Presidential Search Committee

Susan M. Puglia is a retired Vice President of IBM, a leader in information technology and consulting services. With 35 years of experience in the IT industry, Susan held executive management positions in engineering, systems and software development, portfolio management, corporate quality, technical sales and business transformation. Her strengths include managing large global organizations, and collaborating with and influencing change in complex business processes.

Throughout her career and beyond, Susan has been committed to developing and enabling technical and business talent. She served on IBM CEO’s Senior Leadership Team and the Technical Leadership Team, and established and ran several IBM global programs aimed to attract, develop and advance women in technical career paths. She was also instrumental in bringing RIT and IBM for various partnerships, most recently advocating and supporting the partnership between RIT and IBM on the new RIT Cybersecurity Lab.

Currently Susan is the vice chair and chair-elect for the RIT board of trustees. She is a graduate of New York University where she received a B.A. in Computer Science and Math and an MBA in International Business and Finance. Susan is a member of the NYSCI (New York Hall of Science) President’s Council, and mentors in the Campus Bound Scholars program for first generation college students, and in the Women Unlimited LEAD program for professional women. She resides in Yorktown Heights, NY.

Alesia Allen, Ph.D., is Assistant Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In this role, she monitors diversity, inclusion, equal opportunity and access regulations and issues in higher education and advises the president and other NTID administrators on matters related to diversity and inclusion. She also ensures accessibility and inclusive collaboration while bridging gaps between NTID and university-wide initiatives at RIT. Dr. Allen has more than 15 years of professional, clinical, and teaching experience and she worked on several initiatives to promote system changes that impact deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who come from diverse backgrounds. Her career consisted of several roles that include providing therapy and assessments to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, clinical consultations, teaching, and advocating for better mental health services for this population. She most recently served as a visiting assistant professor in NTID’s Department of Liberal Studies where she taught a variety of courses in psychology as well as engaging in scholarship, mentoring students, and serving on several committees. Dr. Allen holds a doctoral and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Gallaudet University and a bachelor’s in psychology from RIT.

Jeffrey W. Benck serves as president and CEO of Benchmark Electronics, a publicly traded worldwide provider of product design services, engineering services, and advanced manufacturing services to customers in the aerospace and defense, medical technologies, complex industrials, semiconductor capital equipment, and advanced computing and communications industries. He joined the company as CEO in March 2019 and serves on its board of directors. Jeff also sits on the board of UNS Energy Corporation a division of Fortis Inc.

Before joining Benchmark, Jeff was president and CEO of Lantronix, a global provider of secure data access and management solutions for Internet of Things and information technology assets, from 2015 to 2019. Prior to that, he spent seven years with global networking, monitoring, and management solutions supplier Emulex Corporation, where he started as executive vice president and chief operating officer, and later became president and CEO. Earlier in his career, Jeff was president and COO of QLogic and held multiple executive leadership roles at IBM.

In addition to his corporate roles, Jeff previously served on the board of directors of Discovery Cube Orange County (a science museum) and on the dean’s advisory board of the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. He received a master’s degree in management of technology from the University of Miami and holds six US patents in the field of computer systems.

A 1988 graduate of the Kate Gleason College of Engineering (KGCOE), Jeff has maintained strong ties to RIT since earning his degree. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2023 and before that served on the President’s Roundtable from 2020 until joining the board and was a longtime member of the KGCOE Dean’s Advisory Council before transitioning to the college’s National Council. He has also engaged with students as a KGCOE Dean’s Alumni Speaker Series speaker and as a Tiger Tank judge, among other activities. Additionally, Jeff - a Sentinel Society member - is a strong supporter of RIT philanthropically, most recently supporting athletics with a major gift this year to name the new Clark Gymnasium floor and previously providing a major gift to name a lab/makerspace in the SHED in late 2020. He was named KGCOE’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient in 2013.

Bill possesses a bachelor's degree in Health Education from SUNY Cortland and a master's degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion earned through the SUNY Empire State College. He has worked in corporate, commercial and medical rehabilitative settings as a health promoter and fitness specialist. He is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Clinical Exercise Specialist.

As Director of Exercise Science at RIT Bill developed the Exercise Science Program to enhance the utilization of exercise as a therapeutic modality within our healthcare system as well as focus on the science of athletic conditioning. Areas of physiology that are of particular interest to Bill include cardiorespiratory adaptations, thermoregulation during physical activity and the most compelling of all, the role of adherence to regular exercise in the preservation of functional capacity.

The mission of his educational endeavors is to seek the synergistic point of convergence where activity, good nutrition, stress management, and values clarification create a wellness lifestyle that provides an optimal life experience.

Dr. Buch is Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Provost for Student Success at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York.  Prior to his employment at RIT, Dr. Buch worked at Michigan State University (1996-2023). Dr. Buch is a Professor of Pavement Engineering. He holds a M.S. degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and a Ph.D. degree from Texas A&M University in College Station.

Prior to joining RIT, Dr. Buch served (2015-2019) as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Engineering, prior to that he served as the Chairperson (2011-2015, 2019-2022) of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Dr. Buch has managed large interdisciplinary research teams composed of faculty from various institutions, consulting outfits, research associates, undergraduate and graduate students and technicians.  He has worked on numerous projects funded by state highway agencies (MDOT, CDOT, South Dakota DOT), the FHWA, SHRP II, NSF and the NCHRP. Dr. Buch has performed research on characterization of Portland cement concrete mixtures and their impact on pavement design and performance, pavement response and performance modeling, and pavement preservation.

Dr. Buch is an award winning instructor. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in concrete materials and pavement engineering.  He has taught short courses on pavement design and rehabilitation and pavement materials for practicing engineers in Michigan.

Dr. Buch been a past member of TRB committees AFN20 (Properties of Concrete), AFD50 (Rigid Pavements) and AFD70 (Pavement Rehabilitation), and the AASHTO TIG on Precast Concrete Pavements. He is also a member of the ASCE/T&DI highway pavements committee, ASCE LTPP Task Committee and the chairperson (past) of ACI committee 325 on rigid pavements.  Dr. Buch has served on the board of the International Society Concrete Pavements (ISCP) and as past president of ISCP, he is now an honorary member of ISCP.  Dr. Buch is a fellow of the American Concrete Institute.

Jonathan Budington is the president and CEO of More Vang, a marketing and advertising agency that provides strategy, web development, printing services, technology solutions, software products, and data processing tools. More Vang began as Global Printing, a traditional printing company founded by RIT alum Gerhard Dreo. Jon joined Global Printing in 1991, following his graduation from RIT. His succession as CEO of the company began in 2002, and he assumed this role in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy and subsequent recession, helping to grow the company despite a difficult economic climate. He credits the growth to the company’s adaptation to an increasingly digital world and the adoption of comprehensive, service-based business models that moved beyond print. Jon ultimately reinvented the company as Global Thinking, purchased Global Thinking in 2013, and consolidated the company under the name More Vang in 2018. Today, More Vang encompasses sister brands Mythos, which offers donor reporting tools and impact story/donor stewardship platforms; and Banjo, which specializes in print asset management and automation. In recognition of his ability to embrace change and his guidance of Global Printing/Global Thinking/More Vang through the printing industry’s paradigm shift, Jon was inducted into the Printing Industry Hall of Fame in 2014.

Jon received his BS in graphic communications from RIT in 1991 and continues to support the university by hiring co-op students in IT and graphic communications. He has served on the President’s Roundtable since 2013, and the College of Engineering Technology’s National Council since its inception in 2022. Prior to the National Council, he served on the College of Engineering Technology Dean’s Advisory Council.

Jon currently serves on the board of directors of LIFT, a not-for-profit organization that combats poverty through service centers for low-income individuals and families in Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. He has also supported Ashoka’s Economic Architecture Project, which designs new financial structures and market architectures to create a more equitable society. Jon is also a member of RIT’s Sentinel Society.

Mr. Dale J. Davis is the Chief IP Counsel and Deputy General Counsel at Cummins.  He is a member of the Cummins Legal Leadership Team and the Cummins Technical Leadership Team.  Dale leads and manages a global team of lawyers that provide strategy and legal advice for a wide range of IP, Commercial, and Branding matters including the following. Litigation, cross-border transactions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, development and licensing, R&D, technology transfer, and mergers and acquisitions.  His team also evaluates patents and potential product infringement issues; and directs outside counsel’s preparation of patent applications for filing.

Previously, Dale served as Executive Counsel for Intellectual Property at General Electric, concluding 21 years of service. During his tenure, he was a lead strategist and lawyer on numerous worldwide IP and M&A deals, including ten valued at over $1 billion each and twenty-five valued at over $100 million each.

Kathleen Davis began her duties as vice president for Enrollment Management on September 1, 2023.

Prior to joining RIT, Davis served as vice president for enrollment and retention management at Saint Louis University, a private Jesuit research university, since 2018.

Prior to St. Louis, Davis led the enrollment management division at Canisius College in Buffalo. Davis has also held several positions at St. Joseph’s College of Main, St. John’s University, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, and Clarkson University.

Davis earned an MBA from Clarkson University and a BS in business administration from Russell Sage College.

Sophia Sosa Fiscella attained her BS/MS in Astronomy at the National University of La Plata, Argentina. She is working towards her Ph.D. in Astrophysical Sciences and Technology at the School of Physics and Astronomy at the College of Science. As a member of the North American Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), her research focuses on pulsar radioastronomy and gravitational wave detection.

Sophia has a keen interest in teaching in higher education. As a student of the College of Science, she has been a TA for several courses and is constantly looking for ways to improve the way courses are taught at RIT. Moreover, as part of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, she is an advocate for equity and accessibility. In particular, she is seeking to improve the way physics, math, and astronomy are taught using American Signal Language.

As a student worker at the English Language Center (ELC) and International Student Services (ISS), Sophia tries to advocate for diversity and inclusion. After several years working as a Peer Advisor Leader, she is aware of the challenges faced by both undergraduate and graduate students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. In that sense, she believes that catering to the needs of such groups is fundamental for the future of RIT.

Sophia is also part of several performing arts organizations on campus, including Vis Viva, NOVA, and the Dancesport Club. As such, she is a proponent of supporting the performance arts programs and the growing community of artists at RIT.

Lauren Hall is Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She is the author of The Medicalization of Birth and Death (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019), Family and the Politics of Moderation (Baylor University Press, 2014) and more than twenty scholarly articles on topics in political theory and policy. Her current research is on the moral and political implications of regulations with a focus on healthcare, the importance of political and social moderation, and issues relating to gender and the family.

Jeffrey K. Harris is an expert in US national security space and ground systems for both government and industry where he has fostered new technologies, programs and capabilities that have contributed significantly to global capabilities. 

He is retired from Lockheed Martin, where he was a corporate officer, served as President of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space and President of Lockheed Martin Special Programs.  Also, he served as President of Space Imaging, the first company to commercially provide high-resolution satellite imagery and information.

Before entering the private sector, Mr. Harris served in senior national leadership positions, including Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space; Director, National Reconnaissance Office, and Associate Executive Director of the Intelligence Community.  In these capacities, he provided direct support to both the Secretary of Defense and the Director of Central Intelligence.

He currently serves as Chair of the Rochester Institute of Technology and is an alumnus.  He has a Bachelor of science in Photographic Science and Instrumentation.

Dr. Malar Hirudayaraj, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management, Saunders College of Business, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY. She is also the Director of ADVANCE, RIT, a program that works to increase the representation and retention of women faculty and empower and support them to advance in their careers. Dr. Hirudayaraj has a Ph.D. in Workforce Education and Development.

Dr. Hirudayaraj teaches Workforce Diversity and Inclusion, Technology and the Future of Work, Leading Innovation, and Leading Change at the Graduate level. She has led workshops and delivered lectures on: intergenerational diversity in the workplace, understanding privilege, dimensions of identity, colorism in the workplace, beyond diversity- focusing on inclusion and belonging, culture change, women veterans in the workplace, returning women/returnship. Dr. Hirudayaraj also leads workshops on leading innovations to executives in traditional sectors, leading change initiatives in organizations.

Her research interests cover issues of gender, colorism, inequality, and employability of disadvantaged populations. More recently she has forayed into studying the implications of Artificial Intelligence integration in organizations. She has worked in the media and the not-for-profit sector and has also trained more than 5000 professionals in the corporate sector. She also created one of India’s earliest employability programs for rural youth funded by the World bank.

After spending ten years in agricultural finance, Susan Holliday switched careers and purchased the Rochester Business Journal (RBJ) in 1988.  Susan orchestrated a financial turnaround of the company and expanded the scope of the operation with the addition of contract publishing and an extensive events division. Under Susan’s leadership, the newspaper was highly respected for its integrity in reporting and thoughtful analysis of community issues affecting business in the metropolitan Rochester, New York area. The newspaper was consistently recognized for its superior reporting, photography, and design with numerous national awards. After 28 years at the helm, Susan sold the company in 2016.

Susan strongly believes that a successful career comprises both corporate and civic leadership, a philosophy she models through wide-ranging involvement in the greater Rochester community. She currently serves as the chair of the corporate board of directors of Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISI), and its subsidiary, Five Star Bank.  She also serves as a member of the board of Complemar Partners Inc. 

Susan serves as a Vice-Chair of the board of Rochester Institute of Technology, and she is a member of the board and past chairman of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.

She is a member of the board, and past Chair, of the University of Rochester Medical Center as well as a member of the board, and past chair, of Healthcare Trustees of New York State. 

She and her husband reside in Mendon, New York and they have two married children and a grandson.

Dr. Todd Jokl is the Dean of the College of Art and Design at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Professor in their School of Photographic Arts and Science.  Dr. Jokl earned his BA from Yale University, his MFA in photography and new media at University of Connecticut and his doctorate in Education Leadership from the Connecticut State University. Following years in the classroom as an Associate Professor at University of New Haven, Dr. Jokl began leadership pursuits, first as an Assistant Dean in their College of Arts and Sciences, and then as the Campus Dean when the University acquired LYME College of Art. Following his time at UNH, Dr. Todd Jokl joined RIT as the Dean of the College of Art and Design in 2019.  Dr. Jokl is active in the arts community and serves on multiple boards, including chairing the Leadership Committee for the International Council of Fine Arts Deans.  Presently, he also serves as a site accreditation reviewer for the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

He resides in Mendon, NY with his family, including Paige (spouse), Hazel and Samuel (twin children), and some dogs, a cat, chickens, honeybees, and goldfish, as well as various other wild creatures who scamper through the area quite regularly. 

Austin McChord is the Founder of Datto, the world's leading provider of IT solutions delivered through managed service providers (MSPs). Austin serves on the Datto Board of Directors and actively advises the company on technology and product vision. He launched the company in 2007 from a basement in Norwalk, Connecticut, with the mission to bring best-in-class data protection solutions to underserved small and medium-sized businesses. Formerly Datto’s Chief Executive Officer for over 10 years, Austin also invests in and advises other technology growth companies, and continues to invent and experiment in his lab in Norwalk, CT.

A graduate, trustee, and 2017 commencement speaker of the Rochester Institute of Technology, McChord is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions. He was named to Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 list in 2015, was named an Ernst & Young Technology Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016, and earned recognition as one of the nation's top 50 philanthropists in 2017 by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. McChord holds several patents, and has been a featured keynote speaker at technology conferences including Collision, Techonomy, and more.

Brian P. O'Shaughnessy is an internationally recognized authority in the law of intellectual property and technology licensing.  He is a Partner in the Washington DC office of Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, and Chair of its IP Transactions and Licensing Group.  He is a Past President of the Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada), Inc. (LES); and Chair of the Board of the Bayh Dole Coalition.

Brian advises clients in maximizing value from intellectual property (IP) by creating strong international IP portfolios, devising effective licensing strategies, and efficiently resolving IP disputes.  He has been retained as a consulting and testifying expert witness in licensing matters by the US Department of Justice and the US Treasury Department, and by private enterprise.  Clients call upon his 37 years of experience as a registered patent attorney to create valuable, cost-effective IP management strategies. 

Brian continues to serve LES in a volunteer capacity as Sr. V.P. for Public Policy, guiding the Society's advocacy for IP legislation and administrative action in support of innovation, economic growth, and national security. 

He has been repeatedly acknowledged as among the “IAM Global Strategy 300”, the world’s leading IP strategists, and the “The World's Leading Patent and Technology Licensing Lawyers” (IAM Magazine).  In 2013, Brian was acknowledged by his alma mater, Rochester Institute of Technology, as its Outstanding Alumnus; and, in 2005, he was acknowledged by RIT’s College of Science as its Distinguished Alumnus.  He is a past president of the RIT Alumni Association, and now serves on the RIT Board of Trustees as chair of its Governance and Membership Committee. 

Brian resides in Potomac, MD with his wife, Kimberly (RIT '85), and is the proud father of three children, Clara, Emily (RIT '16), and Michael. 

Dustin has over 20 years’ experience in culinary arts and leadership in the hospitality industry. He joined RIT after over 10 years at the University of Rochester as the Hospitality Services Director, overseeing retail and residential operations as well as the district’s Safety Coordinator.

As Director of Operations for RIT Dining, Dustin oversees a large team that stretches across residential and retail dining concepts, coffee shops, and vendor partnerships. He has led innovative renovations, accessibility initiatives, and has served on multiple committees in his role as a Staff Council Representative.

Dustin has an inherent passion for collaborating with partners within the RIT and Rochester communities. He prioritizes making sure that all RIT Staff are represented and recognized for their contributions to our community.

Nick is a Managing Director and Partner at BCG where he is a leader of the Salesforce Value Accelerator (SVA) practice. He focuses on the intersection of Strategy, People, Processes, and Technology (anchored on core platforms such as Salesforce and the Hyperscalers) to achieve business outcomes across industries. He builds on deep experience working with leading IT Services, Software, Hardware, and Telco players.

Classically trained as a Mechanical Engineer with a PhD in nanotechnology, Nick was a Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania prior to joining BCG. Collaborating closely with IBM TJ Watson Research Center, he focused on applications in energy storage; metallurgical process efficiency; low cost long cycle life batteries; in situ electrochemistry; and radiation induced phenomena in liquids. He is the author of several peer-reviewed scientific publications and a book chapter.

Nick has a PhD from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania, and concurrent BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology (Class of 2010) where he was the commencement speaker and currently serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors as the immediate Past-President and as a Trustee on the RIT Board of Trustees.

Alex Shuron was elected as the RIT Student Government President for the 24-25 AY in March 2024. He is currently a 4th year Mechanical Engineering student in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, while focusing on design, manufacturing, and management.

As a student at RIT, he has been involved in various leadership positions on campus such as Vice President of Judicial Affairs for the Interfraternity Council, Student Government Director of Operations, and President of Sigma Chi.

He aims to empower the student body in how to more effectively advocate on issues affecting campus and become more engaged with campus life.

Kevin is the father of the Virtual Assistant and a Silicon Valley innovator, serial entrepreneur, CEO, and futurist. He was INC Magazines’ Entrepreneur of the Year, a CNBC top Innovator of the Decade, World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer, Chair of Silicon Valley Forum, Planet Forward Innovator of the Year nominee, featured for 5 years on TechTV’s Silicon Spin, and inducted into RIT’s Innovation Hall of Fame. He has 94 worldwide patents and led pioneering work on the first cellular data smartphone (AirCommunicator), the first human-like AI virtual assistant (Portico), soundproof drywall, high R-value windows, AI-driven building management, Generative AI for QA automation, supply-chain auctions, and the window/energy retrofits of the Empire State Building and NY Stock Exchange.

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ardea Partners LP.  Previously he was a Partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he worked from 1991-2016.  He was Global Head of Financial Technology and Asset Management and was previously the Chief Operating Officer of the Financial Institutions Group.  He is Immediate Past Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Rochester Institute of Technology and serves on the Board and Executive Committee of DREAM in New York City.  He earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BS from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Clayton Turner is the Director of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. He leads a diverse group of civil servant and contractor scientists, researchers, engineers and support staff, who work to make revolutionary improvements to aviation, expand understanding of Earth’s atmosphere, develop new technologies for space exploration, and contribute to NASA’s broader exploration mission.

Mr. Turner has served the agency for more than 30 years. He has held several roles at NASA Langley, including systems engineer, Chief Engineer, Engineering Director, Associate Center Director, and Deputy Center Director.

After graduation from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in 1990, Turner began his career with NASA serving as a design engineer with the Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment project, where he spearheaded development of the laser aligning, bore-sight limit system.

Mr. Turner has received many prestigious awards such as the Presidential Rank Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal, the Paul F. Holloway Non-Aerospace Technology Transfer Award, and RIT’s College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni award. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and he is also a member of the RIT Board of Trustees.

Kim VanGelder joined Kodak in 1984 and was appointed Chief Information Officer in 2004. She has held a variety of roles responsible for streamlining and improving business processes across the company, including Director of Worldwide Customer Operations.

Kim holds a B.S. in Mathematics from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She is a member of RIT’s Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of Financial Institutions, Inc. She was formerly on the Board of Directors of the Rochester Area Community Foundation and now serves on their Technology Committee. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Western New York Society for Information Management.

Dr. Richard Zanibbi is a Professor of Computer Science and director of the Document and Pattern Recognition Lab. His research focuses on the recognition and retrieval of information in documents, images, and videos, with an emphasis on mathematical notation and chemical diagrams. More broadly, Richard’s research interests include information retrieval, pattern recognition, machine learning, and document recognition.

Dr. Zanibbi is an Associate Editor for the International Journal on Document Analysis and Recognition (IJDAR) and Pattern Recognition journal, and has served on a number of program and organizing committees. This includes serving as general chair for the International Conference on Frontiers in Handwriting Recognition (ICFHR 2018), program co-chair for the IAPR Workshop on Graphics Recognition (GREC 2021), and program co-chair for the International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition (ICDAR 2023).

Karen Barrows joined RIT in 1989 and spent 9 years at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in various departments before moving to RIT’s Office of the President in 1998, assuming the role of Assistant to the President with President Simone. Under President Destler, Barrows assumed the role of Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Institute, managing the Office of the President and the Board of Trustees for 10 years. As the Chief of Staff under President Munson, Karen has worked on many different projects and continues to manage the Office. 

Karen has a BS in Early Childhood Education from Fitchburg University and an Executive MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology. She is currently serving on the President’s Cabinet and Administrative Council, Middle States Steering Committee, NTID’s Administrative Support Technology Mentoring Committee, and the Critical Issues Response Team.