Five Honored with Clarkson University's Most Prestigious Alumni Award
Potsdam, NY (07/23/2019) — Tom Kassouf of Port Washington, Wisc., Bob Goldman of Syracuse, N.Y., Sanj Kulkarni of Princeton, N.J., Neil Bonke of Los Altos, Calif., and Kelli Ligeikis of Binghamton, N.Y., have all been honored with the Golden Knight Award by their alma mater, Clarkson University. Presented each year during the Alumni Reunion, Clarkson's most prestigious alumni award is given to alumni who have distinguished themselves either by service to Clarkson through Alumni Associated activities or have demonstrated outstanding career achievement, bringing distinction to themselves and to Clarkson.
Tom Kassouf
Tom Kassouf received his bachelor of science in Mechanical Engineering in 1974 from the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering. He recently retired as President of Snap-On Tools Group and holds ten U.S. patents.
He serves as Vice-Chair with Clarkson Board of Trustees and previously served on the Dean's Leadership Council for Clarkson's Walter H. Coulter School of Engineering.
Tom is an Annie Clarkson Society Member and previously won the Woodstock Award.
He and his wife Lynn '76, reside in Port Washington, Wisc.
Bob Goldman
Bob Goldman received his bachelor of science in civil and environmental engineering in 1979 from the Coulter School. He retired as the Director Global Environmental Program for ARCADIS in 2015.
Bob has over three decades of experience as an environmental engineer, working in the consulting and engineering industries, typically representing U.S. and International Fortune 100 clients on some of the most significant environmental matters.
Bob is a past member of Clarkson's Board of Trustees and has dedicated his time to his community by volunteering for the Dewitt Fire Department.
He lives in Syracuse, N.Y.
Sanj Kulkarni
Sanj Kulkarni received his bachelor of science degrees in both mathematics and electrical engineering from the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering and a masters of mathematics from Clarkson. He also received a master of science from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in electrical engineering.
Sanj is the dean of the faculty at Princeton University, where he has also served on the faculty since 1991.
He is a current Board of Trustees member and is on the Dean's Leadership Council for Clarkson's Walter H. Coulter School of Engineering.
He resides in Princeton, N.J.
Neil Bonke
Neil received his bachelor of science in industrial distribution in 1964. Neil is the retired Chairman and CEO of Electroglas, Inc., a manufacturer of semiconductor test equipment. He was responsible for a successful IPO of Electroglas through a $150 million equity offering.
In 2008 Neil and his wife, Karen, established and endowed professorship for entrepreneurship and innovation at Clarkson. This "living" gift to Clarkson allows Neil and Karen to have an active and ongoing relationship with both faculty and students and the Bonkes claim "the endowment has proven to be one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives." Neil is also a member of the Annie Clarkson Society.
Neil lives in Los Altos, Calif.
Kelli Ligeikis
Kelli Ligeikis received her bachelor of science in civil and environmental engineering in 1984. She also earned her masters in social sciences from Binghamton University and her EdD in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix.
Kelli is the Provost at SUNY Delhi and is part-time faculty at Capella University. She was a former golden knight women's hockey player and has continued her passion for the sport by serving as a head coach for the Southern Tier Hockey Association, section coordinator for the Empire State Games central women's hockey team and is a founder of the Binghamton Area Girls Hockey Association. She also serves on Clarkson's Parents Committee and has been a keynote speaker at CU Athletics Giving Day.
Kelli lives in Binghamton, N.Y.
As a private, national research university, Clarkson is a leader in technological education and sustainable economic development through teaching, scholarship, research and innovation. We ignite personal connections across academic fields and industries to create the entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and intellectual curiosity needed to innovate world-relevant solutions and cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. With its main campus located in Potsdam, N.Y., and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region, Beacon, N.Y., and New York City, Clarkson educates 4,300 students across 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, the arts, education, sciences and health professions. Our alumni earn salaries that are among the top 2.5% in the nation and realize accelerated career growth. One in five already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company.
Media Attachments
L-R: President Tony Collins, Neil Bonke '64, Kelli Ligeikis '84, Sanj Kulkarni '84, and Tom Kassouf '74
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Melissa Lindell, mlindell@clarkson.edu, 315-268-6716Share this Story
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