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Brevard County • Melbourne, Florida – He is a pilot and consultant, business executive and physician, communicator and professor, meteorologist and financial advisor.
Their careers are diverse, but there is unity in their excellence, accomplishments and standing as proud Florida Tech Panthers. And now, another connection: These eight celebrities are all winners of the university’s top alumni awards.
The Jerome P. Cooper Distinguished Alumni Award, the President’s Service and Leadership Award, the GOLD Ad Astra Alumni Award and the Distinguished Alumni Awards from each of Florida Tech’s four colleges were presented at the university’s annual Alumni Awards Gala on March 25 in the Clemente Center. .
Check out the winners:
■ Jerome P. Cooper Distinguished Alumni Award
Recipient: Svafa Grönfeldt, Ph.D. ’95 M.S
Gronfelt is a tenured professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she is a founding member and faculty director of MITdesignX, an academic program dedicated to design innovation and entrepreneurship.
She is also a co-founder of the MET Fund, a Cambridge-based seed investment fund that provides pre-seed funding to qualified MITdesignX startups.
A member of Florida Tech’s Board of Trustees since 2017, Gronfelt earned a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, an MS in Technical and Professional Communication from Florida Tech, a 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts, and a BA in Political Science and Media from the University of Iceland. .
■ GOLD Ad Astra Alumni Award
Recipient: Angie Lassman ’12 BS, ’14 MS
Angie Lassman, an American Meteorological Society-certified broadcast meteorologist for NBC News’ climate division, is the recipient of the 2023 Graduate of the Decade (Gold) Award. Weather and weather will be covered on NBC News platforms, including Weekend Today, MSNBC and NBC News Now.
Prior to working at NBC News, Angie spent six years in Miami as part of the NBC 6 First Alert Weather team, where she created the NBC 6 Climate Watch series, covering environmental issues, natural disasters and tropical systems, both domestically and internationally. A native of Fraser, Michigan, Angie was recruited to play volleyball for Florida Tech and graduated in 2012 with a BS in Meteorology, later earning an MS in Meteorology.
■ President’s Award for Service and Leadership
Receiver: Happy Kurian.
Glad Kurian has served as a financial advisor and professional money manager to families and individuals for over 28 years. He came to Florida Tech after completing his education and training in mechanical engineering in India.
He changed courses and pursued an MBA, while also teaching as an adjunct professor for several years. He started at Morgan Stanley in the mid-1990s and then continued his academic career at the Wharton School of Business.
Kurian has served Florida Tech’s mission for nearly four decades as a vital link for the university throughout the community. Florida Tech’s ability to introduce leadership to individuals, civic leaders and organizations has made a difference.
Through his relationship, he played a role in the growth and transformation of Florida Tech’s Scott Autism Treatment Center.
■ College of Engineering and Science: Engineering Excellence Alumni Award
Recipient: Sujit Jain ’83 M.S
Sujit Jain is an experienced, globally networked executive. From 2018 until his retirement in 2022, he served as President of the Powertrain Solutions Division – Passenger Cars, Commercial & Off-Road, and Electric Vehicles at Robert Bosch LLC.
In the year In 2006, as president of Robert Bosch’s fuel systems division, he successfully restructured a loss-making, $800 million business to become consistently profitable, a $2.5 billion business in 2017. This past year, Jane was inducted into the Bosch Hall of Fame.
In the year He received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Visvevaraya National Institute of Technology in 1979, and was named a Distinguished Student in both 2021 and 2022. Jane received an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Florida Tech in 1983, credited to the late Thomas Bowman. Ph.D. and the Advanced Combustion Engines course, providing a foundation for a career in internal combustion engine technology.
■ College of Engineering and Science: Science Excellence Alumni Award
Recipient: Dr. David Weisinger ’82 B.S
David Weisinger, MD, FACP is the chair of the Department of Medicine at Valleywise Health and District Medical Group in Phoenix, Arizona.
In addition, Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs, Professor of Medicine, and Dr. James P. Lamond Endowed is a professor of medicine at Creighton University Medical School and the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix.
Dr. Weisinger He received a BS in Biology from Florida Tech in 1982 and an MD from the University of South Florida in 1986. Since 1986, he has worked in Phoenix treating indigent patients at what was formerly Maricopa Integrated Health System, recently renamed Valleywise Health.
He feels strongly that his experience at Florida Tech gave him a strong STEM foundation and, most importantly, helped propel him into his current role by making an impact on those who are often overlooked and need it most.
■ Aeronautics College Skurla Outstanding Alumni Award
Recipient: Jill Innes ’91 BS, ’93 MBA
Jill Innes is a captain at United Airlines, where she serves on the pilot recruitment team. She is a champion for diversity across United and in the aviation industry, and a champion for training aspiring pilots through Florida Tech, United Airlines and the Airline Pilots Association, with a focus on women and LGBTQ+ aviators. Innes has 30 years of experience as a commercial pilot, including more than 20 years with United.
She is a three-time graduate of Florida Tech, with both an Associate’s Degree and a BS in Aviation Management in Aviation and an MBA in Human Resource Management. She is also a former Florida Tech flight instructor. Innes is a member of the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics Advisory Board and has established scholarships for LGBTQ+ Florida Tech students studying aviation and aeronautics.
■ Nathan M. Bisk College of Business Outstanding Alumni Award
Recipient: Robert “Bob” Seemer ’85 MBA
Robert “Bob” Semmer is a management consultant and coach for organizations and individuals seeking performance excellence. Driven to excel in athletics, he was: a Cocoa High School All-American in basketball, captain of Georgia Tech’s Division I basketball team, and draftee of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
Semmer received his undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Florida Tech in 1985, which he noted has been a major milestone in his career. Earlier in his career, he held industrial engineering, management, and leadership positions at United Parcel Service, Boeing Commercial Airplane Company, and Florida Power & Light. In the year After leaving FPL in 1991, he and his wife, Maria, formed a competitive technology consulting and training firm.
After selling competing technologies, Semmers created e-learning solutions to take advantage of the world’s early transition to digital education.
■ College of Psychology and Liberal Arts Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Recipient: Carolyn Baney ’92 BS
Carolyn Bunny was born on December 13, 1935 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. She attended grammar school and high school in McKeesport — the same high school where Florida Tech’s second president, John Miller, graduated.
After high school, she trained as a phlebotomist/lab technician and then went to work at the Pittsburgh School of Medicine where she was involved in tuberculosis research. Caroline also enrolled at the university, where she met her husband, Richard, a medical student working in a nearby laboratory.
They got married a year later. After the birth of their first four children, she took ten years off from work to care for their children. During this time she traveled with her family while her husband served in the Navy.
When Benny’s family responsibilities lessened, she returned to work as a phlebotomist and volunteered to drive a blood truck for a local hospital. She enrolled at Florida Tech and graduated with a BS in Business Communication. Her additional positions include stints with a public relations firm and an auto dealership.
Carolyn was very active in community affairs, supporting and participating in fundraisers for Florida Tech, Holmes Hospital and other organizations.
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