Texas Triangle

More than 3,500 alumni, alumnae, and parents call the Lone Star State their home – here’s your opportunity to connect with them! The Texas Triangle Executive Council was created to better connect our Texas community.

Engagement in the council is designed around related topics that tie the community back to campus through conversations and forums around pressing global challenges and opportunities that align with the Institute’s expertise in groundbreaking interdisciplinary research and innovative pedagogy. The council offers opportunities for engagement around business development, career advancement, graduate recruitment and student placement, and seeks to facilitate strategic partnerships among individuals, companies, foundations, government agencies and the Institute.

Texas Triangle Network

Alumni
Parents

Executive Council


To succeed, the executive council needs an exemplary group of leaders and influencers to set the pace and light the way toward a more meaningful Rensselaer alumni experience. The Executive Council provides guidance and advisory expertise that will further harness the strength of our alumni in Texas, and provides leadership in support of our Capital Campaign.

Council members have a front row seat to research insights from renowned Rensselaer faculty, access to the highest levels of Institute leadership, and opportunities to foster fruitful connections with other notable alumni/ae in the region. Member terms are for three years and there are two types of memberships available. Membership gifts support the Rensselaer Annual Fund and are fully tax deductible.

Executive Council Co-Chairs

  • Caryn Fuller ’99, ’00G

    Partner HKA

    Caryn Fuller ’99, ’00G graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees in civil engineering. She is a certified professional with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and is a LEED-accredited professional in building design and construction. Ms. Fuller has completed the American Bar Association Construction Law Trial Academy Program. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi throughout her time at RPI.

    Ms. Fuller is a civil engineer with over 23 years of experience. She has been appointed as an expert and assisted as the named expert on numerous occasions. Ms. Fuller has been cross-examined in arbitration, including giving concurrent evidence (hot-tubbing), and has assisted on disputes for projects with values of up to $20 billion. Her expert work covers delay, quantum and technical disciplines for sectors ranging from buildings and infrastructure to industrial, power and utilities, mining and minerals, and oil and gas. Ms. Fuller’s professional experience includes mechanical and process engineering, construction, project management, project controls management, and construction claims analysis. She is a project and program leader with a proven track record in leading high-profile, large-scale global construction initiatives, focusing on cost control, scheduling, and reporting. Ms. Fuller’s expertise includes standard of care, scheduling issues, productivity issues, procurement delays, forensic document investigations, and cost analysis and damages. She has supported clients in arbitration (both international and domestic) and mediation, delivering expert analysis, reports, and rebuttals.

    Ms. Fuller is the partner in charge of HKA’s Houston Practice.  She currently serves as a board member for the Rice Global Engineering and Construction Forum and for the Energy Industries Council.

  • Jeffrey L. Kodosky ’70

    Trustee, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
    Business and Technology Fellow, National Instruments

    Jeffrey L. Kodosky ’70 co-founded National Instruments (now NI) in 1976 and subsequently served as the company’s vice president of research and development from 1980 until he was named an NI Business and Technology Fellow in 2000. National Instruments is recognized as an industry leader in instrument control. Mr. Kodosky holds 68 patents associated with LabVIEW technology and was inducted into the Electronic Design Engineering Hall of Fame for his invention. Mr. Kodosky is a member of the Board of Trustees of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He also serves on the University of Texas at Austin College of Natural Sciences Advisory Council, the UTeach Advisory Council, the University of Texas Physics Department Advisory Council, and the Advisory Group at Southwest Texas State University’s Math Department. In 1999, he received the University of Texas at Austin College of Natural Sciences Hall of Honor Award and the Rensselaer Alumni Association Fellows Award. He was recognized with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship. In 2018, he received the RAA Distinguished Service Award as well as the RPI Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2019, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1970.

Texas Executive Council Vice Chair

  • Matt Oehlschlaeger

    Professor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs School of Engineering and Aerospace Program Director

    Dr. Matt Oehlschlaeger received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech (2000), and M.S. (2002) and Ph.D. (2005) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.  He joined the faculty at Rensselaer in 2006, where since 2014 he has served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs within the School of Engineering and as a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. His research focuses on energy and environment, where he has advanced the understanding of chemical kinetic behaviors of alternative fuels and developed novel methods for non-intrusive optical sensing for the environment and industrially processes. Oehlschlaeger has co-authored over 100 papers, led government- and industrial-funded research programs, and garnered several national awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Obama in 2009. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Engineers (ASME) and serves as Specialty Chief Editor for Frontiers in Aerospace Engineering and as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants.

COUNCIL MEMBERS

  • Don Burgio ’89

    Advisor – Cybersecurity & AI/ML

    Don Burgio ’89 graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Science degree in security engineering, both from Southern Methodist University, and a Ph.D. in information assurance from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Burgio has over 30 years of experience in technology leadership roles. He began his career in software and telecommunication systems engineering at MCI, ultimately becoming Vice President for Network Systems; following Verizon’s acquisition of MCI, he served in various roles, including Executive Director of product engineering for fraud, identity, and cybersecurity solutions for global enterprise customers. After retiring from Verizon, Dr. Burgio is now engaged in the research and development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions for a cybersecurity startup company. He also serves on the advisory board of another startup focused on Web3 technologies and serves on two non-profit boards as VP & Treasurer for the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) and Alumni Relations Director for Sigma Phi Epsilon’s RPI chapter. Dr. Burgio has previously served on industry advisory boards for two universities and as a volunteer teaching electronics, robotics, and programming to at-risk youths. He has been recognized with the RAA’s Director’s & Alumni Key Awards and Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

  • Michelle Denny ’01

    R&D Director NI Test & Measurement at Emerson

    Michelle Denny ’01 graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. She currently serves as Director of Research & Development at NI Test & Measurement at Emerson. NI develops automated test and automated measurement systems that help engineers solve the world’s toughest challenges. During her time at RPI, she served on the student council, was secretary of the HKN honor society, and was President of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Mrs. Denny has spent over 20 years at NI, where she has released over 30 products in different capacities as a Developer, Lead Engineer, Core Team Lead, and Director. She excels at developing and delivering products in new application areas and with new sensor technologies. Recently she’s been focused on growing NI’s product portfolio to meet the test & measurement needs of automotive companies in the growing areas of autonomous and electric vehicles. Mrs. Denny was the first female Chief Engineer at NI, and growing more women technical leaders has always been important to her. She volunteers her time at local schools, clubs & organizations to encourage young women to get involved in STEM. She also served as Austin Alumni President from 2002–2008.

  • Kirk Schell ’88

    President Global Components, Arrow Electronics

    Kirk Schell ’88 is president of Arrow’s global components business, which provides sales, marketing, engineering and supply chain services to semiconductor and passive electromechanical component suppliers and their customers. Prior to joining Arrow, Mr. Schell spent nearly 25 years at Dell Technologies, where he was most recently responsible for global online B2B sales. Previously, he led sales for Dell’s client solutions portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region and was the general manager of Dell’s displays group. Mr. Schell holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Michigan.

  • Reid Wiseman ’97

    Artemis II Mission Commander, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mr. Reid Wiseman ’97 has served over 20 years as a naval officer. Since 2009, he has been assigned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Houston, Texas as an astronaut. Mr. Wiseman’s career has primarily been focused on complex team operations in high-stress situations. The pinnacle of this occurred in 2014 when Mr. Wiseman spent 165 days in low earth orbit conducting research in microgravity and maintaining the International Space Station. From 1997 until 2009, Mr. Wiseman served as a pilot and test pilot with the US Navy. During that time, he flew over 30 types of aircraft and spent 2.5 years at sea on various ships. Mr. Wiseman received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathryn Adams
Senior Major Gift Officer | Southwest Region
Office of Institute Advancement
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
518-276-6494 | adamsk9@rpi.edu