Our 2026 Distinguished Alumni
Chief Justice Loretta Rush | Chief Justice of Indiana
Chief Justice Rush, Indiana’s first female chief justice, has led Indiana’s judiciary since August 2014 after being appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court in November 2012 by Governor Mitch Daniels. Chief Justice Rush has led both state and national initiatives relating to mental health, addiction, and access to justice. She has served as the President of the Conference of Chief Justices and Chair of the National Center for State Courts. As Chief Justice, she is responsible for supervising Indiana’s judicial branch. This supervision includes working with the state legislature to secure funding and allocate resources appropriately and overseeing a multi-agency central administrative office that handles everything from caseload measures, innovation, and technology updates to the admission and discipline of lawyers.
She earned her undergraduate degree from Purdue University in 1980 and her law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, both with honors. While at Purdue, she was a member of Alpha Phi Sorority, was appointed to represent Purdue at the West Point Student Conference on U.S. Affairs, and participated in the Newman Center St. Thomas-prison ministry Medaryville.
Dr. Amber Johnson Avery | Co-founder / CEO NextGenEdu
Dr. Amber Johnson Avery earned her PhD in Computer Science from Purdue University (2019), becoming the first Black woman to achieve this distinction, and also holds two Master’s Degrees in Computer Science from Jackson State University (2013) and Purdue (2017), and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from LeMoyne-Owen College (2011).
She is the CEO of NextGenEdu, a technology company advancing career discovery and workforce development for students. With experience spanning software engineering, research, and entrepreneurship, Dr. Amber Johnson Avery develops innovative technologies that expand access to opportunity and empower the next generation. She also serves on several nonprofit boards, including The Bean Path, supporting technology and entrepreneurship initiatives.
Lieutenant General (Retired), U.S. Army Karen Gibson | Founder / CEO, Hyalite Strategy Group, LLC
General Gibson holds two master’s degrees in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University (2009) and Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University (1997), and a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University (1987).
Following her commissioning from Purdue University’s ROTC program, she served as an Army intelligence officer for 33 years. Her career highlights include roles as Director of Intelligence for U.S. Central Command, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Deputy Commanding General for the Army’s Cyber Command. After retiring as a three-star general, she served four years in the Capitol as the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms.
General Gibson now serves as Founder/CEO of the Hyalite Strategy Group, LLC, where she provides geopolitical insights and strategic advisory support to financial firms, large companies, and technology firms across the country.
Mr. Pablo Puente | Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, JPMorganChase
Pablo serves as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JPMorganChase in Chicago. As a member of the Innovation, Data, Analytics & AI legal team, he focuses on fintech partnerships, credit innovation, data, and the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. His extensive legal background includes roles at Citadel and as a finance attorney with Mayer Brown and Sidley Austin.
A proud Boilermaker, Pablo earned his B.S. from the Daniels School of Business in 2013 before completing his J.D. at Indiana University in 2016. While at Purdue, Pablo was a member of Delta Sigma Pi, Mortar Board, and Iron Key.
Mr. Melvin Lenzy | Vice President of Marketing, Brand & Creative, Sweetwater
Melvin Lenzy is a dynamic marketing and brand executive whose career spans some of the most influential organizations in sports, entertainment, and consumer products. He has held leadership roles across the National Football League, Nike, EA Sports, NBA 2K, and Legends, where he served as Chief Brand & Innovation Officer. He later led brand strategy at VP Racing Fuels and now serves as Vice President of Marketing, Brand & Creative at Sweetwater. Known for blending storytelling with performance marketing, Lenzy has built a reputation for driving growth, shaping culture, and delivering impactful omnichannel brand experiences.
Melvin earned his BA in Sociology from Purdue in 1995 and a Master of Education in Sports Administration from Xavier in 1996. While at Purdue, he was a Residence Hall Counselor and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.
Dr. Cory Nguyen | Sr. Director of Strategic Counter Adversary Research & Overwatch Labs, CrowdStrike
Cory leads the OverWatch R&D and Engineering team at Crowdstrike, responsible for providing services and technologies that allow analysts to find and track adversaries with a mission to protect customers globally. He holds numerous patents domestically and internationally related to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and previously worked at the Department of Justice on cases related to e-crime and national security.
He holds a BS, MS, and PhD in Computer & Information Technology from Purdue University and was formerly a DoD NDSEG Fellow as well as a Resident Assistant and Staff Resident at Purdue University Residences. In his spare time, he grows gourmet mushrooms and dances competitively in Ballroom Standard and American Smooth. He loves to travel, capture the world as a landscape and portrait photographer, and share his passion for the underwater world as a professional Divemaster.
Dr. Mary Lee Gambone | Retired Senior Fellow & Head of Materials Engineering, Rolls-Royce
Dr. Mary Lee Gambone has been a materials engineer for more than 40 years. She earned her BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue in 1982, an MS in Metallurgy from MIT in 1984, and a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Virginia in 1995. She retired from Rolls-Royce after 26 years of service in 2024. Prior to retiring, she spent 16 years as Head of Materials Engineering for the company and became the first woman in Rolls-Royce history to hold the title of Senior Fellow in 2022. As Global Head of Materials Engineering, she led a team of more than 500 people across Asia, North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, providing technical materials solutions for company products throughout their entire life cycle—from development to production and service.
Dr. Gambone serves on the Purdue MSE Advisory Committee, is a member of the SAE International Board of Directors, and is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis. She recently moved to western New York with her husband, Doug Brooks, and has two children.
Dr. Jonathan Oskvarek | Emergency Physician & Research Director, US Acute Care Solutions/ Summa Health
Jonathan Oskvarek, MD, MBA, is an emergency physician and emerging leader in academic medicine and healthcare innovation. After graduating from Purdue University with a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience, he earned both his MD and MBA before completing his emergency medicine residency at the University of Chicago. He now serves as Research Director at Summa Health and is actively involved in early-stage healthcare venture investing.
While at Purdue, Jonathan served as Vice President of the Caduceus Pre-Med Club, was an editor and columnist for The Exponent, and was selected as a student responder at commencement. He was also an active member of the Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honor Society and Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society.
Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon | Chief Program Officer, Advocates for Human Potential, inc.
Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon is Chief Program Officer at Advocates for Human Potential, Inc., where she leads national behavioral health training, consultation, research, and evaluation initiatives. She previously served as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and led SAMHSA, where she helped advance national behavioral health priorities. During her tenure, she helped launch the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and supported expanded naloxone distribution, contributing to the first reduction in overdose deaths in more than five years. A former Connecticut behavioral health Commissioner and Yale faculty member, she earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Purdue University and is known for advancing recovery-oriented and culturally responsive systems.
Ms. Nilofer Rajpurkar | Product Manager Lead, Stripe
Nilofer Rajpurkar is a Product Manager Lead at Stripe, building economic infrastructure that enables businesses on the internet to grow. She previously built developer tools at GitHub and Microsoft. Nilofer gives back as an NYC[x] Innovation Fellow with U.S. Digital Response, a TEALS (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools program) computer science teacher, a member of the Seattle Arts Commission, and a Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Alumni Board member.
Nilofer graduated from Purdue in 2017 with her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering before returning to pursue an M.S. in Business Analytics, which she earned in 2022. While on campus, she was a Host Co-Chair of Old Masters Central Committee, the SOC Chair of Boiler Gold Rush, a founding member of Purdue’s Kappa Delta chapter, and a member of PESC.