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Charles Emory Commins, TE 51, of Doraville, Ga., received the French Legion of Honor Award, France’s highest decoration, during a May ceremony at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Francois Delattre, the French ambassador to the United States, presented the award. Commins was part of the force that stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944 and went on to liberate France. He previously received the Bronze and Silver Stars, a Purple Heart with the Oak Leaf Cluster and the Combat Infantry Badge, among other awards.
Tom Chambers, IM 61, recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award at the John Marshall Law School’s 2011 commencement.
Jim Gibson, IM 68, is president of Adsil Corporation, which produces MicroGuard, a patented floor coating that is being tested on the floors of three facilities at Tech. Gibson played football for Bobby Dodd.
Ken Kirk, IM 64, has written a book, Messages in Handlebars, about the resistance network administered by the Auduc family of Le Mans, France, during World War II. The book is available in digital form from Amazon, downloadable to a Kindle or a PC. It will be released in physical form this fall.
James Arthur “Flip” Lyle, IM 67, was the 65-69 age group champion of the 2010 Southwest Challenge Series duathlon and triathlon championship. Lyle has been a SWCS champion 15 times. He also was inducted into the 2011 Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame as a triathlete. Lyle has competed in 98 duathlons and 291 triathlons to date. He lives in El Paso, Texas, with his wife, Zarina.
Robert H. McDonald, CE 68, recently retired as chief of planning for the Northern Virginia District of the Virginia Department of Transportation after 18 years. McDonald preceded that career with 21 years of service in the Army Corps of Engineers and four years working as an engineering consultant.
H. Grady Thrasher III, IM 64, was recently honored as the 2011 Georgia Author of the Year in the Children’s Picture Book category for Tim and Sally’s Year in Poems.
Steve Cover, Arch 78, M Arch 81, M CP 81, has been hired as the director of the Department of Planning and Economic Development for the City of Madison, Wis. Cover will contribute to the city’s long-range planning, economic development and transportation planning goals.
Joseph W. Evans, IM 71, was named as a new member of the Buckhead Coalition in Atlanta. Evans was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Management in 2006. Evans is chairman and chief executive officer of State Bank & Trust Co., a current member of the Alexander-Tharpe Board and former chair of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees.
Thomas Fanning, IM 79, MS IM 80, appeared on Mad Money with Jim Cramer to give advice on energy investments. Fanning, the CEO and president of the Southern Company, placed a foam Georgia Tech No. 1 hand on the set during the interview.
Donald Fletcher, Biol 73, received a 2011 UNC Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Award from East Carolina University, where he is a professor and vice chair in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the Brody School of Medicine.
Alex Gregory, TE 70, CEO of YKK Corporation of America, was elected chairman of the company’s board of directors in April. YKK Corporation of America is a subsidiary of YKK Corporation, a worldwide manufacturer of fasteners.
Jim Griffo, Arch 77, has been named senior vice president for the Birmingham, Ala., office of Gresham, Smith and Partners, a multidisciplinary design and consulting firm for the built environment. Griffo has more than 30 years of experience in design and development for the firm’s comprehensive design and planning services.
Wayne E. Kerr, Biol 73, was recently recognized by the Academy of General Dentistry as a recipient of its prestigious Life Long Learning & Service Recognition. Kerr and his wife, Willa D. Kerr, Biol 73, live in Conyers, Ga., and have three daughters, all graduates of Georgia Tech: Hailey Kerr, MSE 10; Shana Kerr, Biol 02; and Erin Lovelace, ME 06.
Steve Sherwood, Phys 73, has accepted a position with the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on the reindustrialization team. The project involves converting an original Manhattan Project site to an industrial park suitable for private use and development.
Stefan V. Stein, EE 77, was chosen among the “Florida Super Lawyers” by Super Lawyers magazine. Stein is an intellectual property litigation attorney for GrayRobinson in Tampa, Fla.
Rod Westmoreland, IM 74, a private wealth adviser for Merrill Lynch, was named the number one private wealth adviser in Georgia on the 2011 Barron’s “America’s Top 100 Financial Advisors” list. Westmoreland has appeared on the list five consecutive times. He is among a select cadre of specially trained advisers in the Private Banking and Investment Group.
James “Sandy” Winnefeld Jr., AE 78, has been appointed by President Obama as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Previously, Admiral Winnefeld headed the U.S. Northern Command.
Paul Linton Barber, Biol 84, received a Doctorate of Education from Walden University in April.
Eric Clementi, Arch 84, M Arch 87, has been promoted to principal and partner of Schneider Wright Inc., an architecture and interior design firm based in Alpharetta, Ga. Clementi previously had been vice president and recently celebrated 20 years of service with the firm. He also serves as a member of the City of Roswell Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee.
The Father’s Day Council of Atlanta selected two Georgia Tech alumni, Ralph Cleveland, ME 86, and Gary May, EE 85, as Fathers of the Year. Cleveland is the executive vice president of engineering and operations at AGL Resources and a member of the Alumni Association Board of Trustees. He is the past chairman and CEO of the North American Energy Standards Board and serves on the boards of the American Institute for Managing Diversity, American Association of Blacks in Energy and Junior Achievement. Cleveland also founded and serves as president of Capital and Enterprise Development Group, a nonprofit dedicated to socioeconomic development. Cleveland has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America, an Outstanding Georgia Citizen and one of the 50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology. May recently stepped in as dean of the Georgia Tech College of Engineering. He is the first African-American dean in the college’s history. Previously, he was chair of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The two were among those recognized at a June event in Atlanta. The event benefitted the American Diabetes Association. The Father of the Year awards recognize men’s commitment as fathers, business success and community leadership.
Roger Cunningham, IE 82, is CEO and head of global strategy at Idhasoft, Ltd., based in Mumbai, India and Atlanta. Recently, he helped with the redevelopment of the medicinal and pharmaceutical system for Saudi Arabia and developed a supply chain strategy for the People’s Republic of China, Vice Premier Wang Oishan and London Export. Cunningham presented the strategy at the fourth Sino-U.S. Economic Summit.
Duane Ferrell, Cls 88, was inducted into the Baltimore Catholic League Hall of Fame for his basketball accomplishments for the Yellow Jackets and in the NBA. In 1988 he led Tech in scoring and was signed by the Atlanta Hawks. He played in the NBA for 11 years. Ferrell is now the Hawks’ player relations manager.
On the football field, Dorsey Levens, Mgt 94, was known as a bruising runner and blocker for the Yellow Jackets and Green Bay Packers. Now that his NFL career has ended, the Pro Bowl player and Super Bowl champion has transitioned into a very different arena: theater. After the success of his first play, Torn, in 2010, Levens brought a second production to the stage in 2011. Levens partnered with A Higher Calling Theatre Company to bring the play Stripped to Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center in July. The play starred Levens as Jayden Dorsey, a professional football player who struggles under the glare of the spotlight. The cast was rounded out by fellow former athlete Ryan Stewart, radio personality Rashan Ali and Lisa Wu Hartwell, who appeared on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Wonya Lucas, IE 83, has been named president and CEO of TV One. Most recently, Lucas was executive vice president and chief operating officer for Discovery Channel and Science Channel, where she was responsible for strategy and operations for the networks as well as oversight of the networks’ research and marketing departments.
Patrise Perkins-Hooker, IM 80, was installed as the secretary of the State Bar of Georgia, making her the first African-American to serve as an officer in the organization’s history. She is vice president and general counsel for the Atlanta Beltline Inc. and a member of the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization and Georgia Tech Bar Association, two Alumni Association Affinity Groups.
Frederick Reece, IM 83, has been named director of the English Language Center at Koc University in Istanbul. The ELC provides English instruction to more than 600 students per year. Reece had been the university’s director of Academic Writing.
S. Lester Tate III, IM 82, recently completed his one-year term as president of the State Bar of Georgia. Tate will now return to working at his private trial practice in Cartersville, Ga.
Silvia Marina Viteri, EE 85, MS EE 86, is a proud mother to Alexis Brianna Viteri, born in 1995. Viteri has resided in Boca Raton and Pompano Beach, Fla., since 1987. She has worked for Motorola Inc. for 24 years as a senior staff RF Simulation engineer and was granted six patents from 1988 to 1999. Viteri received the Motorola Engineering Award of Excellence in 1988 and the Motorola Corporate Engineering Council Simulation and Modeling Symposium Best Paper Award in 1997.
David Zweighaft, IM 84, was featured on MSNBC’s Your Business, which showed him assisting a small business owner. Zweighaft is managing partner of DSZ Forensic Accounting and Consulting Services in New York City and has worked on many high-profile investigations, embezzling cases and purchase price disputes during his career. Zweighaft also works as an adjunct professor of forensic accounting at New York University.
Mark C. Anthony, Psy 90, was elected as president of the South Carolina Society Sons of the American Revolution at its annual meeting in April.
Kevin Burris, EE 99, and Jennifer Steele Burris, Mgt 99, had a baby girl, Emaleigh Beth Burris, on Feb. 22. The couple also has a 4-year-old son, Josh. They live in Mt. Airy, Ga. Kevin is a professor at Toccoa Falls College and Jennifer is a CPA with Darnell & Thompson.
Marc Curles, ME 90, has been granted Certified Financial Planner status by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. The certification is granted to professionals who have mastered a list of nearly 100 topics on integrated financial planning. Students are required to complete course training in order to sit for the 10-hour Board Certification Examination.
Joel Andrew Helms, EE 97, married Kelly Ann Grecian on June 4. They live in Columbia, S.C., where Joel serves as a campus chaplain with The Navigators at the University of South Carolina.
J. Stuart Lewis, Cls 95, one of the nation’s leading laboratory designers, has joined HOK in San Francisco as a vice president and senior laboratory planner. Lewis relocated from the firm’s Atlanta office, where he led the planning and delivery of a wide range of science and technology industry projects.
Kyle McCollum, Mgt 94, and his wife, Laura Smith McCollum, Mgt 93, of Marietta, Ga., welcomed daughter, Lily Kate, on Feb. 3. Lily joins her 6-year-old brother, Connor. Kyle works for Oracle, and Laura has left The Coca-Cola Company to be a stay-at-home mom.
Alfred “Alfie” Meek, Econ 91, has been named director of Community Innovation Services at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. Meek will lead the Institute’s initiatives in community economic development and oversee experts who advise government leaders on staying competitive in a changing global economy. Previously, Meek served in Gwinnett County as the county’s director of economic analysis.
Christopher Rawlins, Arch 95, was interviewed by the New York Times for his historical and archival research on the notable architect Horace Gifford. Rawlins runs a website, horacegifford.org, documenting and showcasing Gifford’s work. Rawlins is president of his own firm, Rawlins Design, in New York City.
Maribeth Lawson Schaefer, IE 99, and her husband, Jason Schaefer, announce the birth of their son, Jackson Emmett, on May 17. The family resides in Atlanta.
Michelle Wilkerson Thebert, IE 95, and her husband, Matthew Thebert, announce the birth of their son, Collin Thomas, on April 14. Collin joins an older sister, Charlotte, 5, at their home in Lawrenceville, Ga. Michelle is a principal utilities engineer at the Georgia Public Service Commission.
Elizabeth C. Arnett, Mgt 03, has joined the law firm of Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs as an associate in the firm’s commercial finance practice group. Arnett focuses her practice primarily on commercial lending and banking transactions.
Drew Conner, CmpE 07, welcomed a daughter, Avery Rosalyn, into the world on May 2. Conner works as a mobile app engineer in Duluth, Ga.
Todd Coons, Mgt 00, and his wife, Rebekah, celebrated the birth of their first child, Hudson Ryan, born Jan. 22. Coons, a 2010 MBA graduate from the University of Cape Town and London Business School, is head of business development for The Owens Group International. The family lives in northwest Atlanta.
Jessica Davis, Mgt 08, graduated with a Juris Doctorate from Cumberland School of Law and an MBA from the Brock School of Business at Samford University in May. Davis is the daughter of Bob Davis, IM 76, and Carol Davis, IM 76, and she resides in Atlanta.
Gregory Duperon, EE 07, MS ECE 09, was awarded the Texas Instruments Founders Community Service Award for his dedicated service to the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Texas Instruments Black Employee Initiative and the University of Texas at Dallas Contact Science Program.
Tim Hur, ISyE 05, has been named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Asian-Americans in Georgia for 2011.
Spencer Irvine, AE 04, MS AE 06, founder and CEO of AirVentions Inc., announced that AirVentions has been selected as a 2011 MassChallenge finalist. AirVentions now is participating in the 2011 accelerator program, which helps entrepreneurs build their businesses.
Sekou Langevine, Mgt 05, married Jasmine Adams on April 9 in Atlanta. Langevine is a project manager for General Electric. The couple now resides in Dunwoody, Ga.
Katrina Badgett Liddell, ChE 04, and Nathan Liddell, ME 03, welcomed identical twin girls, Elisabeth Anne and Madeline Rose, on Dec. 27. The family resides in Atlanta.
George Lountos, Chem 00, PhD Chem 05, recently received a Fellows Award for Research Excellence from the National Institutes of Health. Lountos resides in Frederick, Md.
Cassie Sue Mitchell, BME 09, competed in the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Pro Championships held in May in South Carolina. She was the Women’s H1 National Handcycling Champion. Her win was the first for a quadriplegic female on the time trials and criterium courses. Mitchell was awarded the coveted stars-and-stripes jersey. Mitchell has also participated in quad rugby at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.
Matt Moore, IE 05, has been named the South Carolina GOP executive director. Moore previously served as the group’s transition director. He currently is the president of the Georgia Tech Columbia/Midlands Alumni Network.
Kimberly Michelle Rathbun, Biol 02, graduated with PhD and Doctor of Medicine degrees from the Medical College of Georgia in May. She also received a master’s degree in public health in 2009 and will complete her emergency medicine residency at the Medical College of Georgia. Rathbun recently was engaged to Dr. Christian Poppeliers, who works as a professor at Augusta State University.
David A. Reed, ChE 02, and Sara Pheasant were married on May 29 in Savannah, Ga. The couple lives in Atlanta, where David is a patent attorney with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan.
Sophoria N. Renchie-Westmoreland, ME 03, in April advanced to candidacy at the University of Maryland, where she is working on her PhD in mechanical engineering. Upon advancing, she will receive her master’s of science in mechanical engineering, to be conferred in the fall.
C. Matthew Rozier, ISyE 03, has joined the law firm of Fish & Richardson as an associate with its intellectual property litigation group in Washington, D.C. Rozier previously was an associate at Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox, where he handled patent litigation and prosecution matters. He has also worked as a law clerk at the U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S Federal Trade Commission.
Sean Barner, a native of Stone Mountain, Ga., was awarded the highest non-combat medal for heroism in recognition of his courageous rescue of guests being held hostage by two armed gunmen at a party in College Park, Ga., in 2009. Ensign Barner received the Navy and Marine Corp Medal, a very rare honor, at a ceremony held June 14 on the Georgia Tech campus. Barner received his commission from Georgia Tech Naval ROTC this spring.
Jack R. Lohmann, vice provost for faculty and academic development and a professor of industrial and systems engineering at the Institute, received the 2011 Global Award for Excellence in Engineering Education from the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies. He is editor of the Journal of Engineering Education.
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