College of Engineering Celebrates 45th Engineering Alumni Society Awards
Dean Marcolongo and Ed Dougherty ’69 EE, ’86 MSCS, winner of the 2022 J. Stanley Morehouse Memorial Award.
The Villanova College of Engineering community recognized the achievements of 18 outstanding alumni, faculty and staff members Friday, April 8, during the 45th Engineering Alumni Society Awards.
Held in person at the Inn at Villanova, the awards ceremony was a return to form after COVID-19 restrictions led to a virtual event in 2021. More than 100 community members gathered to honor the awardees for their service, leadership, excellence, stewardship and technical advancements.
The ceremony opened with remarks from Drosdick Endowed Dean Michele Marcolongo, PhD, and Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, before continuing with awards honoring staff, faculty and Career Compass participants. Three individuals received the Staff Work Process Improvement Award: Abigail Henshaw, the College’s employment operations specialist; Leslie McNamee, assistant director of graduate programs operations; and Joyce Munyan, senior administrative coordinator.
The Award for Teaching Excellence was presented to Kevin Waters, PhD, ’07 CEE, an assistant teaching professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
New for 2022 were the Career Compass Mentor and Mentee Awards, which honor an outstanding student-and-alum pair who have demonstrated dedication and enthusiasm in the Career Compass Mentor Program. The inaugural mentor award recipient was Francis Homer ’03 CEE, a structural engineer and project manager for Whiting-Turner; Luigi Siligato ’20 ME, ’21 MSME, a satellite systems engineer at Boeing, received the first mentee award.
After remarks from George R. Kolb ’84 VSB, associate vice president for Alumni Relations, the alumni awards began with recognition for Meritorious Service and Professional Achievement. Receiving the Meritorious Service Award were Kevin P. White ’80 ChE; L. Gene Alessandrini ’86 EE; James McMonagle ’63 ME; and Bryan Enslein ’07 CEE. The Professional Achievement Award went to Nicole Richards ’92 ChE; Robert C. Grubic ’73 CEE; Maj. Gen. Adrian L. Spain ’94 EE; and Steven M. Pinkos ’89 ME.
The final awards to be presented were those created in honor of the College of Engineering’s past deans:
The Gary A. Gabriele Memorial Award was instituted in 2018 to recognize an alum who has promoted equity in the field of engineering. The recipient may have championed women or underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in engineering; supported STEM outreach activities to introduce socially, geographically and economically diverse students to the discipline; or encouraged, advanced and empowered these individuals in the workplace. The deserving alum must also have demonstrated a positive attitude toward promoting the name and programs of Villanova’s College of Engineering.
The 2022 recipient of the Gary A. Gabriele Award was Britney Davis ’15, the STEM workforce development manager for the Philadelphia Education Fund.
The John J. Gallen Memorial Award recognizes the technical achievements of an alum who graduated from the College less than 15 years ago.
The 2022 recipient was Katherine Duggan ’13 ChE, a manufacturing digital transformation leader at Dow Chemical.
The Carl T. Humphrey Memorial Award recognizes the professional achievements of an alum who earned a master’s degree from the College more than five years ago.
The 2022 recipient was Lisa Myers ’89 MSChE, president and owner of Bluestone Environmental Group Inc.
The J. Stanley Morehouse Memorial Award is presented for outstanding leadership at the highest level.
The 2022 recipient was Edmond J. Dougherty Jr. ’69 EE, ’86 MSCS, the College’s former director of Engineering Entrepreneurship.