College recognizes 12 exceptional alumni

An entrepreneur building the future of autonomous logistics, a civil engineer who helps protect drinking water for millions and a leader who oversees Ford’s best-selling F-Series truck franchise are among the 12 alumni honored during the 2024 College of Engineering Alumni Awards on October 25.

The celebration recognizes alumni from across the College of Engineering who have achieved distinction in their fields or through their extraordinary service contributions since graduating from The Ohio State University.

“I’m continually inspired by our alumni award winners’ stories and how they’ve leveraged their Buckeye experience to build success while making outstanding contributions in their disciplines,” Dean Ayanna Howard, the Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean’s Chair, shared with distinguished alumni and their guests.

Three distinguished alumni from the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering were among the evening's honorees.

Daniel G. Linzell (BS ’90, civil engineering) received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence. Prof. Linzell is the associate dean for graduate and international programs and the Leslie D. Martin Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is on loan to the National Science Foundation where he directs their Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation, whose annual research budget is over $220 million.

Deborah H. Lee (BS ’84, MS ’86, civil engineering) was recognized with the college's Distinguished Alumni Award for Career Achievement. Ms. Lee has spent her 39-year career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), driving innovative federal water resources management and research, preserving vital infrastructure, preventing billions in flood damages, protecting drinking water for millions, and restoring, connecting and conserving lands and waters.

During their visits to campus, Lee and Linzell shared stories of their respective, professional journeys during seminars attended by CEGE students, faculty and staff. Ms. Lee recounted her experiences implementing projects such as a joint plan between the United States and Canada to regulate Lake Ontario and recommended opportunities for students to obtain technical and leadership skills at various points in their future careers in engineering.

Prof. Linzell discussed how "stepping forward" to engage new experiences broadened his horizons, both personally and professionally. He emphasized the importance of fostering collaboration and creating meaningful impact for the public who benefits from civil engineering research and practice.

Phuthuma Freedom Nhleko (BS ’83, civil engineering) was also honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Career Achievement. Mr. Nhleko is chairman and co-founder of Phembani Group, an industrial holding company with a focus on investing and operating businesses and interests in Africa’s oil, gas, minerals, mineral resources, metals and infrastructure sectors.

On Thursday, October 24, Mr. Nhleko presented "Leadership in the 21st Century and Digital World: The African Question" to the Ohio State community, as part of the 2024 Dave and Margie Williams Distinguished Lecture Series.

Nine other graduates from the College of Engineering were honored at the alumni celebration.

Two alumni received the college’s Texnikoi Outstanding Alumni Award, which recognizes younger alumni for achievements since graduation that exemplify qualities such as leadership, integrity and community participation.

Simon Kalouche (BS ’14, mechanical engineering) is the founder and CEO of Nimble, a robotics and artificial intelligence company building the future of autonomous logistics. Nimble is the first company in the world to automate 100% of an e-commerce retailer’s picking labor. Kalouche’s patented warehouse design enables order fulfillment that is faster and cheaper than Amazon’s Kiva technology.

Shreyas Rao (MS ’10, PhD ’12, chemical engineering) is a tenured associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at The University of Alabama. His interdisciplinary research program focuses on utilizing engineering tools to unravel the mechanisms associated with the role of the microenvironment in cancer progression, therapeutic response, and resistance in primary and secondary brain cancers.

Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence

Melba Crawford (PhD ’81, industrial and systems engineering) is the Nancy Uridil and Francis Bossu Professor at Purdue University, where she is a professor of civil and construction engineering and agronomy. Her research has focused on developing algorithms to analyze remotely sensed data from satellites, crewed aircraft and UAVs for a wide range of applications, including agriculture, forestry and environmental science.

Distinguished Alumni Award for Career Achievement

Jackie DiMarco (BS ’95, MS ’96, mechanical engineering) has 27 years of experience at Ford Motor Company where she oversees its best-selling F-Series truck franchise. As the vehicle programs director, she leads strategy, planning and product development for the F-Series and commercial trucks vehicle lines.

Shar Dubey (MS ’96, master’s in materials science and engineering) is an operating partner with global private equity investor Advent International. Previously, she served as CEO of Match Group, overseeing a portfolio of global brands like Tinder, Match and Hinge, and helped grow Match Group’s value by over 350%.

Rajeev Rajan (MS ’93, computer science) is the CTO at Atlassian, a leading collaboration software provider, where he is responsible for all of Atlassian’s engineering, IT, trust and security, and engineering operations teams.

Paul W. Springer (MS ’71, PhD ’73, chemical engineering) has over 50 years of experience in the finishing and coating industry, and is president and founder of Springco Metal Coating in Cleveland, Ohio. Steven Turckes (BS ’84, MS ’89, architecture) spent his over 30-year career principally with the Chicago studio of Perkins&Will, where he has helped design pre-K through 12th grade educational facilities across the Midwest, nation and world, totaling over $3 billion in value.

Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Jay Qin (MS ’91, biomedical engineering) is a distinguished inventor and serial entrepreneur who has made a significant impact in the medical device industry. Qin is currently chairman and CEO of Forerunner Medical, a company specializing in minimally invasive technologies, with applications in sports medicine, orthopedics and interventional oncology. 

-Based on a story published by College of Engineering Communications.