Alumni Awards of Distinction
Do you know a fellow SJSU Engineering alumnus or alumna who has achieved superior professional accomplishments and/or has demonstrated outstanding citizenship through significant community or professional service? Nominate them for the annual Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award. You can also nominate yourself. Deadline to nominate an alumnus or alumna is Monday, December 1st.
Past winners include: Omid Kordestani (Senior VP at Google), Mark Pasquale (Engineering VP at Lockheed Martin Space), Dave Sykes (City Manager for San Jose), Gonzalo Eduardo Mendoza (Textron Aviation).
Past Award Winners
- 2020s
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2024: Timothy Li, Co-Founder at MaxDecisions
2023: Gonzalo Eduardo Mendoza, Director of Engineering at Textron Aviation; Aerospace Engineering, 1998
2022: Huy Tran, Director of Aeronautics, NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)
2021: Jim Puzar, Senior Operations Development Manager, Jabil; Industrial Technology, 1985
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- 2010s
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2019: Dave Sykes, City Manager, City of San Jose; Civil Engineering, 1991, 1995
2018: Mark A. Pasquale, Vice President, Engineering & Technology, LM Space; Mechanical Engineering, 1984
2017: Roger Thornton, Founder, Fortify Software; Engineering, 1987, 1994
2016: Roy Kusumoto, Founder, Solectron and Trillium Industries; Mechanical Engineering, 1966
2015: Donald G. Newnan, Professor Emeritus, Industrial & Systems Engineering, SJSU; Civil Engineering, BS, 1951
2014: Daniel L. Cheadle, Sr., Founder, Sr. Director, Cougar Components Corp., Telegyne Microwave Solutions; Electrical Engineering, BS, 1967
2013: Steven Nasiri, Founder, CEO, Chairman, Invensense; Mechanical Engineering, MS, 1981
2013: Robert A. Bigler, Co-Founder, CEO, Animatics Corp.; Mechanical Engineering, BS, 1987
2013: Pandit Bigler, Co-Founder, VP of Operations, Animatics Corp.; Mechanical Engineering BS, MS, 1984, 1987
2012: Chia-Juch Chang, Chairman, China Airlines; Civil Engineering MS, 1976
2012: Amarjit Gill, Co-Founder and CEO, Maginatics, Inc.; Electrical Engineering BS, 1983
2011: Mark Van Tine, President and CEO, Jeppesen; Aeronautics, BS, 1980
2011: Sandeep Vij, President and CEO, MIPS Technology, Inc.; Electrical Engineering, BS, 1987
2010: Muhammad Raghib Hussain, CTO and Corporate Vice President, Cavium Networks; Computer Engineering, MS, 1997
2010: Joseph Parisi, Founder and President, Therma Corporation; Mechanical Engineering, 1965
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- 2000s
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2009: John W. Davis, President, TMFC; Industrial Technology BS, 1970
2009: Jayan Ramankutty, Entrepreneur & Founding CEO, YuMe Networks; Computer Engineering MS, 1991
2008: L. Carl Harris, Founder & Chairman of the Board, Harris & Associates; Civil Engineering BS (Civil Engineering MS), 1963 (1967)
2008: Julie A. Sattler, Vice President, Engineering, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company; Aeronautical Engineering BS, 1983
2007: Lee Chen, Founder and CEO, A10 Networks, Inc.; Electrical Engineering MS, 1982
2007: Joseph E. Louis, President, Louis Engineering Corporation and M.J.M. Land Development Co. Inc.; Civil Engineering BS, 1969
2006: Carolyn Guidry, President, Mark and Carolyn Guidry Foundation; Computer Engineering MS, 1979
2006: Peter McGrath, Former Sector Vice President, Science Applications International Corp.; Mechanical Engineering BS, 1965
2005: Omid Kordestani, Sr. Vice President Worldwide Sales & Field Operations, Google, Inc.; Electrical Engineering BS, 1984
2005: Gust Perlegos, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, Atmel Corporation; Electrical Engineering BS, 1969
2004: Anthony J. Banta, Vice President Worldwide Operations, Cisco Systems; Aeronautics BS, 1970
2004: Mahmoud "Max" Gahrahmat, Partner, Geomax; Civil Engineering BS (Civil Engineering MS), 1969 (1976)
2002: Nancy Wheeler-Nelson, Vice President, Engineering Communication Products, Trimble Navigation Ltd.; Electrical Engineering BS, 1979
2002: Bernard S. Siegal, President, Thermal Engineering Associates, Inc.; Electrical Engineering MS, 1966
2001: Joseph D. Countryman, President, MBK Engineers; Civil Engineering BS, 1966
2000: Thomas M. Blalock, President, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board; Civil Engineering BS, 1954
2000: Francis F. Huang, Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering, SJSU; Production Engineering BS, 1951
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- 1990s
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1999: Mel Blevins, Watermaster at Upper Los Angeles River Area Watermaster; Civil Engineering BS, 1957
1999: Brad Mattson, Chairman & CEO at Mattson Technology, Inc.; Aeronautics BS, 1976
1999: Gary L. Yancey, President, CEO & Chairman of the Board at Applied Signal Technology; Electrical Engineering MS, 1970
1998: Wayne K. Tanda, Director, Streets and Traffic at City of San Jose; Civil Engineering BS (Civil Engineering MS), 1971 (1973)
1997: George Perlegos, Founder, President & CEO at Atmel Corp.; Electrical Engineering, 1972
1996: Helmut Krawinkler, Professor at Stanford University; Civil Engineering, 1967
1996: Maurice D. Roos, Chief Hydrologist at Dept. of Water Recources, State of CA; Civil Engineering, 1957
1996: L. Thomas Tobin, Consultant at Tobin & Associates; Civil Engineering, 1972
1996: Alden V. Munson, Vice President at Intelligence Market Area-TRW Systems Integration Group; Mechanical Engineering, 1965
1995: Thomas W. Collins, Director of Engineering Operations, Systems Development Division at Tandem Computers Inc.; Electrical Engineering, 1961
1995: Peter Kaldveer, President at Harza Engineering Company of California; Civil Engineering, 1963
1995: John J. Silveira, Deputy Director at Dept. of Water Resources, State of CA; Civil Engineering, 1959
1994: Koichi Nishimura, President & Chief Executive Officer at Solectron Corp.; Electrical Engineering, 1963
1994: E. P. "Gene" Reilly, Vice President and Chief Engineer at Southern Pacific Lines; Civil Engineering, 1971
1993: Douglas Carnaham, Vice President & General Manager at Hewlett-Packard Company; Electrical Engineering, 1965
1993: Theodore C. Fairfield, President at Fairco Properties, Inc.; Civil Engineering, 1959
1993: Anthony N. Lapine, Chief Executive Officer at Lapine Technology Corp.; Electrical Engineering, 1965
1992: E. Gene Bruner, Manager Facilities & Planning at Georgia Pacific Corp.; Mechanical Engineering, 1959
1992: Randall M. German, Brush Chair in Materials at Pennsylvania State University; Materials Science, 1968
1992: Roger W. Werne, Director of Engineering at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Civil Engineering, 1967
1991: Finis F. Conner, Chairman & CEO at Connor Peripherals; Industrial Management, 1969
1991: Charles W. Davidson, President at C.W. Davidson Company; Civil Engineering, 1956
1991: James W. McCoy, Vice President at MacKay & Somps, Inc.; Civil Engineering, 1964
1990: Jane G. Evans, Grants Specialist at Hewlett-Packard Company; Electrical Engineering, 1965
1990: Arthur L. Money, President at ESL/TRW; Mechanical Engineering, 1965
1990: Dale W. Pilgeram, Vice President of Development at IBM-General Products Division; Electrical Engineering, 1967
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- 1980s
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James W. Adkisson, President, Insite Peripherals, 1989, Electrical Engineering, 1969
David A. Brown, President and Member of the Board, Quantum Corp., 1989, Mechanical Engineering, 1968
Paul F. Fratessa, President, Paul F. Fratessa Associates, 1988, Civil Engineering, 1960
Daniel H. Lowry, President, Grade-Way Construction, 1988, Civil Engineering, 1956
Riyad S. AbuZayyad, President, Rolm Corp - IBM, 1987, Mechanical Engineering, 1961
Phillip E. Allen, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1987, Electrical Engineering, 1962
Joseph D. Andrade, Jr., Dean of Engineering, University of Utah, 1987, Materials Engineering, 1965
F.G. Butterfield, Executive Vice President, CBI Industries, Inc., 1986, Civil Engineering, 1952
Robert J. Frankenberg, General Manager, Hewlett-Packard Company, 1986, Computer Engineering, 1974
Robert Kochis, President, Condor Systems, 1985, Electrical Engineering, 1963
A. Phillip Bray, President & CEO, Renewable Resource Systems, 1984, Mechanical Engineering, 1951
Alvin R. Zeman, President, Zeman-Rittenhouse & Associates, 1984, Civil Engineering, 1964
James O. Leckie, Professor, Stanford University, 1983, Civil Engineering, 1964
Howard E. Wolnowsky, Division Manager, Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, 1983, Electrical Engineering, 1962
Richard F. Byers, Vice President, Guy F. Atkinson Construction, 1982, Civil Engineering, 1951
Luis F. Diaz, President, Cal Recovery Systems, 1982, Mechanical Engineering, 1972
Raymond A. Smelek, General Manager, Hewlett-Packard Company, 1982, Electrical Engineering, 1959
Robert MacLellan, Vice President, FMC Corp., 1981, General Engineering, 1949
Onslow H. "Rudy" Rudolph, Jr., Chairman of the Board and Founder, Rudolph & Sletten, Inc., 1981, Civil Engineering, 1950
Donald R. Beall, President & CEO, Rockwell International, 1980, Metallurgical Engineering, 1960
Norman O. Gunderson, Dean Emeritus, SJSU, 1980, ,
William D. Nix, Professor, Stanford University, 1980, Materials Engineering, 1959
Charles Swall, President, IBM - Systems Technology Division, 1980, Industrial Engineering, 1965
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