Engineering Our Sustainable Future

Greenway Advisors

Thomas
Advisor

Thomas L. Peeples, Jr.

Rachel Koh
Advisor

Dr. Rachel Koh

Atwood Headshot
Advisor

Dr. Sara Atwood

Ulseth
Advisor

Dr. Ron Ulseth

Vicente Headshot
Advisor

Dr. Sophia Vicente

Donald Headshot
Advisor

Donald Ger, MBA

Advisor

Thomas L. Peeples, Jr.

he/him
Thomas L. Peeples, Jr. is a graduate and adjunct faculty member of RIT in Mechanical Engineering. Thomas is a Sr. Technical Project Manager, in the Global Off-Highway Product Development Group at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Thomas is a 5-time NCAA All-American, member of the RIT Sports Hall of Fame, and recipient of the Walls-Olsen Memorial Scholarship for “Outstanding Contribution to Student Life”. Thomas is a retired US Navy Officer where he served in various Surface Warfare roles onboard the USS Fletcher (DD-992) and the USS Hewitt (DD-966). Thomas is actively engaged in the community, current president of the Goodyear Veterans Association, and a graduate of the 2018-2019 Goodyear Community Leadership Institute. Thomas is the recipient of the US Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine 2020 Stephanie C. Hill Black Engineer of the Year “Legacy Award”. Thomas is passionate about student engagement and leadership. Originally from Boston, MA, he is married and has three teen-aged children.

Advisor

Dr. Rachel Koh

they/them
Dr. Rachel Koh is a founding faculty member at Greenway with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Vermont and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. Koh has previously taught at Lafayette and Smith Colleges. At Smith College’s department of engineering, Koh taught engineering courses in Fluid Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, Sustainable Materials, and Dynamics. At Greenway, Koh will develop, pilot and teach our innovative, 100% hands-on, project-based, lecture-free engineering modules and programs. They will work to develop sustainable engineering courses and programs and support the development of a collaborative and inclusive culture on campus. Koh brings research expertise in wind turbine design and plant-based composite materials. Dr. Koh shares Greenway’s ambition to redesign engineering education and believes in the mission to empower every student to thrive in engineering.

Advisor

Dr. Sara Atwood

Dr. Sara Atwood is the Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science and Professor of Engineering at Elizabethtown College. She holds a B.A. and M.S. in Engineering Science from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Atwood has been actively involved in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) throughout her career and is the recipient of the Mara Washburn Early Engineering Educator Grant from the Women in Engineering Division. She co-authored the Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Paper in 2018.

Atwood also serves as an ABET program evaluator, co-author of the Inclusive Engineering Mindset and Blueprint initiatives, a Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) Leader, and an elected member of the ASEE Engineering Dean’s Council Executive Committee. She has published in the Journal of Engineering Education and Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering and has secured over $2 million in NSF funding for engineering education, including work in the Broadening Participation program in partnership with Greenway Institute.

Advisor

Dr. Ron Ulseth

Ron Ulseth is the founder and director of the Iron Range Engineering program in Minnesota. His other appointments include as External Associate Professor at the Aalborg University UNESCO Center for Problem Based Learning in Denmark and as an unlimited full-time instructor in the Minnesota North College engineering program. He has been in the classroom, teaching more than 20 credits per year for more than 30 years. Ron is a social entrepreneur who has been at the leading edge of engineering educational change. He has earned multiple awards for innovation and entrepreneurialism. His degrees are in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and engineering education. A retired Commander as an Engineering Officer in the US Navy reserve, he is also licensed as a professional engineer in the state of Minnesota.

Advisor

Dr. Sophia Vicente

she/her
Sophia Vicente, PhD is an Engineering Education Researcher and is currently a Postdoctoral Associate with Elizabethtown College, where she is supporting research and assessment of a Spring 2025 work-integrated learning pilot semester with Greenway. She earned her PhD in Engineering Education and Masters of Engineering in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech, as well as a Bachelors in Industrial Engineering from Penn State. Sophia has over six years of experience in engineering education and her work focuses on experiential learning, engineering internships, and workforce development. Outside of her research, Sophia has served as a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She has also led research and assessment initiatives for the Student Opportunities in Applied Research (SOAR) internship program at Penn State’s Applied Research Lab. Sophia is passionate about bridging research, practice, and policy to improve professional pathways in engineering.

Advisor

Donald Ger, MBA

he/him
Donald Ger received a B.A. degree in communications from George Washington University, a general course certificate from the London School of Economics and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He currently works as a consultant, advising non-profit organizations on increasing their impact within the communities they serve.

He is passionate about affecting change for marginalized communities and individuals who find themselves in economically depressed circumstances. He firmly believes new ideas and approaches are critical to increasing economic mobility.

He served as Managing Director, Strategy & Administration, at the GreenLight Fund, a venture philanthropy fund with a mission to transform the lives of children, youth and families in high poverty urban areas. Before that he spent nearly 12 years at Year Up, as National Director in several areas (most recently of Scale and Impact). Year Up’s mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults the skills, experience and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional skills and education. Donald served in a variety of senior leadership roles to support the growth and impact of the organization while also advising and coaching 100s of young adults. Prior to working at Year Up, Donald spent 15 years working in the private sector in a variety of roles and industries.