Class Notes
Sounds of Success
Gary Kline (BSM '91) has had a lifelong love affair with radio.
The romance started during childhood in Queens, New York City, where he spent late nights listening to distant AM stations and pretended to be a DJ using his eight-track deck and cassette player.
Fast-forward to the present day and Kline is still in a committed relationship with radio as vice president of engineering and information technology at Cumulus Media, the second-largest radio broadcaster in the United States with some 360 stations.
Kline knows radio inside and out. He dabbled in ham radio, built kits and circuits in classes at the New York Hall of Science, attended summer engineering programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation at Ball State University and the University of Colorado. He also completed a six-month internship at NBC Radio while still in high school, which laid a path for future employment with NBC as well as the ABC Radio Network in New York.
When it came time for college, Kline intended to study electrical engineering at Purdue. But his father, a civil engineer, suggested another route. "My dad told me, 'You can be an engineer, but maybe you should be the guy who tells engineers what to do. You should have more of a business and management understanding.'"
A business education at Krannert — with on-air and technical jobs helping pay the way — gave Kline the broad foundation he brings to his job at Cumulus, overseeing people who have skill sets in more specific technical areas.
Kline's unique combination of engineering and management expertise has brought numerous accolades from his colleagues, including the 2009 Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award from the editors of Radio World. Recipients of the award represent the highest ideals of the U.S. radio broadcast engineering profession and reflect those ideals through contributions to the industry.
Kline has also found a way to combine his love of radio with Boilermaker pride. He has done the broadcast engineering for the Purdue Football Radio Network since 1997, handling technical production for its games. Every weekend in the fall, he travels from his home in Atlanta to West Lafayette, where he keeps an apartment. When the team is on the road, so is Kline.
"I'm proud to continue my association with Purdue by contributing to the network broadcast, which is heard by alumni throughout the country," he says. "People often ask how I find time for it when I log more than 125,000 miles in the air annually for my day job, but it's not hard to do something you love with people you think of as family. Being able to watch every game with a guaranteed good seat doesn't hurt either!"
–– Linda Thomas Terhune
Brees an MVP both on and off the field
Krannert salutes NFL quarterback and Purdue alumnus Drew Brees (BSIM '01), whose pinpoint passing and superior game management skills helped lead the New Orleans Saints to a 31-17 comeback victory over the favored Indianapolis Colts in February’s Super Bowl XLIV. His 32-of-39, 288-yard, two-touchdown performance tied a Super Bowl record for completions and earned Brees game MVP honors.
It’s only the latest in an impressive string of accolades for the Krannert graduate, who has been selected to the NFL Pro Bowl four times in his career. He also was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2004, the Offensive Player of the Year in 2008, and completed 363 of 514 of his passes during the 2009 season, setting a record for the highest completion percentage in NFL history.
At Purdue, Brees set numerous Big Ten passing marks and led the Boilermakers to their first Rose Bowl appearance in more than three decades. He also won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s outstanding player of 2000, was a two-time finalist for the Heisman Trophy, and as a senior received the inaugural Socrates Award, recognizing the nation’s finest athlete in terms of academics, athletics, and community service.
Brees’ commitment to serving others continues through the Brees Dream Foundation and its mission to provide education and create opportunities for disadvantaged children, especially those suffering from the debilitating effects of cancer.
Through a partnership with the Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU), the Brees Dream Foundation also supports the Purdue Athletes Life Success (PALS) program, which focuses on youth fitness, sports, financial literacy, stress management, and nutrition.
Brees is scheduled to return to Purdue’s West Lafayette campus this June for the 2010 PALS summer camp and fourth annual Brees Dream Foundation Golf Outing at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.
"Greater Lafayette is a generous community and I enjoy coming back each summer," says Brees. "I’m also grateful to have the opportunity to work with community-minded organizations like PEFCU and Purdue to benefit local children through my foundation."
For more information on participating in this year’s event, including online registration forms, visit www.purduegolf.com.
Alumni aid Haiti relief efforts
Since being profiled in the spring 2008 issue of Krannert Magazine, global business consultant Margaret Bishop (MSM '85) has lent her expertise to the Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF), a U.S. nonprofit that implements international development and job creation programs.
Serving as a deputy director of CHF International’s program in Haiti, which has an unemployment rate of some 70 percent, Bishop led development of the Haiti Apparel Center (HAC) in Port-au-Prince as a global model of excellence in training and technical assistance. Another Krannert alum, Claude Clodomir (BSM '05, ECON), worked closely with Bishop as CHF’s monitoring and evaluation manager in Haiti.
The catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti in January destroyed three of HAC’s more than 20 factories and took the lives of hundreds of workers. However, just one month after the disaster, the garment industry was estimated to be back at 75 to 80 percent of its pre-earthquake production level.
"Given the massive scale of destruction in and around Port-au-Prince, the speed of recovery is a real testimony to the resilience of the Haitian people and the commitment by the factory owners and workers to their industry," says Bishop.
Still, her work is far from done. "Another important challenge is making sure the market knows the factories are back in operation and able to take the new orders that will drive the economic recovery of the nation as a whole," she says.
Bishop encourages Krannert alumni who’d like to help the HAC to visit www.chfinternational.org and specify a pledge in support of the country’s garment sector. "Despite the tremendous donations already provided, there will continue to be a need for assistance in Haiti long after the quake has faded from people’s minds," she says.
PhD Alumni
1979
Cynthia Montgomery, PhD, MSM '76, is the Timken Professor of Business Administration and immediate past chair of the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School, where she's been on the faculty for 20 years. For the past five years, she also has led the strategy exercises and classes in the school's executive program.
1984
Robert Carraway, PhD, is the John L. Colley Jr. Associate Professor of Business Administration and associate dean for degree programs at the University of Virginia Darden School of Management.
1986
Varghese Jacob, PhD, is senior associate dean and the Ashbel Smith Professor of Information Systems and Operations Management at the University of Texas at Dallas School of Management.
1988
John Schaubroeck, PhD, is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Management at Michigan State University.
1989
Henri Servaes, PhD, MSM '86, is the Richard Brealey Professor of Corporate Governance and a professor of finance at the London Business School.
1991
Vijay Mookerjee, PhD, is the Charles and Nancy Davidson Distinguished Professor of Information Systems at the University of Texas at Dallas School of Management. Since 2007, he also has served as president of Informs Information Systems Society.
1995
Nicholas Petruzzi, PhD, is an associate professor of business administration and Gutman Teaching Excellence Fellow at the University of Illinois College of Business, where he also serves as academic director of MBA programs.
Master's Alumni
1968
Ronald P. Anjard Jr., MSM, of San Diego, CA, has received his 10th degree — a master of finance from Warnborough College.
1969
Jeff Poxon, MSM, BSIM '68, was elected vice chairman of the board for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis. Poxon is senior vice president of investments and chief investment officer at Lafayette Life Insurance Co.
1970
Collins Andrews, MSIA, a national authority on information technology management, has published his first book, Listen to Your Work: Job-Active Advice from a Battle-Scarred Mentor. The book is especially geared for those making the transition from school to workplace; more information is available at www.pbros.net.
1972
Karl Krapek, MSIA, HDR '98, was appointed by Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell as chairman of the Connecticut State University (CSU) System Board of Trustees. Krapek, former president and chief operating officer of United Technologies Corporation, was previously vice chair of the CSU Board.
1973
Mike Nevens, MSIA, was appointed to the board of directors of Altera Corp. He also serves on the board of Azingo, a Mobile Linux company.
1974
Max D. Kime Jr., MSM, of Indianapolis, IN, retired after 31 years at JPMorgan Chase Private Wealth Management and started a second career as senior investment advisor at Goelzer Investment Management. Kime and his wife, Mary, recently celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary.
1976
Jim Dehner, MSM, of Copley, OH, completed his first Ironman triathlon last year in Lake Placid, New York, at age 62.
Edward Bielski, MSM, has taken a job as finance director of Nangwik Services in Jacksonville, FL.
Charlotte Otto, MSM, recently retired from Procter & Gamble Co. following 33 years of service. Otto spent her entire career at P&G, joining the company in 1976 as a brand assistant. She was later promoted to vice president of public relations, and in 1996 became senior vice president of public affairs. She assumed her latest title as global external relations officer in 2000. The most recent of Otto's numerous professional honors came in 2009, when she was named Woman of the Year/Corporate Category in the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber's women's awards program.
1977
Venu Srinivasan, MSM, was recently honored by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak with the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit for his work in promoting business relations between India and South Korea. Srinivasan is managing director of Sundaram-Clayton Ltd. and chairman and managing director of TVS Motor Company Ltd.
1981
Russell Cox, MSIA, of Indianapolis, IN, was included in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
1984
Sam Szteinbaum, MSM, joined the board of directors of Asetek Inc., a leading supplier of liquid cooling systems for computers. Szteinbaum spent much of his 20-year career at Hewlett-Packard, where he served in a variety of leadership roles in the areas of business development, marketing, finance, and general management.
1993
Stephane Desprez, MSM, former competition director of the 2008 Rugby World Cup in France, is the new secretary general of FAI –– the World Air Sports Federation. He began his appointment in Lausanne, Switzerland, on February 1, 2010.
Ernie Humphrey, MSM, is senior director of membership and treasury programs at Proformative, an industry resource for corporate finance, accounting, and treasury professionals. He previously served as the director of treasury services and as a director of the Corporate Treasurers Council for the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP).
1996
Jennifer (Schneider) Rogers, MSM, BSM '91, is controller at Nemcomed Inc., a medical devices company in Fort Wayne, IN.
2004
Brice Barrett, MBA, was named one of "Forty Under 40" winners by the Portland Business Journal. Barrett is executive director of the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition, a trade association dedicated to improving the defense and security contracting climate in the Pacific Northwest. He also is involved in the Wounded Warrior Project, which attempts to help transitioning wounded vets treatment and employment.
Tracie B. Macejak Miller, MBA, and her husband, Gerald Miller Jr., welcomed the birth of son, Carter Marshall, on January 27, 2010.
2005 - 5th Anniversary Year
Sebastian Vieregg, MBA (GISMA), was chosen as one of Karriere business magazine's top 25 high-fliers for 2009. The distinction is considered the most important prize for young managers in Germany.
Bachelor's Alumni
1974
Vicky Bailey, BSIM, will serve as one of the 15 members of the Obama administration's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. Among other distinctions, Bailey has served in leadership positions at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy.
1975 - 35th Anniversary Year
Roger G. Maclean, BSIM, of Edwardsville, IL, married Alicia (Lewis) Maclean in Purdue's Horticulture Park on October 15, 2009.
James Hull, BSIM, was named vice president of egg products at Cal-Maine Foods in Clarion, MS. He previously served as president of American Egg Products and has also held senior management positions at Sara Lee Corp. and Vines Egg Co.
1976
Anthony Bridge, BSIM, was named vice president of engineering and technology at United States Steel Corporation, where he previously served as vice president of operations. Bridge is also president of the Association for Iron and Steel Technology.
Jose Ignacio Gonzalez, BSIM, is CEO and founding partner of Hemisphere Trade Services, a firm dedicated to providing infrastructure and trade development throughout the Americas.
1980 - 30th Anniversary Year
Keith C. O'Neil, BSIM, was named managing director of Pfizer's Financial Shared Services Centre in Dublin, Ireland.
John Johnston, BSM, was named director of blueberry business at Driscoll's, where he is responsible for managing blueberries during every stage of production and distribution. Johnston has more than 20 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, most recently at Chiquita Brands International.
1981
James Mitchell Jr., BSM, was named the 2009 Corporate Leadership Award winner by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Mitchell has worked at General Electric for nearly 20 years, most recently serving as a senior managing director in the Alternative Investments Group at GE Asset Management (GEAM).
1982
Andrew Berg, BSM, co-founder and chief executive officer of Homrich Berg in Atlanta, GA, was recently recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the Top 100 power brokers leading Atlanta's financial sector. Berg also has been named by Catalyst magazine as one of Atlanta's Top 50 Entrepreneurs, Worth magazine as one of the country's top financial advisors, and Barron's as a top independent advisor.
Linda Clement-Holmes, BSIM, senior vice president of global diversity at Procter & Gamble Co., recently joined Cincinnati Financial Corporation's board of directors. She will serve on the audit committee and be a candidate for reelection at the annual shareholders meeting.
1984
Shirley M. Edwards, BSIM, of Davidson, NC, was elected to the 2010–12 board of directors at the Project Management Institute.
Renee Selman, BSIM, was appointed president of Catalina Marketing Corp.'s health care division, Catalina Health Resource, where she is responsible for managing strategic direction, day-to-day operations, and overall unit performance. Selman previously served as the worldwide president of Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon Women's Health and Urology business.
1989
Tamara Schrader, BSIM, relocated to Houston, TX, to work as the logistics manager for Ingenia Polymers, a manufacturer of compounds and additive blends used by plastics industry.
1990 - 20th Anniversary Year
David A. Ricks, BSIM, of Indianapolis, IN, was promoted from general manager of Lilly China to president of Lilly USA LLC.
1992
Jeff Terlep, BSM, is the new director of sales with the Parts Division of AGCO Corporation North America. Terlep joins AGCO after a 17-year career at Ford Motor Co., most recently as regional general sales and marketing manager for the Chicago Region.
Timothy Smith, BSM, was named managing director and associate general counsel for CME Group, the world's largest and most diverse derivatives marketplace. Prior to joining CME, Smith served as a partner in the corporate department at Winston & Strawn LLP in Chicago.
1995 - 15th Anniversary Year
Linc Darner, BSM, has completed his fourth season as men's basketball head coach at Florida Southern College, where he led the Moccasins to consecutive Sunshine State Conference regular-season and tournament titles in 2008 and 2009. The team finished the 2010 season with a record of 25-4 and earned the third seed in the NCAA Division II South Regional.
Ronald L. Galle, BSM, was named vice president and treasurer of Indianapolis Motor Speedway LLC and treasurer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation.
Corbin "Cory" Haffner, BSM, president and owner of HXR Imaging, was named one of Indy's "Top Forty Under 40" by the Indianapolis Business Journal. The award honors business and professional leaders in central Indiana who have excelled in their fields before the age of 40. HXR Imaging has expanded to serve more than 30 states since Haffner assumed leadership.
1996
Cole F. Sandau, BSM, of Arvada, CO, is the founder and managing director of Optera Group LLC, a firm specializing in understanding the business value and use of technology to generate sustained economic value. His son, Jackson, is a future Boilermaker.
1997
Donald J. Blume, BSM, has accepted the position of vice president in commercial lending with JPMorgan Chase Bank in Lafayette, IN.
1998
Melissa S. (Bryan) Gesse, BSM, of Lebanon, IN, and her husband, Brad, welcomed the birth of their son, Owen Matthew, on November 3, 2009.
1999
Andrew Beaumont, BSM, of Oswego, IL, and his wife, Beth, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Anna Lorraine, on August 24, 2009.
Heather (Jarka) Shah, BSM, and Ratul Shah were married on April 4, 2009, in St. Pete Beach, FL.
2000 - 10th Anniversary Year
Eric W. Bredemeier, BSM, was named partner at Varnum LLP, a Michigan-based law firm.
Carol Halligan, BSM, and her husband, Timothy, welcomed twin boys, Ryan and David, on Feb 17, 2009.
Doreen M. Jimenez, BSM, of Cedar Lake, IN, graduated from the University of Notre Dame's Executive MBA Program. She is the manager of IT financial implementations for Junction Solutions Consulting.
2002
Christopher L. Beltran, BSM, was recently presented the Governor's Award for Tomorrow's Leaders by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. Beltran is the founder of Passageways, a West Lafayette-based software company.
2004
Nicholas (Nic) P. Glaser, BSM, and Lauren J. (Fine) Glaser were married on July 18, 2009, in Chicago, IL. He is a consultant at Accenture.
Justin M. Kniepman, BSM, of Saint Louis, MO, obtained the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) designation.
2005 - 5th Anniversary Year
Jason R. Blank, BSM, married Stefanie L. (Heywood) Blank, BSM, on August 8, 2009, in Chicago, IL.
2006
Ann E. Wilson, BSM, of Aurora, CO, has written five sports trivia books: Coltology, Bearology, Cubsology, Celticology, and Pistonology. They are available for purchase through Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon, Ebay, and www.triviagamebooks.com.
Brian Schaaf, BSIM, is owner of the Jimmy John's sandwich franchise in Deerfield Township, OH, where he has increased sales by 50 percent in two years. Schaaf plans to open a second store in West Chester, OH, this year and hopes to own four locations by 2011.
2007
John E. Cassin, BSM, married Anne C. (Bratkowski) Cassin on October 10, 2009, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Matthew A. Roberts, BSM, married Abigail R. (Conner) Roberts on June 13, 2009, at the Federated Church of West Lafayette.
2009
Charles Vendley, BSIM, of Midland, MI, celebrated graduation with his father, Edward Vendley (MSM '77), and his grandmother, Dorothy Vendley, a Purdue liberal arts alumna.
In Memoriam
Louis W. Schumm (MSM '53), La Porte, IN, May 29, 2009.
J. Howard Storm (MSIA '57), Dallas, TX, June 8, 2009.
Charles C. Rauschenbach (BSIM '61), Melbourne, FL, October 29, 2008.
Henry L. Stevens Jr. (MSIA '61), Portland, OR, April 2, 2009.
Maurice A. Rice Jr. (MSIA '62), Issaquah, WA, February 9, 2009.
Robert G. Hager (MSM '64), Carlisle, PA, August 28, 2009.
Erich K. Kopitzke (BSIM '64), North Vernon, IN, June 23, 2009.
O. Kent Meyer (BSIM '64), Crawfordsville, IN, March 13, 2009.
Thomas A. Pine (BSIM '64), Exeter, NH, July 22, 2009.
John B. Legler (MSM '65, PhD '67), Bogart, GA, February 1, 2010.
Gary S. Mamer (BSIM '66), Fort Wayne, IN, April 14, 2009.
William C. Lambdin (BSIM '68), Nashville, TN, June 19, 2009.
Paul F. Brown (BSIM '70), Austin, MN, August 9, 2009.
Thomas E. Holtz Sr. (BSIM '70), Fort Worth, TX, December 23, 2009.
Steven J. Hutton (BSIM '70), Terre Haute, IN, September 22, 2009.
Robert C. LeFevers (BSIM '76), Lafayette, IN, November 22, 2009.
Shirley (Arford) Phillips (BSIM '76), Odon, IN, November 29, 2009.
A. Uthum Herat (MSM '88, PhD '90), Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka, October 23, 2009.
Please let us and your fellow alumni know your latest news. E-mail your updates to aluminfo@purdue.edu or visit www.krannert.purdue.edu/alumni.
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