Alumni Medal
James “Jim” Albrecht (FE ’53, M.S. ’55) has worked in the food industry for the past 50 years managing research and development, new corporate products, industrial marketing, and international business general management. He has been associated with big-name brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, and McCormick. He is a founding board member of the World Trade Center Institute in Baltimore and is deeply committed to youth education and global issues. At Illinois Tech, Albrecht has a passion for connecting with students, serving as a mentor for them in Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program courses, as well as supporting IPRO faculty and staff.
Collens Merit Award
Robert “Bob” Surrette (LAW ’97) serves as shareholder and president of McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd., where his practice has focused on intellectual property dispute resolution and technology-related disputes since 1998. He was formerly an adjunct professor for Chicago-Kent College of Law from 2009 to 2016. Surrette has served as a trustee on the Illinois Tech Board of Trustees since 2022, as a member of the Chicago-Kent College of Law Board of Advisors since 2015, and as the former president of the Chicago-Kent Alumni Association.
Galvin Award
Doug Monieson is the chief executive officer of UICO, a Chicago-based manufacturer of rugged industrial touch screens and Beringea portfolio company. Monieson has extensive board experience in governance, nomination, and strategy for profit and non-profit organizations. He is Chairman Emeritus of Hyde Park Angels, one of the country’s largest and most active angel groups where he has invested in more than 60 Midwest startups. Monieson has served as a trustee on the Illinois Tech Board of Trustees since 2018, playing an active role on the Governance and The Chicago Difference Task Force committees, respectfully, as well as a member of the Boards of Advisors for the Kaplan Institute and Lewis College of Science and Letters. He is also a board member and treasurer of the non-profit Rails to Trails Conservancy.
International Award of Merit
Jeff J. Hsu (MDM ’12) is the chief innovation officer for Far Eastern Group. Hsu leads innovation initiatives across the group’s companies that are responsible for either modernizing operations or defining new business models. Hsu led the design and building of the award-winning A13 Far Eastern Department Store and coordinated the site inclusion of Taiwan's only Apple Global Flagship Store. He has raised $80 million to help start the Far Eastern Group's Corporate Venture Capital Team, DRIVE Catalyst, for which he is the governance team director. He led his team in developing the proprietary Fleet Safety Management Platform and was granted an "Innovation Endorsement" from Japan's ClassNK Society. Hsu has also served on the board of directors for U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation for 10 years and assumed the role of executive vice president of special operations in October 2017, as well as the role of vice chairman in August 2023. In June 2015, Hsu joined the board of Far EasTone Telecommunications, and in 2020, he was appointed to the board of Yuan-Zhe University.
John J. Schommer Honor I Award
Heather Olson (ARCH ’09) is the principal architect for store design at Target Corporation. In this role, she oversees nearly 2,000 stores nationwide and is in charge of the specifications for all of the stores, both new and remodeled. In 2021, she was recognized as one of the 22 Notable Women in Construction, Architecture, and Engineering by Twin Cities Business. In 2023, Olson was elected as a board member of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Market Leadership Advisory Board. She joined the Illinois Tech Women’s Soccer team in their second year of existence, playing forward and midfield. Olson brought team spirit and commitment and encouraged everyone to play their best, staying positive both on and off the field.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Edward "Ned" Masters (LAW ’72) practiced law in the Will County area for over 50 years, rising to Will County State's Attorney and Chief Judge of Will County. He impacted the lives of many Chicago-Kent College of Law students when he established The Masters Family Endowment in 2000 to support externships for students studying labor and employment, an area in which both his daughter and son practiced.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Arthur Takeuchi (ARCH ’54, M.S. ’59) was an architect, pupil of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and former faculty member of the College of Architecture whose most familiar work is the Chicago Civic Center, now known as the Richard J. Daley Center.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Taimoor Khan (ME ’12) is a seasoned professional in sustainable technology, currently serving as the business development manager for carbon neutral products at Komatsu. In this role, he is dedicated to advancing the adoption of electric, fuel cell, and hybrid machines, aligning Komatsu with environmentally conscious practices. His journey within Komatsu began with a pivotal role as the global manager for regulations, where he played a crucial part in navigating and adhering to industry standards. His comprehensive understanding of regulatory landscapes has been instrumental in shaping Komatsu's strategies for compliance and sustainability. Prior to his regulatory role, Khan honed his skills in design engineering, bringing a hands-on approach to understanding the intricacies of machine development. His proficiency in this area laid the foundation for his subsequent transition into the challenging and dynamic oil and gas industry, where he gained valuable insights and experiences.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Hiranya Pathak (M.S. EE ’10) is the principal business developer for Primetals Technologies, where he handles the marketing and development of power solutions business for the steel industries. Pathak’s professional accomplishments include the conceptualization and design of complete high, medium, and low power systems with 500MVA+ installed power capacity for the production of 3 million tons of sheet steel annually for one of the largest steel producers in the United States; and leading a team of engineers to develop the first-ever 69kV STATCOM for electrical arc furnace solution to meet power quality requirements. Over the years, he has worked and developed the power system solutions for all major steel producers in the United States.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Linxin Wen (M.P.A. ’16) is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Chowbus. Chowbus became the leading Asian food delivery app in the United States before evolving into a broader restaurant management software and point of sale business. Since its start in Chicago in 2016, Chowbus has expanded to 27 markets and raised $108.3 million.
Professional Achievement Award
Georges Benjamin (BIOL ’73) was a founding member—and current executive director—of the American Public Health Association since 2002. He previously served as the secretary of health for the State of Maryland. He was involved with groundbreaking research in sickle cell anemia, Ebola, and COVID-19, as well as responses to chemical and biological attacks. Benjamin is board-certified in internal medicine and a master of the American College of Physicians. He serves as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health. He also served as a distinguished member of the United States Army, including a position as a Captain.
Professional Achievement Award
Robert B. Johnson (CE ’69, M.S. ’71) was licensed as a structural engineer in Illinois and a professional engineer in Indiana and New Jersey working with the Benesch Company. He was involved in the design of over a dozen high-rise buildings, including the award-winning Three Illinois Center, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center, and the Bloomingdale Building. Johnson has been active with the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois for over 30 years, bringing awareness to the structural engineering profession. He has served as an exhibitor at various expos promoting engineering competitions to students, including Illinois Tech's Annual DuPage Area STEM Expo, and has made several appearances on CAN-TV discussing STEM activities in Chicago.
Professional Achievement Award
Frank Naeymi-Rad (Ph.D. CS ’90) is the director of Leap of Faith Technologies, Inc. and the co-founder of Intelligent Medical Objects, Inc. Dr. Naeymi-Rad has over 50 scientific publications, holds 11 patents related to electronic health records and health enterprise informatics, and is a sponsor of the American Medical Informatics Association pitch competition.
Professional Achievement Award
Allen J. Ottens (German ’69) career spanned over 40 years in secondary education, higher education, and counseling/psychotherapy fields as a professor and psychologist. Through his counseling work, Ottens impacted the lives of hundreds of individuals and received numerous accolades for his achievements in the field. He has authored, co-authored, or edited scores of professional papers, books, and journal articles pertaining to counseling or psychotherapy. He is an award-winning author of the biography, General John A. Rawlins: No Ordinary Man and Coping with Romantic Breakup.
Professional Achievement Award
Anne I. Shaw (LAW ’95) is the founding officer, shareholder, and president of Shaw Legal Services, Ltd., which celebrated its 20-year anniversary in October 2023. Her firm not only continues to handle civil rights cases, but now also provides estate and probate, real estate, commercial, and civil litigation services. While growing her law practice, she also served on numerous non-profit and civic boards, was appointed the first Asian-American commissioner on the Cook County Board of Ethics, and ran highly competitive political races in Chicago in order to continue to serve disenfranchised people and provide justice. Shaw is an award-winning attorney, recognized nationally and locally for her legal work and civic leadership.