Twenty-one accomplished Penn State engineering alumni will be recognized for their professional achievements during a combined award ceremony on April 24 at the new Engineering Collaborative Research and Education (ECoRE) Building, bringing graduates back to campus to visit the college's newest landmark. Credit: Warren Jagger Photography.
College of Engineering to honor 21 alumni with career achievement awards
Apr 24, 2025
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Engineering will recognize 21 alumni with the 2025 Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award and Early Career Award in a ceremony today (April 24) in the new Engineering Collaborative Research and Education (ECoRE) Building. The event marks the first time the two awards will be presented in a combined ceremony.
Established in 1966, the Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Engineering and recognizes graduates who have reached exceptional levels of professional achievement. The Early Career Award recognizes alumni who have made significant professional accomplishments within the first decade after graduation.
"The recipients of our Early Career and Outstanding Engineering Alumni Awards embody what makes the Penn State alumni network so powerful: innovation that solves real-world problems, leadership that inspires others and a commitment to excellence and to the University that spans entire careers,” said Tonya L. Peeples, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering. “Each illustrate what's possible to achieve with a Penn State engineering education in their own unique way. We are proud of their accomplishments.”
The 2025 Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award recipients are:
- Paul M. Condeelis (bachelor of science, class of 1996, mechanical engineering), group director of GM technical and quality at Walmart
- Jonathan U. Dougherty (bachelor of architectural engineering, class of 1999; doctorate, 2006; architectural engineering), vice president of strategic initiatives at Providence Engineering
- Donald R. Furmanski Jr. (bachelor of science, 1987, electrical engineering), vice president of sales and business development at AMETEK Inc.
- Francine M. Grant (bachelor of science, class of 1987, industrial engineering), retired head of product innovation strategy, global sponsorships at Visa
- George K. Jacob (master of science, class of 1983, biomedical engineering), group vice president of CRM applications at Oracle America
- Kirk T. Kern (bachelor of science, class of 1988, electrical engineering; master of science, 1991, computer engineering), director and field CTO at NetApp
- Cheryl L. Moon (bachelor of science, class of 1987, civil engineering), chief engineer at The Lindy Group
- Divakar Ramakrishnan (doctorate, class of 1997, chemical engineering), executive vice president, chief technology officer, and head of research and development at Convatec
- John W. Shaw (bachelor of science, class of 1989, engineering science), of counsel at Shaw Keller LLP
- Vithal Shirodkar (bachelor of science, class of 1997; master of science, 2000; in computer science and engineering), vice president/general manager at Google
- James Woodburn (bachelor of science, class of 1986, aerospace engineering), fellow and chief orbital scientist at Ansys Government Initiatives
The 2025 Early Career Award recipients are:
- Todd Harder (bachelor of science, class of 2012, mechanical engineering), drive system associate technical fellow at The Boeing Company
- Kathryn L. Kirsch (bachelor of science, class of 2011; master of science, 2013; doctorate, 2017, mechanical engineering), principal engineer at RTX Technology Research Center
- Corey Latanision (bachelor of science, class of 2010, biomedical engineering), vice president of marketing at Cagent Vascular Inc.
- Justin P. Long (bachelor of science, class of 2011, civil engineering), principal at SK&A Structural Engineers
- Rob Long (bachelor of science, class of 2008, civil engineering), city commissioner for the City of Delray Beach, Florida
- Conor Marr (bachelor of science, class of 2006; master of science, 2008; doctorate, 2012; Aerospace Engineering), previously with Parker Lord
- Adam Marsh (bachelor of science, class of 2007, industrial engineering), president of Ledge Inc.
- Pierre-Clément "PC" Simon (master of science, 2017; doctorate, 2021; nuclear engineering), computational scientist at Idaho National Laboratory
- Minchen "Tommy" Wei (master of science, class of 2011; doctorate, 2015; architectural engineering), professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Tom Yost (bachelor and master's of architectural engineering, class of 2008, architectural engineering), principal and project manager at Walter P Moore
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