Notice of 2021 NYU Tandon Polytechnic Alumni Association Annual Meeting & Elections

Robert V. Jones is the founder of PReSafe Technologies and serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer. PReSafe Technologies is an emerging cyber security and operational security solution delivery company with an emphasis on protecting global digital assets supporting the nation, commercial business, critical infrastructure, and academic communities. Mr. Jones has more than 30 years of leadership and technology experience with increasing responsibility. In Feb 2014, the Government Technology Services Coalition (GTSC) at their annual award ceremony presented him with the Small Business Member of The Year Award. GTSC is a non-profit, non-partisan association of innovative, agile small and mid-sized company CEOs that create, develop, and implement solutions for the Federal homeland and national security sector. After a rigorous evaluation, PReSafe Technologies was selected by the US Small Business Administration (SBA) as a participant in the SBA’s 8(a) Small Business Development Program late in 2014. The 8(a) Program, covering a term of 9 years, is an essential instrument for helping entrepreneurs gain access to the economic mainstream of American society by enabling them to gain a foothold in government contracting. Prior to founding PReSafe Technologies.

Mr. Jones was Staff Director, IT Infrastructure and Operations with IEEE, Inc. (Inst. of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). There he led the architecture and IT service delivery across the organization for both enterprise infrastructure and ecommerce infrastructure with revenue from online subscription services approaching $200M annually. His direct responsibilities included cybersecurity strategy and implementation among others. Of notable achievement, he led his team to create and introduce a unique messaging service with innovative virus detection and SPAM management features to facilitate safer Internet communication for IEEE members. More than 100k IEEE members subscribed driving a volume of over 360M messages processed annually making it one of the most popular IEEE member benefits for some time. He has also held leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Brookhaven National Laboratory; Merck, Inc.; and Mars, Inc.

Mr. Jones holds a Master of Science from Polytechnic University (now NYU Tandon) and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN both in Electrical Engineering. He was among 145 students nationwide PReSafe Technologies, LLC P.O. Box 5872 Somerset, NJ 08875 www.PReSafetech.com named a full fellow by the National GEM Consortium to pursue graduate studies in engineering. Mr. Jones completed executive education programs including Leadership and Team Effectiveness at Yale University School of Management and Delivering Information Services at Harvard Business School. He is designated a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc., (ISC)2 ®. The Network Journal Magazine presented Mr. Jones with the 40 Under 40 Dynamic Achievers Award in 2003. He is a member of the International Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2 ® , the IEEE, InfraGard and GTSC, where he has served two terms as a Steering Committee member. Mr. Jones is a past member of the Security Industry Association (SIA); the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group (GPSEG), where he served the Technology Subgroup as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee; and the Anti Phishing Working Group (APWG). Mr. Jones shares his volunteer and philanthropic support with organization focused on alleviating hunger in his community including the Franklin Food Bank and Elijah’s Promises. 

Mr. Maimis brings close to 35 years of construction experience to his position as Senior Vice President for STV Construction, Inc., a project management and construction advisory firm. He is responsible for the oversight of numerous successfully executed and completed projects for higher education, healthcare, transportation centers, multi-tenant housing, and commercial clients.  Some of his past and current projects include the Jacob Javits Convention Expansion Project; Stevens Institute of Technology Academic Center and Dormitory; National September 11 Memorial and Museum; and Grand Central Terminal Restoration amongst others. His responsibilities typically involve the oversight and management of projects on behalf of his clients and of all construction activities from the early design phases thru completion and turn-over.

Mr. Maimis, as Senior Vice President for STV Construction, Inc. is responsible for the profitability, growth and overall operations on a variety of projects, ranging from commercial to institutional on notable projects and clients such as: Port Authority of NYNJ; Columbia University; New York University Langone Medical Center; United Airlines; and New York City Housing Authority.

Mr. Maimis is currently serving on the Board of Directors as Secretary of the PAA as well as Director and Treasurer of the Greater New York Constructions Users Council; the Board of Governors for the New York Building Foundation as well as serving as Director on the National Board of The Construction Management Association of America.  

He is an adjunct professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology and a guest lecturer at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is on the Civil Engineering Industry Advisory Board of Polytechnic Institute of NYU (now the NYU Tandon School of Engineering) and an active participant in mentoring NYU Tandon engineering students. He is a contributing member of The New York Building Congress higher educational and public building committees, US Green Building Council as well as The Urban Green Council.

Mr. Maimis holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York (now the NYU Tandon School of Engineering) and a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University. 

Ravi Islam graduated from NYU Tandon School of Engineering in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. During her undergraduate years, she was involved in a variety of organizations, such as Society of Women Engineers (SWE), American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChe), and K12 STEM Education. Ravi was a STEM Instructor and had the opportunity to teach a wide range of high school students from all five boroughs of NYC, which allowed her to introduce multiple disciplines of engineering for students who typically do not gain such exposure with the standard state curriculum. NYU Tandon has a large impact in providing NYC students the resources needed, free of cost, to explore their career options, especially in the field of STEM.  
 
Upon graduation, Ravi started her career at Con Edison as an Engineering Aide for the 74th Street Generating Station in the Environmental, Health & Safety department. She continued to attend NYU Tandon to pursue her Master's in Chemical Engineering. Working in a steam plant triggered her curiosity on the operational mechanisms of the various equipment used for generation. It was a major factor in changing her major to Mechanical Engineering. With a chemical and mechanical engineering background, she anticipated that the interconnection in disciplines allowed for proficient process engineering. Ravi moved on to Con Edison's rotational program, where she held multiple supervisory and leadership roles and completed the program, taking a position as a Chief Construction Inspector at East River Generating Station. 
 
As both a recent alumna and graduate student, Ravi hopes to use her position to engage with other recent alumni and current students to ensure that future efforts are cohesive and to work towards a common goal. She wants to ensure that as we continue to transition, NYU Tandon School of Engineering alumni are engaged in the current efforts the school is making, which includes expanding into new facilities and extensive research projects. Most importantly, Ravi wants to emphasize the importance of giving back to one's community and wishes to provide aid to Tandon's K12 STEM Education department and its efforts to provide middle and high school students the opportunity to delve into the multiple disciplines of engineering. 

Mohammed Alsherebi is a Global Management Consultant with expertise in strategy, innovation, and investment for companies expanding to the Middle East.

As a Senior Partner at Kada-Management Consulting, a firm that specializes in advising companies expanding to the Middle East, Mohammed heads the Strategy, Investment, and Innovation Division. He guides his clients—major global organizations in the finance, energy, health care, retail, high-tech, and public sectors—in achieving their critical business goals: revenue growth, market-entry, country expansion, product development, pricing improvements, cost reduction, mergers and acquisitions, turnarounds, and other strategic issues. He concurrently serves as Senior Partner at Centeleon where, as head of the Global Private Equity Value Creation Division, he also crafts improvement strategies for portfolio companies of global private equity investors, including those in the Middle Eastern markets.

Mohammed has forged strong partnerships with top management consulting firms, serving on the Executive Global Panel for the world’s largest management consulting firm since 2012. He is a board member with several esteemed global institutions, a recognized thought leader, and visiting professor, and he has published several articles and contributed to books on management and the digital economy. He was recently named to the lists “Private Equity’s 30 Under 30” and the “Modern Management’s Top 100 Most Influential”.

Schillivia Baptiste is the co-founder and CEO of Laland Baptiste and Baptiste Engineering. She has more than 17 years of experience in the civil engineering industry. She has particular expertise in site and land development. She has a strong understanding of the civil design process and has worked with clients in both the public and private sectors. Mrs. Baptiste’s expertise includes conceptual site planning; drainage design; design of septic and sewer collection systems; environmental review; zoning and land use analysis; and subdivision planning and design. She also has designed waterfront structures including bulkheads and docks. Mrs. Baptiste is a New York and New Jersey licensed Professional Engineer. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Polytechnic University and a master’s degree from Polytechnic Institute of New York University (now the NYU Tandon School of Engineering). She serves on the local and national boards for Professional Women in Construction. She is also an alumna and mentor of the ACE Mentor Program. As a member of the International Board of Directors of the Polytechnic Alumni Association, she desires to engage in ways to encourage young girls and boys to enter the field of engineering. Her hope is that as a collective, the board would be able to reach the K-12 age group through intentional STEM-based programs, activities, and initiatives. She strongly believes that children believe they can be what they see. It is important for the upcoming generation to see this Poly alumna, native to Brooklyn and of Caribbean descent, in the civil engineering industry, running this race to pass the baton to them. 

Mohammed S. Ghouri brings over 25 years of experience in various management capacities to his position as founder and principal of Andalus Capital. He has worked in various industries including aviation, telecom, and finance. He has held managerial positions at Ivy Investment Management, Verizon, Atlas Air, and Tower Air. As the Founder of Andalus Capital, he specializes in creating ethical and socially responsible investment strategies serving: high net-worth individuals and families, trusts and estates, family offices, employer-sponsored retirements and pensions, unions, and nonprofits. He also holds the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination (S65) license and is an active member of the alumni associations of NYU and Cornell University. Mr. Ghouri grew up in a modest family in India. He attended Osmania University to earn his undergraduate degree. He then earned a Master of Science from New York University, a Master’s in Business Administration from the Johnson School at Cornell, and Diversity Management Certification at the Industrial and Labor Relations School at Cornell University. In addition to being a loyal member of the NYU Alumni Association for many years, he sought to give back to NYU students and give them more options and opportunities. He mentors NYU students and gives them intern positions at Andalus capital. He helps them learn about finance and get connected in the industry. They are offered invaluable work experience while also being aided in landing a job of their choice upon graduation, whether in finance or another industry. Filling one of the open seats as an International Board of Director member would allow Mr. Ghouri another opportunity to give back to NYU and its students through service. Taking on this role would allow him to be more present in the Alumni Association, and it will also give him the ability to work with the current students and future leaders in technology and finance. He is eager to facilitate synergy between students and alumni by integrating his global experience and diverse background into all the wonderful work done by the Polytechnic Alumni Association.

Purva Gujarathi completed her Bachelor’s in Computer Science from India. After completing an undergraduate degree, she worked for 3 years with Cognizant Technology Solutions to implement FATCA regulation for a leading UK investment bank. To further enhance her career growth, she embarked on her journey to pursue a M.S. in Management of Technology degree from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. She currently works at Bank of America in New York. She is armed with 7+ years of experience in Risk and Process Management and is a trusted advisor to executive leadership with a proven ability to innovate and create value by focusing on process improvements and automation. Understanding the implications of changing visa policies, Purva mentors graduating students in job searching, skill development, and resume review. She looks forward to contributing to the development of current and prospective students with the help of her professional and personal journey.

Johnny Lai is currently the Principal Consultant and Vice President of the technology development company EnCADIS. He leads product management and system engineering efforts towards the development of products for IoT, internet, telecom, medical, industrial, and consumer markets.
 
Johnny's career started at AT&T Bell Labs and Lucent Technologies Bell Labs, in the development of digital cross-connect and optical transport systems. As a member of the Technical Staff, he held positions as such as systems engineer, hardware designer, software developer, system tester, and project manager. After advancing to a product business management role as senior product manager, he led a team and oversaw the development program of optical networking systems. Johnny was awarded the title of Lucent Technologies Distinguished Business Professional. After Bell Labs, Johnny took an entrepreneurial career path, working for and co-founding technology startups in telecom, digital TV, and high-performance computing fields.
Johnny holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (1985) from Polytechnic Institute of New York (now NYU Tandon School of Engineering). He is currently a Cyber Fellow and a candidate (2022) for the Master of Science in Cybersecurity degree at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He also holds a Master of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration from the New York University Stern School of Business.

Johnny has been involved with the Polytechnic Alumni Association (PAA) for the past 16 years. He was a member on International Board of Directors (2005-2008) and Audit Committee (2009-2015), having served as Chair of the Audit Committee from 2011 to 2015. He is currently a member of the Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (i2e) Committee.

On the International Board of Directors, Johnny hopes to bridge Poly/Tandon students and alumni together, and share his expertise and industry experience to benefit the community.

Dr. Sehic has over 20 years of experience in various aspects of pre-construction; design; construction; and program/project management. As Associate Director of Group PMX’s Business Consulting Division, he plays a key role in leading the project control group in project planning/scheduling; project risk analysis; cost estimating; and Building Information Modeling (BIM) on an extensive range of public and private projects including hospitals; airports; government buildings; highways, colleges/universities; environmental plants; and research and development facilities. 

Dr. Sehic is also currently an adjunct professor at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering teaching in the Department of Construction Management/Civil Engineering and is a guest lecturer at the Pratt Institute, Columbia University, and Manhattan College. Prior to coming to Group PMX, Dr. Sehic was a Project Controls Specialist at STV, Inc. where he served in several capacities including BIM Project Controls Specialist, Project Controls Engineer, Project Engineer and Risk Assessor. Dr. Adis holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.