Stay in touch with fellow UConn engineering alumni. Visit http://www.engr.uconn.edu/alumni/ and fill us in on your latest activities or learn what your college friends are doing nowadays! Some recent alumni news follows.
Michael Cantor (B.S.E. Chemical Engineering/Materials Engineering, ’80; J.D. ’83) has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of The University of Connecticut Foundation. Mr. Cantor is co-managing partner of Cantor Colburn, LLP, which is ranked ninth for patent volume and 20th for trademark volume nationwide. He has been an adjunct professor of patent law at the UConn School of Law for more than 15 years, and served on the advisory boards for UConn’s Institute of Materials Science and the School of Engineering. Currently, he serves on the boards of the Connecticut Development Authority and the Connecticut Technology Council. Board members are active participants in governance, setting policy and serving as advocates for the Foundation and the University of Connecticut.
James Kalfaian (B.S.E. Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science, ’86) joined the Northeastern business development team of Paramount Industries, Inc., a world-class product development, rapid deployment, and manufacturing services company. He has 25 years’ technical experience, primarily in new product development and the delivery of custom components to the manufacturing community. Mr. Kalfaian will assist manufacturers and design firms with new product launch applications ranging from rapid prototyping to additive manufacturing to high volume production. He is a member of the Manufacturer’s Agents National Association (MANA).
Kenneth H. Klapproth (B.S.E. Mechanical Engineering, ’92) was appointed Vice President of Product Marketing for Invention Machine, a leader in semantic search technology and innovation intelligence software. In this capacity, he is responsible for go-to-market strategies to drive adoption of the Company’s semantic search technology and innovation intelligence platform. Previously, Mr. Klapproth served as Vice President of Marketing at Entuity. Mr. Klapproth is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Engineering. Invention Machine provides software that helps organizations leverage knowledge to accelerate innovation, increase productivity and deliver superior products.
Mark P. Vergnano (B.S.E. Chemical Engineering, ’80) was elected to the Board of Directors of Johnson Controls, a global diversified company in the buildings and automotive industries. As an executive vice president for DuPont, Mr. Vergnano is responsible for the company’s Building Innovations, Protection Technologies, Sustainable Solutions, Electronics & Communications, Chemicals & Fluoroproducts, and Titanium Technologies businesses. He has held a variety of leadership positions during his 31-year career with DuPont, and also leads the company’s safety, health and environment, sales, marketing, sustainability and communication functions. Mr. Vergnano serves on the Board of Directors for the Delaware Council for Economic Education and the U.S. National Safety Council, as well as the advisory boards for the University of Connecticut School of Engineering and the University of Delaware Lerner College of Business and Economics.
