HASS Leadership Council

Dean William Gibbons Ph.D.

Dr. Gibbons is a leading music scholar whose wide-ranging research explores the intersections of the arts, humanities, and technology in contemporary culture, with a focus on music in video games.

Prior to joining RPI, Gibbons served as Dean of The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, where he directed the creation and revision of curricula, developed partnerships with industry leaders, and served as lead fundraiser for the school. He previously served as Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Texas Christian University.

His publications include The Oxford Handbook of Video Game Music and Sound (2024), Unlimited Replays: Video Games and Classical Music (2018), Music in Video Games (2014), and Music in the Role-Playing Game (2020). Gibbons holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Music from Emory & Henry College.

Anna Bendimez, P’08, P’13 

Charles (Chuck) Burdick ’66, BS PSYCHOLOGY

Principal Analyst, ITA International

Chuck has spent most of his career in military simulation and simulators, including work with companies such as Lockheed Martin. His interests include simulation-supported war games, communication networks, decision-making under uncertainty, and the use of network digital twins to reduce successful cyber-attacks.

Burdick holds a degree in Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and earned an M.S.A. in Operations Research from George Washington University in 1973.

Patrick Celentano ’17

Engineering Lead, Enterprise Team, Gecko Robotics

Patrick graduated from RPI in 2017 and began his career at Sonos, where he worked as a desktop and mobile app developer and helped overhaul the company’s speaker setup experience. In 2022, he joined Gecko Robotics, first as a software engineer and later as Enterprise team lead.

His work includes developing data visualization programs for clients ranging from paper mills to the U.S. government. Outside of work, Patrick enjoys creative projects and concerts in his adopted home of Boston.

Rona Gollob ’77, ME ’80

Owner, Metallizing Service Company

Ms. Gollob worked in the nuclear industry for more than fifteen years and is part owner of Metallizing Service Company in West Hartford, Connecticut, which develops protective coatings for commercial, aerospace, and industrial applications.

Following her retirement, she became deeply involved in philanthropy and civic organizations. Her volunteer and leadership work has included the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, Voices of Hope, Children’s Reading Partners of Greater Hartford, and other community organizations. She has received recognition including the Vision Award in Jewish Heritage and the YWCA Hartford Region Creating Opportunities Leadership Award.

Joel Leider, MS ’74, MBA

Retired Co-Founder and CEO of Winchester Systems

From 1981 to 2021, Mr. Leider was an entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO of Winchester Systems, a manufacturer of data storage systems used in mission-critical business and government applications. Earlier in his career, he led an engineering team at Teradyne that designed software systems used by major semiconductor manufacturers worldwide.

Leider holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from New York University, and an MBA from Boston University, along with certificates in Software Engineering Management from Harvard University and Management of Artificial Intelligence from MIT.

Jean Leider, MBA

Retired Certified Internal Auditor

Jean Leider is a retired Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist. She spent 39 years in financial services, with a focus on regulatory compliance, risk management, operations, policies and procedures, and electronic funds transfers.

Her volunteer service has included leadership with Alpha Xi Delta organizations, Rotary International, and The Andona Society. She holds an MBA from Babson College and a B.A. from the University of Iowa.

Raul Lopez-Palm, MS ’77, P ’08, P ’13

Owner, Patterson-Palm Builders Hardware

A former member of the Rensselaer Alumni Association Board of Trustees, Raul served as President and Director of Patterson-Palm Builders Hardware Inc. and Citilock Inc. His career included mathematical modeling for transportation in the paper industry, microcomputer manufacturing and software development, agricultural commodities, building materials, and startup ventures.

His business experience spanned more than thirty years, including leadership of a contract hardware company specializing in mixed-use projects involving frames, doors, hardware, and controlled electronic openings.

Tom McGuire,  BS ‘72; MS ‘73 

Tom McGuire works in Community Revitalization, Education & Historic Preservation. He was the 1st Executive Director of the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway, including New York’s Urban Cultural Park initiative. 

Spanning over five decades, Tom’s career in banking, economic consulting, and commercial real estate finance involved major institutions across the Capital Region and Hudson Valley, culminating in his retirement from Key Corporate Bank in 2018. He has also provided long‑term leadership to organizations advancing social justice, historic preservation, healthy communities, and the arts—including Homeless & Travelers Aid Society, Capital Roots, Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club, Albany Pro Musica, and many others.

Today, Tom continues to invest his time, expertise, and energy in community building, arts and culture, education, and youth programs, while embracing a personal vision centered on gratitude, service, family, friends, and enriching the world around him.

Saied Seghatoleslami ’74, ’75

Silvers Lane, LLC, Operations Advisor

Saied Seghatoleslami ’74, ’75 is Vice President and Treasurer of the Rensselaer Alumni Association and an industry advisor to students in RPI’s Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering department. Now in his second retirement, Saied previously held executive leadership roles across the technology sector, including Executive Chairman of C360 Technologies and President of Pypestream, and served as a principal on technology acquisitions and business turnaround projects for private equity firms.

Saied spent 31 years with Bell Labs and its successor companies, Lucent and Avaya, where his career spanned engineering, management, and senior executive leadership. His roles included business unit general manager and vice president positions in business operations, quality assurance, and product management. Earlier in his career, he worked on the Space Shuttle program at Bendix Corporation and joined startup Vydec, which developed early word-processing systems.

Saied earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Rensselaer in 1974 and 1975 and completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. An active amateur radio enthusiast, he also serves as President of the Delaware Valley Radio Association.

Dr. Tracy Simpson P ’29

Lockhead Martin Corporation, Cyber Systems Security Engineer

Dr. Tracy Simpson is a Cybersecurity Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin with extensive experience in security assessment and authorization, risk management, and secure systems engineering. Her work focuses on integrating cybersecurity into complex defense and operational technology environments, with expertise in the Risk Management Framework, Development Security Operations, and Cyber Resiliency.

In addition to her work at Lockheed Martin, Tracy teaches Cyber Risk Analysis and Cybersecurity Management at Penn State Abington. She holds a Doctor of Information Technology in Cybersecurity from Capella University. Tracy lives in the Philadelphia suburbs and is the proud parent of Shane, a HASS student studying Game Design and Computer Science. Shane is an Eagle Scout, electric bass player, and member of Theta Xi fraternity.

Catherine Tan P ’29

Catherine Tan has more than three decades of investment management experience, largely working in Singapore and Hong Kong but covering global markets. She began her career at DBS Asset Management and subsequently held senior investment roles at Lloyd George Investment Management, where she established its Singapore office and managed Asian, Japanese, natural resources, internet and responsible-investment strategies. She later co-founded Treeline Investment Management and founded Saga Tree Capital Advisors: both Asia Pacific focused hedge funds. Catherine was named one of Asia’s Top 10 Fund Managers by Asiamoney and Top 50 Women in Hedge Funds by The Hedge Fund Journal.

Catherine was a founding committee member of Voices of Singapore and serves as its Chair, helping develop it into Singapore’s largest choral organization, with more than 30 groups and over 2,000 singers. She also serves on the Stanford Singapore Alumni Executive Committee and the advisory board of SENIA International, and supports medical research serving on the board of the Reverie Rheumatology Fund.

She graduated from the London School of Economics and completed her postgraduate legal qualifications at the College of Law, Guildford. Catherine lives in Singapore and has four sons.

Carol Thorney ’03

Thorney & Associates LLC, CEO and President

Carol is a senior executive with expertise in leading corporate growth strategies and transformation initiatives and focused on consulting as CEO of Thorney Advisors (TA Solutions Global). A trusted advisor helping clients navigate emerging markets; and evolving technologies with impacts to risk management, business intelligence, data strategy & cloud adoption and engaging smart strategic partnerships. 

She also works with private equity, venture capital and angel investors to explore emerging markets and technologies. Carol is an accomplished graduate and active alumni of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, oldest technological research university in the U.S., and embodies the vision, “Why not change the world?” which is not just a tagline; it is our mission at Thorney Advisors.