Carnegie Mellon to Honor 11 Alumni Making a Difference around the World

2024 Alumni Awards ceremony will be held Nov. 1 at Carnegie Mellon

The 2024 Carnegie Mellon University Alumni Award honorees embody the CMU philosophy of putting their “heart in the work.” From revolutionary research that could be the key to treating neurodegenerative diseases to achievements in the performing arts to strengthening the bonds that connect the Tartan community around the world, these 11 alumni are making a difference through their service, philanthropy and professional accomplishments.

“When a Carnegie Mellon University education meets a passion for knowledge and service it is an unbeatable combination,” says Joanna D. Lovering, CMU Alumni Association Board president. “The way this incredible group of Alumni Award honorees are impacting the world through their vocations and service to others is an inspiration to the entire Tartan community. They make us proud.”

Representing all seven colleges and schools, this year’s honorees work in technology, research, public service, the arts, medicine, agriculture, law, business and consulting, reflecting the versatility and significance of the Carnegie Mellon experience. Equally impressive is their collective commitment of supporting others through volunteering, mentorship and philanthropy.

The highest honor bestowed on CMU alumni, this award recognizes both a long standing record of service and support to CMU and exceptional professional achievements. This year’s honoree is:

T. Jerome Holleran (ENG 1957; TPR 1969)

As a high school senior, T. Jerome “Jerry” Holleran received financial assistance that made it possible for him to attend Carnegie Tech, but it came with an important caveat: Return the favor. For 40 years, he has done exactly that.

With a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in industrial administration, Jerry crafted a wide-ranging career including sales, engineering, and marketing management, management consulting and business planning. In 1975, Jerry and several other businessmen bought a division of Rockwell International and formed an independent company, Arrow International, a medical device manufacturer. In 1997, Jerry and three associates bought a division of Arrow International and formed Precision Medical Products (PMP) which grew into a premier contract medical manufacturer.

Jerry reconnected with Carnegie Mellon, helping with advancement and development efforts and becoming a member of the university’s Board of Trustees for three decades. In 2004, he and his wife, Carolyn, established the Holleran Scholarship Challenge to create more endowed scholarships at CMU. They donated $2 million to the challenge, which asked donors who had never before created an endowed scholarship to give a portion of the amount needed to establish a scholarship and their fund would provide the remainder. The effort was a huge success, creating more than 100 new endowed scholarships.

For his work and philanthropy, Jerry has been honored with numerous awards including the Alvernia University Franciscan Award, College of Independent Colleges Individual Award for Philanthropy, CMU Distinguished Alumni Service Award and United Way of Berks County Doran Award, its highest award for leadership.

Along with Jerry Holleran, 10 alumni will be honored in four categories at the CMU Alumni Awards ceremony. Honorees are nominated by CMU community members and selected by members of the CMU Alumni Association Board Awards Committee based on the impact of nominees’ professional work and/or service to CMU.

2024 Alumni Achievement Awards: These awards are presented to alumni for exceptional accomplishment and leadership in their fields or vocations. This year’s four honorees are:

• Clifford Brangwynne (ENG 2001) is a biophysical engineer whose trailblazing work centers on intracellular organization and its role in biological function and formation with the potential to revolutionize treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like ALS. He currently serves as the June K. Wu ’92 Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and director of the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute. Brangwynne earned his bachelor of science in materials science and engineering from CMU in 2001 and a doctorate in applied physics in 2007 from Harvard University. He is the recipient of numerous honors including a Sloan Research Fellowship, MacArthur Fellowship and a Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. His articles have appeared in such prestigious scientific journals as Cell, Science, Nature and the Journal of Cell Biology.
• Philip E. Castle (MCS 1986) is a world-renowned, transformative leader in cancer epidemiology, research and prevention. As the director of the Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP) and senior tenured investigator in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) at the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), he focuses his research on epidemiology of the human papillomaviruses (HPV) and cervical/anogenital cancers, science and translation of cancer prevention strategies, cancer screening, international health, health services research and evidence-based medicine. Castle earned a bachelor of science in biological sciences from Carnegie Mellon in 1986. He went on to receive a doctorate in biophysics and master of public health in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University.
• A dedicated public servant, Malia M. Cohen (HNZ 2008) is the first African American to be elected as California state controller, overseeing the world’s fifth-largest economy behind the United States, China, Japan and Germany. Her career has focused on making public dollars work for all Californians by championing policies and programs that protect public health, foster economic development, promote new affordable housing and create good jobs. Cohen guides local government entities on best practices for sound internal control and works to minimize the risk of fraud, waste and abuse. Her office administers the payroll system for state government and California State University employees. She completed her undergraduate studies in political science at Fisk University and earned a master of science in public policy and management from CMU’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy.
• Shauna Quill (CFA 1997) has devoted her professional life to the performing arts and arts education. Since 2023, she has served as president and chief executive officer of the Music Academy of the West, which nurtures exceptional young musicians and leaders in Santa Barbara, California. She was previously executive director of the New York Youth Symphony, which expanded its programming, community impact and artistic accomplishments during her tenure. She also served as executive director of UChicago Presents, the university’s professional multi-genre music series, and held senior positions at the Aspen Music Festival and School, La Jolla Music Society and the Herbert Breslin Agency. Quill earned a B.A. in flute performance from CMU in 1997.

2024 Alumni Service Awards: These awards recognize alumni for their dedicated and impactful service to the university and its students and alumni. This year’s four honorees include:

• Lois Findlay (GSIA 1991) has been instrumental in the growth of CMU’s Washington, D.C., and Greater Maryland Networks. She restarted the D.C.-area Tepper alumni group and later helped to launch the Greater Maryland Network, which connects alumni from across the state in counties not adjacent to Washington, D.C. She served as events coordinator and vice president of programming and events for the group, increasing the number of meaningful events and strengthening alumni connections across the region. Lois earned her master of science in industrial administration from the Graduate School of Industrial Administration, now the Tepper School of Business, in 1991. Her firm, Elements Consulting, helped small- to mid-sized technology firms with business analysis and software development and implementation.
• Actor, singer, composer and saxophonist Manu Narayan (CFA 1996, 1996) is a notable champion of Carnegie Mellon University, giving generously of his time and resources over the past 25 years. Manu has served as a young alumni term trustee on the Carnegie Mellon University Board of Trustees and chair of the first governing committee of the College of Fine Arts Dean’s Council. He is a regular visitor to campus, speaking at events, emceeing the School of Music Centennial Celebration, hosting Spring Carnival karaoke, giving career advice and mentoring countless CMU students. He is a member of the Order of the May and Andrew Carnegie Society through his generous philanthropy. He holds dual bachelor of fine arts degrees in music with concentrations in saxophone and vocal performance.
• Susan C. Smith's (MSIA 1996) remarkable career in consulting and executive management positioned her to selflessly donate her time and resources to her alma mater. Smith is an Order of the May Society lifetime member; Andrew Carnegie Society Board member (2001–2010); including a term as its president; and an ex-officio member of the Carnegie Mellon University Board of Trustees (2006-2008). She spent six years on the Tepper Alumni Board and is currently a Tepper Alumni Board Ambassador. Now retired, Smith began her career with Diamond Technology Partners and moved on to First Data and Western Union. She received her master of science in industrial administration with university honors in 1996.
• Deborah W. Yue (DC 1989) has been an active member of the CMU alumni community for nearly four decades. She joined the Carnegie Mellon Admission Council, attending college fairs and interviewing CMU applicants, soon after graduating herself. She later went on to serve as the president of the CMU Alumni Association Northeast Ohio Network, as a member and president of the CMU Alumni Association Board and as an ex-officio trustee of the university’s Board of Trustees. Yue earned her bachelor of science in technical writing from CMU in 1989 and her J.D. from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She concentrates her practice on insurance and general liability litigation, and is a senior defense attorney at Grange Insurance Company.

2024 Recent Alumni Achievement Award: This award is presented to alumni who graduated in the last decade for exceptional professional or vocational accomplishment. This year’s honoree is:

• Ishan Misra (SCS 2014, 2018) is a research scientist in computer vision and machine learning with a focus on scalable algorithms that learn with minimal supervision. Currently, he is a research scientist at Meta’s GenAI Research, leading a team of researchers at Meta working on open research problems in generative AI and multimodal learning. Ishan’s work into self-supervised learning for computer vision has changed the way vision models are trained and offers the potential for future AI models to be generally more intelligent and less biased and to continue improving. Ishan earned his master of science in 2014 and doctorate in 2018 in robotics, both from CMU.

2024 Recent Alumni Service Award: This award is presented to alumni who graduated in the last decade for volunteer service to the university or any of its alumni organizations. This year’s honoree is:

• Aashay S. Doshi (TPR 2019) plays an integral role in the continued growth and development of Carnegie Mellon’s Mumbai Network. As president, he has helped the network host more than 40 networking events and a speaker series with leading industrialists and startup founders, engaging more than 4,000 attendees. Additionally, Doshi works with the Alumni Leadership Group of India, co-hosting events with India alumni networks of other leading universities. While a Tepper School student, he served as president of the South Asian Business Association and co-chair of the Class of 2019 class gift. Doshi earned his M.B.A. with a concentration in entrepreneurship. He is the founder and director of Bloomfield Agro, a startup specializing in manufacturing biological nutrients and fertilizers for sustainable agriculture.

Since 1950, Carnegie Mellon University has paid tribute to individual alumni distinguished by their service to the university and outstanding accomplishments in the arts, humanities, sciences, technology and business through its annual Alumni Awards program. Each class is honored at the annual Alumni Awards ceremony. This year, the 2024 celebration will be held on Friday, Nov. 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the Simmons Auditorium, Tepper Building, on CMU’s campus as part of Homecoming Weekend.