Cornell Engineering Career Conversations

In this episode, Christa Downey speaks with Charles “Chaz” Calitri ‘81, Vice President of Operations at Kyowa Kirin North America. Chaz reflects on his 40-year career in pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering—from leading Pfizer’s efforts to produce the COVID-19 vaccine to overseeing the construction of Kyowa Kirin’s first U.S. biomanufacturing facility. He shares insights on leadership, mentorship, and the importance of empathy, global experience, and technical depth in engineering. Chaz also discusses the evolving role of AI in pharma, the impact of collaboration in solving complex problems, and his belief that “time is life” when it comes to innovation that improves human health. Resources mentioned in the episode: Simpkins Family COMPASS Program: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/selander-center-engineering-leadership/simpkins-family-compass-program/ International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering: https://ispe.org/ Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley

Matt Richwine ‘08, M.Eng. ‘09, co-founder and CEO of Telos Energy, is designing, testing, and analyzing thermal and renewable power generation equipment. Matt discusses his career journey, the unexpected connections that shaped his professional path, and the evolving role of AI in the energy industry. Matt shares memorable stories about mentoring Cornell students, including one that led to his longest-serving employee, and reflects on the value of curiosity, networking, and trying new things. He can be found at: LinkedIn Matt recommends: Utility Dive: https://www.utilitydive.com/ Energy Systems Integration Group: https://www.esig.energy/about/ IEEE: https://www.ieee.org/ CIGRE- www.cigre.org The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1l2QJj8EOK2ywLZ1jQMuAI Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley

In this episode, alum Patrick Nichols ‘97, Managing Director at Vista Equity Partners, shares his career journey from computer science student at Cornell to technology executive and investor. He reflects on his early work as a developer, his transition into business leadership, and his experience applying an engineering mindset to private equity, where he helps companies grow by leveraging data, analytics, and operational improvements. Patrick discusses the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence, emphasizing both its transformative potential for business efficiency and the need for responsible leadership to manage its societal effects. Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley

In this episode of Engineering Career Conversations, hosts Christa Downey and Traci Nathans-Kelly speak with Robert Boehringer ’82, Vice President of Process Management Services at Orion Development Group. With more than 30 years of experience, he has helped leaders and professionals improve quality and productivity. In addition to process improvement methodologies and focused automation, he facilitates process mapping—the de facto standard in the industry—and has provided services to more than 40,000 professionals in both the private and public sectors over the past three decades. Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley

Daniel Morgan is a Research Portfolio Manager for Mission: Cure. This is a patient research organization dedicated to finding therapies for chronic pancreatitis. Daniel shares how his research background helps his team make informed decisions about allocating research dollars to discover life altering therapies for this painful rare disease with no cure. He also discusses how he uses his bachelor’s and master’s of engineering degrees in biological and biomedical engineering to inform his work as a scientist. He can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmorgan23 He recommends: https://mission-cure.org/ Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley

Gigi Boehringer, a Senior Product Manager at AWS, discusses her role in developing Amazon Workspaces Core, a third-party integration API for virtual desktops. She describes the balance between technical development and go-to-market strategies, emphasizing AWS’s customer-centric approach to product management. Gigi also shares insights into AI's role in AWS offerings and advises aspiring product managers to gain experience through internships, technical projects, and collaborative leadership roles. She can be found at: www.linkedin.com/in/gigi-boehringer-9255b3108/ Follow AWS OnAir LinkedIn https://awsonair.net/LinkedInAWSOnAir Twitch https://awsonair.net/subscribe #awsonair #cloudcomputing Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley

Jason Wright is a Principal Electrical Engineer at Synchron, a brain-computer interface startup. Jason shares insights into his work developing implantable devices to help individuals with severe paralysis regain digital communication abilities. He discusses his role, which blends hardware, firmware, and systems engineering, and highlights the challenges and rewards of working in a fast-paced medical technology startup. He can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpwright0/ Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley

Garrett Lang ’01 is, among other things, the founder and President of PlateRate, an online service that helps diners find great local restaurants and their best meals. A graduate of the Computer Science program, he serves as the online chair for the NYC Cornellian community and is also the Executive Director of the Free Thinker Institute. Garrett shares his philosophy of "generous capitalism" and walks us through his entrepreneurial journey. He can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrettlang1/ [email protected] He recommends: Free Thinker Institute: https://tinyurl.com/FreeThinkIns Global Cornell Online Community, which can be accessed on Discord https://cornellonlinecommunity.com/ Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley

Howie Singer ’77, ’79 (ORIE) is an expert on the implications of new technology in the music industry. In 15 years at Warner Music Group, he served as SVP and Chief Strategic Technologist analyzing services and companies that could enhance or threaten WMG’s businesses. As a Strategic Consultant to Universal Music Group, MQA Ltd, and other start-ups, he currently advises on products, services, and technologies related to high-resolution music, Artificial Intelligence, podcasts, and streaming data analysis. He is co-author of a new book, "Key Changes: The Ten Times Technology Transformed the Music Industry." Howie can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/howiesinger/ Check out his book: Key Changes https://www.amazon.com/Key-Changes-Technology-Transformed-Industry/dp/0197656900 Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley

Dr. Jarvis Sulcer ‘95, ‘98, COO and co-founder of Lingo Solutions Inc., shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, inspired by his experiences in nuclear science and engineering. Initially planning a career in academia, he shifted to industry for real-world experience, eventually founding a tutoring business and discovering a passion for entrepreneurship. At Lingo Solutions, Jarvis now focuses on developing coding kits for students and educators, empowering them with hands-on STEM learning. His daily role involves B2B sales, business development, and team leadership, but his primary motivation is creating transformative educational experiences. He can be found at: IG: @JDSulcer, X: @JDSulcer and LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarvis-sulcer-ph-d/ He recommends: LINGO’s subscription model B2C customers- https://stemlingo.com/products/lingo-stem-coding-subscription-box?selling_plan=946569260&variant=42193692524588 We are STEM Leaders notebook for youth- https://tinyurl.com/WeAreStemNotebook Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Editor: Melissa Bazley