Class Notes - Alumni News & Announcements

Frederick Ford, (BSME '58, MSIA '59, PhD '63, HDR '98), who served as Purdue's executive vice president and treasurer from 1975 to 1998, passed away on Sept. 3, 2021, in Lafayette. Ford managed all of the securities, properties, funds and trust funds belonging to the University and was responsible for all business and financial affairs including preparation and control of the budgets, administration of contracts and grants, purchasing, personnel functions, administrative data processing, transportation, airport and other service facilities, internal audit and investments.

Mary Ann Shacklett, (BS ACCT '80) has retired as senior vice president-finance and chief financial officer of the Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana. Over her 36-year career with CFNI, from lower to mid-management levels to the senior level, Shacklett served as a role model for other women in healthcare and finance.

Greg Hayes, (BSM '82), CEO of Raytheon Technologies Corp., received an honorary doctorate from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue's May 2021 commencement ceremonies. Raytheon Technologies was formed in April 2020 when United Technologies Corp.’s aerospace businesses, Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace Systems, merged with Raytheon Co. Before the merger, Hayes had a nearly 21-year career at United Technologies, most recently serving as CEO and chairman.

Jennifer E. Jones, (BSIM ’84), CEO and co-owner of Royal Title Services, was appointed to the Board of Directors at First Farmers Financial Corp. She also currently serves on the Ulen Town Council, several committees within the Indiana Land Title Association and is a 32-year charter member and past-president of the Rotary Club of Avon and is an active member of the John Purdue Club and Purdue’s Groben Society.

Valarie Sheppard, (BS ACCT ’86, MSIA ’86), who recently retired as treasurer, controller and executive vice president at Procter & Gamble following a more than 35-year career, was appointed to the board of directors at Ibotta, a leading cash back rewards platform.

John E. Timberlake, (MSM '99) was appointed president and CEO of Berkshire Biomedical, a privately-held digital health company developing a virtual care prescription drug delivery and management system. In addition, Timberlake will serve as a member of the company's advisory board. He previously served as CEO, president, and a member of the board of directors for Valeritas Holdings Inc. 

Weston McDonald, (MSIA '00), was named chief sales officer at Velocity. ‌In this role, McDonald will lead the company's sales, marketing, and channel teams, focusing on overall productivity and effectiveness while building new client relationships. He most recently served as vice president of sales for NTT DATA Services.

Ankur Mahajan, (BSM '06), has authored a book titled Life Beyond Bullets about his life in Afghanistan and West Africa. Mahajan currently serves as senior finance/program officer for the government of Canada. For more information on his book, visit www.lifebeyondbullets.com.

Kim Corbitt, (MBA '07), was named senior vice president of People & Culture for the Phoenix Suns. She will lead all human resources functions for the Suns, Phoenix Mercury, Phoenix Suns Arena and affiliated entities, and serve as a member of the organization’s senior executive team. She previously served as the chief human resources officer for the Hillman Group.

Jonathan Gandolf, (BSM '12) is the co-founder and CEO of The Juice, a content platform that allows sales and marketing professionals to find, share and save content from throughout the internet based on the users' personal preferences, job functions and seniority, among others. Gandolf previously served as an associate at Revenue Collective.

Christian Miller, (MBA '17), was promoted to principal at Poplar Ventures. He previously served the firm as senior associate.

Jeremiah Lockett, Jr., (MBA '18), is the founder and director of the Harriet Tubman School of Excellence, an independent, faith-based private middle school serving underprivileged scholars in Indianapolis that opened in August 2021. He was assisted by MBA classmates Anna MacDonald and Orin Reininga, who along with Lockett originated the idea for the school through a brand management project for MGMT 690.

Dan Halverstadt, (MBA '20) was named vice president of operations at Indiana American Water. He previously held multiple high-level positions in the United States Air Force and most recently as vice president of quality and training for USIC. His responsibilities in his new role will include leading operations at the company’s treatment, distribution, and field service operations facilities across the state.