Advisory Council — Emeritus Members

The Student Life Advisory Council advises division leadership, advocates for its programs and assists with the development of its services.

Meet Our Emeritus Members

See below for information on emeritus members of the Student Life Advisory Council.

Diamond Adamitis

Diamond Adamitis graduated from Purdue in 2016 with a BS from the College of Science. At Purdue, Diamond served numerous roles within Dining & Culinary. Spending over four years as a student employee, Diamond worked her way into the position of Windsor Dining Court student manager and coordinator. This position opened doors to become a student representative for dining and student employment during STAR (Summer Transition, Advising and Registration), for the Dining & Culinary Student Advisory Council, and for the Student Life Advisory Board.

During her tenure, she worked as a student supervisor at other dining locations, served meals during PALS (Purdue Athletes Life Success) summer camp, and assisted with Jumpstart, an early employment program. As a student, she participated in ecology and entomology research, Purdue Community Standards Board, club rugby and LYNX of Omega Phi Chi Multicultural Sorority Inc.

Diamond lives in her hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana, working as a chemist for AIT Bioscience. She has been an active community member, volunteering as an assistant lab leader for STEM Scouts, a mentor for Starfish Initiative and a clarinet player in the Pride of Indy community band.

Kathy Adkins

Kathy Adkins graduated from Purdue with a BS degree in 1981. While at Purdue, Kathy was a member of the "All-American" Marching Band, participated in intramural sports and served as a residence hall counselor. After working for Purdue as a 4-H extension agent, Kathy decided to become a full-time mom.

In 1991, Kathy started the CREW Corporation. CREW is a specialty electrical contractor that also completes validation, commissioning and technical writing projects. The company employs 85 employees with revenue averaging $12 million a year. Kathy is now owner and president of the CREW Corporation.

She is a member of the board of directors for the Indiana chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association and also serves on both the apprenticeship and negotiation committees. Kathy is a lifelong supporter of 4-H, has served as a 4-H leader and on several different 4-H boards, and still judges many different 4-H competitions each summer. She lives on a 20-acre farm in Boone County, Indiana, with her husband, Jerry, four horses, some barn cats and a poodle. She has two grown children, Grant and Amanda, and one granddaughter, Kaelyn.

J. Richard Cummings

Richard Cummings is a 1967 BSEE graduate with a 1969 MSIA degree from Purdue's Krannert School of Management. After Krannert, Rich joined the First National Bank of Chicago (now part of JP Morgan Chase) and spent many years in commercial and real estate banking. Later on, Rich joined the Mizuho Corporate Bank Chicago Branch, where he managed a portfolio of electric and gas utilities, asset-backed securities and metropolitan Chicago-area large corporate accounts.

After retiring, Rich joined the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as part of the Resolutions and Receiverships Division, liquidating failed banks resulting from the financial crisis. For the past three years, Rich has been a contractor with the Urban Partnership Bank of Chicago, helping the bank resolve a problem loan portfolio taken over from a failed bank.

Rich is married to Maryann K. Miskiewicz and has two sons, Andrew (31) and Gonzalo (30). Maryann is the owner of MKM Consulting Inc., a systems implementation and needs assessment consultant that deals mostly with public entities.

While at Purdue, Rich was active with the "All-American" Marching Band and the Symphony Band. Rich is a native of Brownsburg, Indiana. He and Maryann live near downtown Chicago and are active with a local church and schools.

Grayce Lechtenberg

Grayce Lechtenberg moved to West Lafayette with her husband, Vic, in 1967. The couple has four children. Three children and their spouses graduated from Purdue.

Grayce's personal mission statement includes the elimination of poverty, by working for a quality education for all and assisting women and their children by making the home a safe and valued environment. She has always believed in the value of a quality education — whether it be preschool, elementary or high school, or college. Grayce has volunteered at all levels. She was a stay-at-home mom until all four of her children were in school.

When a Title I reading teacher position became available at her children's school, she was asked if she would like to teach at-risk children to read in grades one to four. She accepted the position and enjoyed working at the school. And as her children grew older, Grayce's volunteer activities expanded around them.

She feels fortunate to live close to Purdue and has been involved with the Purdue Women's Club, serving as president in the early 1980s. She has also served as leader of the International Friendship special interest group. One of the group's goals is to welcome international women and help them adapt to life in Indiana.

Grayce retired after 11 years as the development director of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Catholic Center at Purdue. During her tenure, the center raised $2.9 million for an addition of a classroom and meeting rooms to the building.

She now has 10 grandchildren between the ages of 2 and 18.

Thomas Lester

Thomas W. Lester earned three mechanical engineering degrees from Purdue (BSME with highest distinction in 1970, MSME in 1972 and PhD in 1974). Tom is professor emeritus and dean emeritus at the University of Kentucky. Prior to his tenure at Kentucky, he served as professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Louisiana State University and as professor of nuclear engineering at Kansas State University.

A specialist in combustion of fossil fuels and incineration of hazardous wastes, Tom worked as an experimental engineer at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, as a visiting scientist at the EPA's Research Triangle Park research laboratories, and as a visiting scholar at the Karlsruhe (Germany) Institute of Technology. He served on numerous scientific advisory panels for the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency; testified before the House Armed Services Committee on chemical munitions disposal; and was a co-editor of the EPA's monograph on the formation and control of pollution from pulverized coal combustion.

While at Purdue, Tom was a percussionist in the "All-American" Marching Band and the Symphony Band, and a tenor saxophonist in the Variety Band. He also served as supply officer his junior and senior years. He was a member of Tomahawk, Omicron Delta Kappa, and was president of Purdue's chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the all-engineering honorary. He was named a Purdue Fellow in 1970.

Tom and his late wife, Susan Ballard Lester (BSHE with honors 1970, MSHE 1972), are the parents of Christina S. Lane (BSIDE 1996) of New Albany, Indiana, and Elizabeth A. Lester of Atlanta, Georgia. Tom and his wife, Frances, have five grandchildren, ages 1 to 14. Tom is also a step-father to Frances' daughter, Amy Johnston Peabody, of Lexington, Kentucky.

Dr. Jeffrey S. Hackleman

Jeffrey S. Hackleman, who majored in biology, is a third-generation Boilermaker. Upon graduation from Purdue, Jeffrey moved to Cincinnati to join Procter & Gamble's Brand Management program where he managed brands including Pringles, Folgers, and a first-ever collaborative initiative between Procter & Gamble and McDonald's Corporation.

In 1997, Jeffrey returned to academia, receiving his doctorate from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 2001. He is a private family practice optometrist with two offices in Northeast Georgia. He is an active member of the American Optometric Association and the Georgia Optometric Association, where he has served in various leadership roles. Most recently, Jeffrey has been president of the Georgia Optometric Association, representing his profession and eye health causes throughout Georgia and the United States. He has been honored to receive the Georgia Young Optometrist of the Year Award and, last year, the Early Professional Achievement Award from The Ohio State University College of Optometry.

Jeffrey enjoys time in the woods, on the water and with his family. He, his Boilermaker bride of 21 years, Tricia, and their two girls, Claire and Paige, call Athens, Georgia, home.

Tricia J. Hackleman

Tricia Jonas Hackleman was the first member of her immediate family to attend college; she arrived at Purdue in fall 1990. Majoring in psychology with a focus on premedical studies, Tricia began her time on campus as a School of Liberal Arts Dean's Freshman Scholar. She became a member of the Order of the Iron Key and Kappa Alpha Theta. Tricia served the Greek community in a variety of roles, including a stint as president of the Panhellenic Association.

After graduating from Purdue, Tricia attained numerous scholastic honors on her way to graduation from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, including serving as the executive editor of the University of Cincinnati Law Review. After earning her law degree, she served as a judicial clerk for Judge Mark P. Painter of the Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals, for Judge Michael L. Close of the Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals, and for Justice Deborah L. Cook of the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Tricia practiced law in Atlanta for five years. She joined the ranks at the University of Georgia School of Law, serving in a variety of roles, including assistant director of Student Affairs as well as instructor overseeing judicial externs as part of the Civil Externship Clinic.

Currently, Tricia is a lecturer of legal studies in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. She has been married to a fellow Boilermaker, Jeff, for 23 years, and she is mother to Claire and Paige.

David Martin

David Martin graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1987 with a BS in applied mathematics and industrial management. He retired in 2015 after spending nearly 30 years in the financial services industry. David last worked for BTG Pactual, a Brazilian-headquartered firm, from 2009 to 2015 and was co-CIO of a multi-billion-dollar macro hedge fund. Prior to that, he worked for UBS AG for 18 years in a variety of roles, ultimately running the global interest rate business and serving on the board of directors of the investment bank.

David was born and raised in New Jersey and has been married to his wife, Jacqui, since 1991. Their two sons, Kyle and Zack, attend Purdue and The George Washington University, respectively.

Jacqui and David actively support charities, both domestic and international, involved in expanding educational opportunities for younger people. They also are very involved in supporting the education of children with autistic spectrum disorder and helping inform the public about this rapidly spreading disorder.

Jacqui Martin

Jacqui Martin received a BS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1985, an MS from New York University in 1986, and has been a stay-at-home mom for the past 21 years. Prior to that, she worked in systems and accounting for financial firms in New York City. Since leaving paid employment, she has been involved with several domestic and international charities surrounding education. Jacqui served on the board of directors of the McCarton Foundation for Development Disabilities and of the McCarton School, the Parents Association Board of the Browning School, and on the NY Advisory Board of Room to Read (which builds schools and libraries in the developing world).

Along with her husband, David, she has been involved with scholarships at both of their alma maters, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Carnegie Mellon University. They have two sons, Kyle and Zack, who are attending Purdue and The George Washington University, respectively. She and Kyle first visited Purdue in March 2012. From their very first interaction with the University, they said it was obvious that Purdue was different. It may be a big school, but it acts like a small one — a place where each student matters.

Lorrie Newhouse

Lorrie Newhouse graduated from Purdue in 2015 with her degree in agricultural and biological engineering. While at Purdue, Lorrie served in a number of roles within Residential Life, notably as the governess of Windsor Residence Hall Club her junior year, as a member of the Student Life Student Advisory Council her junior and senior years, and as president of the Residence Hall Association her senior year.

Highlights of her tenure include organizing an overnight retreat for all of the residence hall clubs; organizing a fall break trip to Washington, D.C., for 112 residents; attending and presenting at state, regional and national conferences; bidding to host the regional conference at Purdue; as well as leading exceptional groups of young student leaders.

Lorrie now lives in Washington, Indiana, where she works for Grain Processing Corporation as the Alcohol and Utilities Division engineer. She has been quite active in the community in the short amount of time she has called Daviess County home. Lorrie graduated from the Leadership Daviess County program in June 2016, is a 4-H Club leader and serves on the Daviess County Purdue Extension Board.

Dr. James Rieth

James N. Rieth is retired from Jennie-O Foods Inc. after having served as president and CEO from 1989-2000. During his tenure, he grew the business from sixth-largest to largest in the United States, increasing poundage processed and sold to a level three times what was processed and sold when he arrived in 1989.

Prior to serving as CEO at Jennie-O, James had an extensive career at Hormel Foods Corporation from 1963-89, with positions ranging from industrial engineer trainee to vice president-engineering from 1986-89.

James earned all of his degrees from Purdue (BS mechanical engineering 1962, MS industrial administration 1963, PhD agricultural economics 1970). His involvement with Purdue continued as Capital Funds Drive chair for the Purdue Crew Boathouse facility. In addition to this position, James was an Old Master in 1996 and was named a distinguished alumni by Purdue's College of Agriculture in 1997.

Along with his Purdue and industry accolades, he has instructed courses at Purdue, Southwest State University and Ridgewater College. James is also past president of Willmar Area Quality Council in Willmar, Minnesota; the YMCA in Austin, Minnesota; the YMCA Camp Olson in Longville, Minnesota; and the United Way in Fremont, Nebraska.

James currently serves on several advisory boards and committees. He and his wife, Theresa Lippert, who share six sons, were married in 2001 and reside in Spicer, Minnesota.

Greg Sinise

Greg Sinise completed his BS and MBA degrees in industrial management at Krannert. Wanting to be close to Purdue, his first assignment was in Indianapolis with Indiana National Bank, where he spent time in the Investment Banking division as well as Information Technology. He went on to work at Eli Lilly, where he enjoyed a career in IT, manufacturing and procurement.

Deciding to enter consulting, he joined Ernst and Whinney (which became Ernst and Young), spending a very fruitful consulting career in manufacturing, marketing and IT consulting. His last three years were spent with seven other partners who launched the strategic planning practice for the firm. After spending five days a week on the road for 10-plus years, he decided to return home to Indianapolis, where he managed a number of IT consulting firms. In 2000, he started his own marketing firm and ad agency, which he owned unil his passing. Greg's most recent assignment was the chief business development officer-North America for a UK-based IT consulting company, trying to create a presence in the U.S.

When not working, Greg tried to spend as many minutes as he could on Purdue’s campus in a volunteer capacity. He had been deeply involved in the Greek system, both with his own chapter and his son's chapter as well as at the national level. For the past two years, he was the chair of the Fraternity and Sorority Alumni Advisory Council for Purdue, a very rewarding experience, in part, because at the same time, his son has served as president of Interfraternity Council. This allowed them to work together for the betterment of some 6,000-plus Purdue students. Greg served as a member of the Student Life Advisory Council until his passing in 2021.