifamily, recorded an episode of his podcast Building Better Communities in Abu Dhabi with Sam Chandan, NYU professor and founding director of the Chen Institute for Global Real Estate. In the episode, they discussed real estate outlook and other issues and threats surrounding real estate investment.

Bruce Jenket ran for the Moultonborough (N.H.) School Board this spring. He served in the U.S. Navy after two years of post-graduate training, holding several positions onboard the USS Seadragon and managing up to 12 sailors. After leaving active duty in 1983, he worked in the high-tech industry until 2022 in roles such as product assurance manager and engineering manager, overseeing teams of up to 45 employees and million-dollar budgets. Remaining in the Navy Reserve, he retired as a commander in 1999 after leading a mobile diving and salvage unit.

Charles Pappis was appointed to the board of directors for AMC Research, a supplier of “wafer processing solutions for semiconductor and advanced packaging applications,” according to the announcement. He has over 40 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, having held several executive leadership positions, including his most recent as president of Pappis Consulting.

George Aghjayan was appointed as the national chairman for the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). He is a longtime Armenian American activist and grassroots leader, working to “advance foreign policy priorities of special concern to Armenian and allied Americans,” according to the announcement. “The ANCA has always been the most effective voice for Armenian Americans in U.S. policy and politics,” he said, “and I look forward to working with our local chapters, grassroots advocates, and dedicated leadership team to expand our influence and advance our common cause.”

Douglas McCurdy was appointed chief financial officer for Reed’s, a natural beverage company. His role oversees financial operations and strategic initiatives to support the company’s growth. He is an experienced finance and operations leader, previously holding roles in investment banking and technology companies, and served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.

Don Zereski was promoted to chief information security officer at Indico Data. He formerly worked as the organization’s senior vice president of engineering. In his new role, he oversees the security of sensitive data that drives the organization’s decision-making.

John Kowal was appointed president and head of the Americas for Siemens Healthineers, a global provider of healthcare equipment, solutions, and services. He has been with the organization since 2005, starting on the sales team, and then holding various management positions of increasing responsibility, including, most recently, president of the Americas for Varian Medical Systems.

Steven Vassallo was featured in an episode of the Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different podcast titled: “You Need a Dream, Not a Deck.” He is a general partner at Foundation Capital, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, leading investments focused on design, technology, and business. In the podcast he discussed the trends in and changes to venture capital firms.

George Roberts writes, “I am the founder and president of TechScale Solutions, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, TechScale has guided companies, from startups to Fortune 500s, in scaling up green and climate technology prototypes into viable commercial products. The firm specializes in new product development, cost modeling, manufacturing scale-up, supply chain development, and product integration for novel materials and components in climate tech and renewable energy.”

Mika Newton spoke about AI-enhanced telehealth at the American Telemedicine Association Nexus conference in May. He is the CEO of xCures, a company aimed at delivering AI-driven healthcare data solutions. His speaker session instructed attendees on the real-world application of telemedicine with AI and how AI-driven solutions can “enhance patient care quality and clinician efficiency in virtual healthcare settings,” according to the announcement. “I’m honored to participate in ATA Nexus and share how artificial intelligence can transform telehealth delivery,” he said. “By integrating AI, we are setting new standards in personalized and guideline-driven care.”

Arnold Lee is a former mechanical engineer who shifted careers to become an international master Pilates teacher. He is a lead trainer for Club Pilates, mentoring and evaluating instructors worldwide. With a comprehensive Pilates certification from Balanced Body, he trains new instructors, opens studios, and leads workshops globally. A third-degree black belt with over 30 years’ experience in martial arts, he combines his expertise in body mechanics and movement to work with athletes, injured clients, and diverse populations. He is based in Miami, Fla., and has been recognized in Boston Magazine for his achievements in the Pilates community.

Chris Peterson was featured in the Mendelspod podcast episode “AI’s Quiet Revolution in the Pharma Supply Chain.” He is the chief technology officer at Scientist.com, referred to as the “Amazon for science.” In the episode, he discussed how AI is affecting the research and biotech service industry.

Shana Figueroa, MS ’06, was the subject of an article in The Berkeley Beacon for her MFA thesis film Forever War, which ran in Boston’s 2025 Underground Film Festival in the spring. She is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and studied film at Emerson College. “I thought I would be an engineer forever, then a set of circumstances came up where I had the opportunity to do something different—it’s never too late to take a different path in life.”

Yi Liu, PhD, was appointed senior vice president and global head of legal for Harbour BioMed, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel antibody therapeutics for immunology and oncology. He oversees the company’s business development, compliance, and global intellectual property strategy, as well as manages the company’s legal affairs. He has extensive experience in patent and litigation law. In an announcement he said, “It is a privilege and honor to become a member of Harbour BioMed and I am looking forward to contributing to Harbour BioMed’s bright future.”

Sarah Moyers was promoted to engineering manager with UMIAQ Design, an Alaska-based company offering architectural, civil, and mechanical engineering services. She has been with the company since 2010 and oversees engineering operations and guides project delivery. With more than 20 years of experience in civil and environmental engineering, she has experience in field-based and large-scale infrastructure projects, according to an announcement.

Eric Osattin was promoted to police lieutenant. He has been with the Marblehead, Mass., police department since 2002, serving in various roles within the department, as well as a 911 dispatcher. He served as police sergeant for 11 years before taking on his current role; he is a certified EMT.

Chris Chichetti was promoted to chief operating officer at Sono-Tek Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of ultrasonic coating systems. He has been with Sono-Tek since 2005, starting as an electrical engineer, and has held several key roles, most recently serving as vice president of sales and applications engineering. In his new role, he oversees the company’s engineering, manufacturing, and IT operations while managing sales and marketing, service, and applications engineering.

Janelle Canny manages the HTS Magnet Development Program for Type One Energy, a company that provides sustainable, affordable fusion power. The program performed tests to confirm important design elements of its high-temperature superconducting magnet for use in stellarators, an essential feature for making commercially viable fusion energy.

Kyle Dedmon, MS ’17, was the keynote speaker for BizVets LA’s meeting in Los Angeles. He is the vice president of operations at Vast, an aerospace company, where he leads operational strategy and infrastructure development for the world’s first commercial space station in Long Beach, Calif. He previously served in the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineering officer. As keynote speaker, he shared insights from his work experience, including lessons learned from his military and aerospace careers.

Linnea Paton writes, “I was selected to lead energy company Con Edison’s district steam system’s decarbonization planning. This role is at the forefront of efforts to transition the world’s largest district steam system off fossil fuels to support New York state’s ambitious climate goals.”

Hector Alberti Arroyo was noted on the site Electronic Design. He is a systems application engineer at Analog Devices, working with industrial ethernet products. He previously served as product evaluation engineer for Analog’s Energy Metering Group and has been a lecturer for the math and physics department at the National University of El Salvador.

Jesse Lehman received the Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award to study immunology as part of his PhD candidate work. This work aims to understand the way cells can respond to stimuli and changing environments. He currently studies at the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Interdisciplinary Graduate Program at UMass Chan Medical School. “I’m looking at how cells change their gene expression programs so fast, and how this can fine-tune the timing of cellular immune responses,” he said. He has also performed research at Neon Therapeutics and Repertoire Immune Medicines.

Mihir Acharya, MS, is a senior product manager for NVIDIA, a leading global artificial intelligence computing company. He focuses on robot perception and mobility and previously worked on product and marketing management at MathWorks.

Anna Schab was promoted to project manager with Landry/French Construction, a commercial construction management company in northern New England. She has nearly a decade of industry experience, with a background in healthcare construction.

Renée Laliberte was interviewed by Medium.com, a website focused on human interest stories, to discuss her efforts to increase the participation of young girls in engineering and robotics through MilliporeSigma’s SPARK program. She is MilliporeSigma’s operations and LSPS project manager and is involved in the company’s organizational leadership development program. In her work with SPARK, she helps provide hands-on science experiences to students in the local community.

Emily Molstad, MS ’19, was featured in the podcast Gen Z in Manufacturing by Manufacturing.net for her work as co-founder and CEO of VALIS Insights, a startup that uses AI-powered software to manage the processing and use of scrap metal. She was also named in Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30 North America 2024.” Read more about her work in the Journal’s spring 2024 issue.

Nathan Rosenberg and his company, Farmblox, were featured in an article by Forbes that discussed automation and AI in agriculture. Farmblox first developed robots for indoor “vertical farms” and now focuses on customized sensors and controllers to monitor fields. Learn more about Nathan’s work in the winter 2025 issue of the Journal.

Jack Duffy-Protentis was featured in an article by The Engineer that discussed the electrification of various types of motors. He founded eSki soon after graduating from WPI, bringing the electric jet ski to market. The product emits no pollution yet can reach speeds of 65 mph. “For me, the main factor is cleaning up the environment,” he said. “As someone who grew up in New England, I can see that the seasons are changing drastically from when I was younger. I want to do my part in helping to correct the environmental damage that has been done before it’s too late.”

Megan DeSanty was featured in Worcester Magazine’s article about Worcester area students and grads who are active community volunteers. She has been a food pantry volunteer since she was 14 and actively involved in fighting food insecurity. During her time as a WPI undergraduate, she joined WPI’s branch of the Food Recovery Network, a national organization focused on fighting hunger and food waste. She continues volunteering at the Wachusett Food Pantry.