Many people may dream of making a list that recognizes them for their success, discoveries, or accomplishments. For some, that dream comes true. Meet a few of the Lehigh alumni who landed on selective lists for ideas, service, leadership, and more.
Entrepreneurs
Olivia Abrams ’21 won the Product of the Year award at Outdoor Retailer for Tick Mitt and talked about her business journey from Lehigh to today. She was then selected as one of Forbes 30 Under 30.
Vytalize Health, founded by Faris Ghawi ’10 and Dr. Amer Alnajar ’08, landed as the No. 1 company on Inc.’s fastest growing companies.
Briana Gardell '14 '15G, the creative force behind Goblies Throwable Paintballs, had 90 seconds to pitch the product on episode 8 of the Amazon Prime show “Buy It Now.”
Josh Senior ’08, executive producer of the Hulu series “The Bear,” swept awards season as the show and its actors won big at the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Television Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Ali Kaminetsky ’16 appeared on "Shark Tank" with her business Modern Picnic.
The American Society of Civil Engineers honored Clifford Chapman ’91, co-founder and CEO of Syncarpha Capital, with the Project Of The Year for the GEMS Landfill PV Solar Plant.
Daniel Siegwart ’03, professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, was named fellow of the National Academy of Inventors for his more than 300 patents.
Athletes
Darian Cruz ’18 took his wrestling skills to the bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics.
Darryl Burley ’83 ’85G, a two-time NCAA Division I national champion and member of the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame, was named to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2025
Denny Diehl ’70 was inducted posthumously into the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport.
CJ McCollum '13 was honored ahead of the 2024 ESPYs for being a finalist for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award and won the 2023-24 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award by the Professional Basketball Writers Association (PBWA).
Four-time state champion, Paris Olympian, and first-year Lehigh wrestler, Audrey Jimenez ’28 earns a championship ring.
Roger Penske ’59 ’82P claimed his 20th Indy 500 victory as a team owner and won the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Mason Black ’23 made his Major League Baseball debut for the San Francisco Giants, pitching against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Besa Masaiti ’25G is the highest-ranked women’s chess player in her home country, Botswana.
Leaders
Beth Galetti ’93, senior vice president at Amazon, was named to Fortune's 2024 Most Powerful Women list and ranked #3 in Technology Magazine’s 2024 Top 100 Women in Technology.
Trane Technologies, led by Dave Regnery ’91G, chair and CEO, was named to TIME’s World’s Best Companies list, PEOPLE’s Companies That Care list, and Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Manufacturing and Production.
Dina DiLorenzo ’83, president at Guggenheim Investments, has been named one of the Influential Women in Institutional Investing by Pensions&Investments.
Ronald Nersesian ’82, executive chairman, Keysight Technologies, Inc. has been recognized by Forbes as one of the Best Employers for Diversity in 2024.
Lotoya Henry-Ojugbana ’08 was named to West Virginia’s State Journal Next Generation 40 Under 40.
Academics
Laura Kremmel ’10G ’16G, assistant professor of English at Niagara University, was selected by the British Association for Romantic Studies as one of its four First Book Prize recipients.
Jean Soderlund, professor emerita in history at Lehigh, won the Richard P. McCormick Prize for her book.
Don Davis, professor of mathematics at Lehigh, led Lehigh Valley American Regions Mathematics League to the national championship.
Irmak Olcaysoy Okten ’18G assistant professor of Psychology at Florida State University has been named a 2024 Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science.
Will Yaeger ’24 discovered a new species of fungus at Wildlands Conservancy’s 400-acre South Mountain Preserve.
