Thursday, May 28, 2026
Opus College of Engineering Awards Conferral
Reception: 5:00 p.m. Conferral: 5:30 p.m.
Alumni Memorial Union, Monaghan Ballroom
REgister now
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award
Daniel S. Letter, Eng ’99
Ross, Calif.
Daniel Letter laughs when he thinks back to his confusion on move-in day at McCormick Hall. “It felt like everyone around me had a clear plan and a confident grasp of what was ahead, while I was still trying to understand what I had signed up for,” he recalls. Today, as CEO of Prologis, he sees that long-ago uncertainty as a gift. “It pushed me to work harder, ask questions and grow into the person Marquette helped shape,” he says.
Professional Achievement Award
Daniel R. Meckes, Eng ’82
Saint Louis, Mo.
Dan Meckes recently retired from a distinguished 42-year career with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, an engineering and consulting firm focused on civil infrastructure. “What I liked most about my job and my profession was being part of projects that positively shaped the communities we served and improved the quality of life for those community members,” he says.
Service Award
Teresa M. Sippel Schmidt, Eng ’87, Grad ’92
Okauchee, Wis.
When asked to define success, Teri Sippel Schmidt cites the Marquette motto, “Be the Difference.” In her fields of medical research and health care delivery, this means “you need to have the right values,” she says, “and keep the patient first, always.” She also believes in supporting fellow researchers with open-source data and encouraging students and the next generation of researchers. “They are the ones who will carry this work forward,” she says, “because this is a long journey.”
Young Alumnus of the Year Award
John C. Kennedy, Eng ’07
East Grand Rapids, Mich.
As chief technology officer for Autocam Medical, John Kennedy says Marquette prepared him for his career by teaching strong engineering fundamentals alongside the Marquette mission. “The values the university instilled in me — excellence, service, faith, leadership, and the commitment to be men and women for others — have shaped both my professional and personal journey,” he says.
