Spring 2025 Commencement! - Systems Engineering

We have 40 amazing graduates in Spring & Summer 2025! An impressive 18 earned a Ph.D., two earned their D.Eng., 15 received master’s degrees, and five received certificates.

Here’s a list of the graduates followed by select testimonials.

Congratulations to the graduates for this great achievement!

KJeremiah Gayle, D.Eng.

Daniel Johnson, D.Eng.

Julius Abayateye, Ph.D.

Penny Ali Pour, Ph.D.

Tom Booth, Ph.D.

Jen Giang, Ph.D.

Maryam Gracias, Ph.D.

Ryan Hilger, Ph.D.

Ricole Johnson, Ph.D.

Greg Magone, Ph.D.

Seth Mason (Kurt-Mason), Ph.D.

Timi Oguntola, Ph.D.

Flavio Ortolano, Ph.D.

Jason Pope, Ph.D.

Ricky Reyna, Ph.D.

Edan Sanchez , Ph.D.

Kelvin Shorts, Ph.D.

Trae Span, Ph.D.

James Wheaton, Ph.D.

Robin Yeman, Ph.D.

Sean Bumgarner, M.S.

Jacob Weimann, M.S.

Mercy Ngulat, M.S.

Tyler Biggs, M.S.

Ziraddin Gulumjanli, M.S.

Elijah Kiplimo, M.S.

Trevor Lanigan, M.S.

Guillermo Vizarreta Luna, M.S.

Katelyn Whiting, M.S.

Robert McNeely, M.E.

Janine Musnit, M.E.

Victoria Holt, M.E.

Kim Tan, M.E.

David Byington, M.E.

Kelly VandeKoppel, M.E.

Seth Mares, Certificate

Luke Taulbee, Certificate

Evan Birt, Certificate

Maria DiValentin, Certificate

Maddie Frappier, Certificate

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Tom Booth, Ph.D.

Hometown:

Syracuse, Utah

Current Home:

West Point, Utah

Dissertation Title:

Yet Another MBSE Method (YAMM): An Agile and Empirically-based Unified MDAO Methodology for Software-centric Data Systems

Advisor:

Prof. Sudipto Ghosh

Favorite Memory:

“I was fully remote for my entire time at CSU. My most satisfying memories were those moments of clarity during lectures and homework when I learned the foundational principles that I could apply to my projects at work and how my dissertation could fit into these projects.”

Post-Graduation Plans:

“Continue to work for the USAF applying my new methodology and possibly start my own business.”

Thanks:

“I'd like to thank my wife, Dayna, and my kids, Cole, Avery, and Elliott, for the patience they showed while I worked and went to school for my Ph.D. Many thanks to my graduate advisor Professor Ghosh for being patient with me as I wrote my abnormally long dissertation and all the guidance he gave me along the way. I'd also like to thank Dr. Dan Herber, Dr. Steve Simske, and Dr. Chuck Anderson for their great classes that contributed to my moments of clarity.”

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Jen Giang, Ph.D.

Hometown:

Cincinnati, Ohio

Current Home:

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Dissertation or thesis title (if applicable):

Safeguarding Sensitive Data _ Prompt Engineering for GenAI

Advisor or faculty mentor:

Dr. Steven J. Simske

Favorite memory:

“This whole journey has been one I'll never forget. The trips to Fort Collins, the happiness after passing my preliminary and final exams. Lastly, all the great people I have met on this journey from faculty, fellow students, and mentors.”

Post-graduation plans:

“Continue my career in the Defense/Space Industry as a Systems Lead.”

Any thanks you'd like to share:

“Thank you for my advisor, Dr. Simske, for your support, quick responses, guidance, and inspiration. Thank you to my friends and family who have supported me through this journey and beyond.”

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Ryan Hilger, Ph.D.

Hometown:

North Oaks, MN

Current Home:

Washington, D.C.

Dissertation Title:

A Data-Driven Semantic Analysis of Cyber and Resilience Frameworks against an Interdisciplinary Understanding of Resilience Concepts across Time and Scale

Advisor:

Dr. Simske

Favorite memory:

“I may have been a remote student, but I enjoyed every trip to campus I was able to make, whether for a preliminary or final defense, or a random trip just to meet Dr. Simske for dinner to chat.”

Post-graduation plans:

“I'm an active duty Navy officer—back to work!”

Any thanks you'd like to share:

“I owe tremendous thanks to my wife, Heather, for her unwavering support over the last four years, and to Dr. Simske, whose promptness and wisdom made this journey an absolute pleasure.”

Ricole Johnson, Ph.D.

Hometown:

Plainfield, New Jersey

Current Home:

Seattle, Washington

Dissertation Title:

Evaluating and Enhancing User Trust in Urban Air Mobility Autonomous Passenger Systems

Advisor:

Dr. Erika Gallegos

Favorite memory:

“Spending time on campus conducting virtual air taxi flight experiments.”

Post-graduation plans:

“Advance my leadership role and contributions in the field of aviation innovation.”

Any thanks you'd like to share:

“I am beyond thankful for the guidance, patience and overall support of my advisor, Dr. Erika Gallegos. Sincere thanks are also extended to my doctoral committee, Dr. Simske, Dr. Quinn, Dr. Atadero and Dr. Conrad, with a special shout out of appreciation to Steve and Rebecca who were a huge help in recruiting students to participate in my research experiment. Thank you to Dr. Bradley and Ingrid, and the entire faculty and staff of the Systems Engineering Department for providing an excellent program experience and the opportunity of a lifetime. Last but not least, I’d like to thank my family- my husband Paul, son Roman, mom Charlene, sisters Robin and Renee and niece Zoë, for their love and encouragement throughout the journey.”

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Greg Magone, Ph.D.

Hometown:

Whitefish, Montana

Current Home:

Seattle, Washington

Dissertation title:

A Scalable Systems Architecture for CubeSat Test & Evaluation for Enhanced Mission Success

Advisor or faculty mentor:

Dr. Steven Simske

Post-graduation plans:

“Plan to continue working at Boeing as Flight Test Engineer.”

Any thanks you'd like to share:

“I would like to thank my wife, Stephanie, and my two children, Hailey and Sophia, for their enduring support during my years of academic endeavors. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Steven Simske, for his reading my endless emails and providing coaching and guidance along the way. Finally, I would like to thank Colorado State University for making the option of an online Doctor of Philosophy in Systems Engineering program available to people like me.”

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Olurotimi “Timi” Oguntola, Ph.D.

Hometown:

Igbaja, Nigeria

Current Home:

Mooresville, North Carolina

Dissertation or thesis title:

Engineering of Intelligent Systems for Sustainable Cement Manufacturing

Advisor or faculty mentor:

Dr. Steve Simske

Favorite memory:

“My first Intellectual Property and Invention Systems class.”

Post-graduation plans:

“Post doctorate research and consulting solving complex problems with systems engineering principles.”

Any thanks you'd like to share:

“Big thanks to Dr. Steve Simske for his support and guidance throughout the program, especially through tough times. To my wife, Arinola, for having my back. And to Tumi, Firę, and Fayo for bearing with me on family time trade-offs.”

Anything else you'd like to say?

Matthew 6: 33-34 - “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

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Flavio Ortolano, Ph.D.

Hometown

São Paulo, Brazil

Current Home

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Dissertation

Toward a Human-AI Collaboration Maturity Model for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Advisor

Dr. Erika Gallegos

Favorite Memory

“Working through the final stages of my dissertation while collaborating with outstanding professionals during focus group sessions, and seeing academic research meet real-world application was incredibly rewarding. As an online student, being able to visit the Fort Collins campus, join a few courses in person, meet some of the faculty face-to-face, and absorb the vibrant university atmosphere focused on learning and growth was an unforgettable experience.”

Post-Graduation Plans

“I plan to continue advancing the responsible integration of AI into business practices, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. I will focus on blending systems engineering principles with AI adoption strategies in my current role as Chief Information Officer at TuGo Insurance, while also exploring opportunities to contribute to academic research and Employee-AI Collaboration practices and standards in North and Latin America.”

Any Thanks You'd Like to Share

“I am deeply grateful to my advisor, Dr. Erika Gallegos, one of the most hard-working and inspiring individuals I have ever met. Her ability to see the big picture while clearing a path forward was instrumental in helping me progress. Her energy, focus, and contagious motivation made an enormous difference, and my accomplishments would not have been possible without her guidance. I also thank my family, colleagues, and my committee members for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout this journey.”

Anything Else You'd Like to Say?

“The future belongs to those who can bridge human insight and ingenuity with technological innovation. I am excited to continue building that bridge, one meaningful collaboration at a time. I would also like to recognize Mrs. Ingrid Bridge, whose keen eye for detail and relentless guidance were instrumental in helping me reach this milestone, and Dr. Thomas Bradley, whose empathy, and support made an impactful difference throughout my journey. Their influence will stay with me long after graduation.”

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Ricky Reyna, Ph.D.

Hometown

Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico

Current Home

Austin, TX

Dissertation title

Improving Test Case Diversity for Functional Testing in Computer Vision-Based Systems

Advisor

Dr. Steve Simske

Favorite memory

“Anytime I sent an email to my advisor, I’d tell my wife, ‘He’ll reply in seconds’ – and he always did! He was incredibly responsive and supportive throughout my journey.”

Post-graduation plans

“I plan to continue working at D&B for now. In the future, I hope to lead a QA team and apply the experiments from my dissertation to real-world projects. I also aspire to teach others about software testing and artificial intelligence.”

Special Thanks

“I’d like to thank God for giving me the strength and encouragement to overcome every challenge during this journey. I’m deeply grateful to my wife for her unwavering support, and to my children and parents for always being there for me.”

Anything else you’d like to share?

"A fun fact for new PhD students: you'll likely keep carrying your backpack everywhere—even after graduation!"

Kelvin Shorts, Ph.D.

Hometown

Houston, Texas

Current Home

Denver, Colorado

Dissertation title

Navigating The Maze: The Effectiveness of Manufacturer Support in Applying User-Controlled Security and Privacy Features

Advisor

Dr. Steve Simske

Favorite Memory

“Enjoying dinner with my advisor, Dr. Simske, together with CSU Systems Engineering faculty members and fellow Ph.D. students after presenting at the INCOSE Western States Conference.”

Post Grad Plans

“Continue to do research! My dissertation revealed several promising directions for future work, particularly in Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence and I plan to research further in these areas.”

Thanks

“Thank you to my advisor, Dr. Steve Simske, for your guidance, insight, and support through this process. Thank you to my committee and everyone in the Systems Engineering department for their professionalism and expertise, my experience with the CSU program has been fantastic.”

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Trae Span, Ph.D.

Hometown:

Seminole, FL

Current Home:

Fort Walton Beach, FL

Dissertation or thesis title (if applicable):

Eliciting Cybersecurity Goals for Cyber-Physical System Conceptual Design

Advisor:

Jeremy Daily

Favorite memory:

“Dr. Daily and I presented papers together all over the world. From Austria to Ireland and even British Columbia, my favorite memories were our travels together and the excitement of those international conferences.”

Post-graduation plans:

“I have returned to full time Active Duty USAF. I am currently assigned as a System's Engineer at Eglin AFB.”

Any thanks you'd like to share:

“I am extremely grateful to the CSU Faculty as a whole, but specifically Dr. Marzolf, Dr. Simske, Dr. Bradley, and Dr. Daily. I am appreciative for the support of not only my program but of all the Active Duty on-campus students.

Dr. Daily, thank you for your mentorship and our friendship along the way. This experience would not have been the same without you.

I also want to thank my wife Katie and my family and friends for all their support.”

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Robin Yeman, Ph.D.

Hometown

Oneida, New York

Current Home

Winter Park, Florida

Dissertation title

Agile for Large-Scale Safety-Critical, Cyber-Physical LS/SC/CP Systems

Advisor or faculty mentor

Dr. Yashwant Malaiya

Favorite memory

“Telling my family, I passed after Defense.”

Post-graduation plans

“Senior Architect at Leidos.”

Thanks you’d like to give

“Thank you to Dr. Malaiya, Dr. Bradley, Dr. Simske, Dr. Adams, Dr. Herber, Dr. Arneson, and Ingrid Bridge for guiding me through the program. Thank you to my family for believing in me.”

Anything else you’d like to share?

“Continuous learning is a gift!”

Trevor Lanigan, M.S.

Hometown

West Bloomfield, Michigan

Current Home

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Thesis

Factors Influencing Driver Response Toward an Instrument Cluster

Cyberattack: Experience, Awareness, and Training

Advisor

Dr. Erika Gallegos

Favorite memory

“Completing the final research drive trial with our 50th participant was the most rewarding moment of my graduate school journey. After a long summer of data collection, reaching that milestone felt like the perfect culmination of our hard work and commitment.”

Post-graduation plans

“Continue my career as an officer in the US Space Force.”

Thanks you’d like to give

"I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Dr. Jeremy Daily and Dr. Erika Gallegos. From the moment I learned about my opportunity to attend graduate school, they were the first to invite me into the program. Their unwavering support and guidance from the beginning of my journey at Colorado State University have been invaluable, and none of this would have been possible without them.

"I also want to express my profound gratitude to my instructors from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Among them are Dr. Jade Driggs, Dr. Trae Span, Dr. Stu Turner, Dr. Chad Tossell, Dr. Nate Deming, Dr. James Walliser, and Dr. Jeff Newcamp, though this list is by no means exhaustive. Your passion and dedication galvanized my interest in Systems and Human Factors Engineering and inspired me to pursue a graduate degree. Dr. Trae Span’s continued mentorship as both a graduate student and a military officer has been truly essential to my success during my time here.

"Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the faculty, staff, and fellow students of Colorado State University, especially those in the Department of Systems Engineering. I owe a special thanks to Dr. Deb Dandaneau for her exceptional administrative support, which has ensured my smooth and successful navigation through the program. Additionally, none of this would have been possible without my research partner, Tyler Biggs."