Russell L. Agrusa (BS EE ’76)is founder, president and CEO of Massachusetts-based ICONICS Inc., a major developer of open-connectivity and standards-based visualization software, HMI and supervisory-control and data-acquisition applications for manufacturing and building automation.

Agrusa, a Dean's Advisory Council (DAC) member since 2005 and Delta Society member, was awarded the School's highest honor, the Dean's Award for Achievement, in 2010. He and his wife Paula, also a UB alum, have strongly supported education at UB and the School through their generous gifts, including a gift to Barbara and Jack Davis Hall, which names the Agrusa Auditorium.

He cites his UB degree as a great contributor to his personal success. In his May 2010 commencement address he stated, "I believe universities are the incubators of ideas and jobs, helping create the future generations of engineers and computer scientists in Western New York and across the country."

Gina Bronkie Hammond (MS CS ’73) enjoyed a career of almost 40 years in progressively challenging positions on the leading edge of the computer science and engineering industry field, most recently as Director of Integrated and Support Operations of the Capital Region Army Programs at CSC (formerly Computer Sciences Corporation).

At CSC, Hammond managed sophisticated contracts employing hundreds of employees. Her work spanned many different areas of governmental contracting in both civilian and defense divisions.

Hammond, the 2009 recipient of the Dean's Award for Achievement, is an active DAC member, and was the first to contribute a major gift in support of the new engineering building, Davis Hall. Her gift, which names a CSE lab in her honor, reflects Hammond's confidence in UB Engineering's future, and its comprehensive vision to positively impact positively the region, the state, and beyond, through collaboration and research innovations.

James D. Boyle (BS CIE ’78)has been an enthusiastic, dedicated UB Engineering Alumni Association (UBEAA) volunteer and leader for over 20 years. Boyle is a long-standing board member and has held the position of UBEAA board president for the past three years, having served the organization continuously since 1991. He works tirelessly to recruit members and always assists with the organization's premier events.

During his tenure as UBEAA president, participation in UBEAA-sponsored events has increased each year, and membership has also risen. In addition to the UBEAA's premier events – the UB Engineering Tailgate party at UB Football games, and the UB Engineers at UB Basketball, which hosts a pizza reception – UBEAA also sponsors important student scholarships and several other student activities and popular alumni activities, which build spirit and foster engineering education. These include the annual Engineer of the Year Award; a kickoff celebration for Engineers Week; and the Order of the Engineer, a national effort to foster a spirit of pride and responsibility in the engineering profession.

Boyle has had a long and varied career as a civil engineer, working on many significant projects for both the Erie County Highway Department and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he is currently a civil engineer. Boyle' and his wife, Ellen (UB Nursing ’78) have two children, Thomas and Katie.