SEAS Inducts Five into GW Engineering Hall of Fame

SEAS Engineering Hall of Fame inductees
SEAS Engineering Hall of Fame inductees
Left to right: Karl Gumtow; Anirudh Kulkarni; Leidos representative Julie Rosen; SEAS Interim Dean Rumana Riffat; Leidos representative Jim Cantor; Elma Levy; and Dov Levy. (Photo: Dave Scavone)

Two husband and wife teams and one individual were recognized for their consistent contributions in their fields and to SEAS.

The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science inducted five honorees, including four alumni, into the GW Engineering Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed for sustained contributions during their professional careers in engineering, technology, management or public service.

This year’s inductees are entrepreneurs, government consultants and technology innovators who have contributed to their fields and to the GW community.

Following a reception and dinner last Thursday, SEAS Interim Dean Rumana Riffat recognized the 2018 Hall of Famers: Karl Gumtow, B.S. ’92, and his wife, Vicki Gumtow, B.S. ’91, founders of CyberPoint International; Anirudh Kulkarni, B.S. ’86 and M.S. ’88, CEO of CVP and a member of the SEAS National Advisory Council; Dov Levy, M.S. ’83, and his wife, Elma Levy, co-founders of Dovel Technologies.

The evening was sponsored by Leidos, a Fortune 500 company in information technology, engineering and science, which was awarded the 2018 Distinguished Industry Partner Award.

Dr. Riffat said the Hall of Fame is “an opportunity to highlight some of the amazing accomplishments of our alumni and friends, it serves as an important reminder for our students, for other SEAS alumni and the larger GW community of the strength and versatility of the engineering and computer sciences disciplines.”

Mr. Kulkarni said his career as an engineering consultant took off when he sold his first company at the age of 25. He said he started other companies, generated lots of revenue and almost as quickly went bust.

He said that 30 years of experience has taught him that building a business takes persistence, knowing how to sell an idea and humility. “Business, like life, takes many turns, some gentle, some sharp, some desirable, some not,” he said. “It has helped not to get too high when things are going well and not to get low when things are not.”

Mr. Kulkarni now heads CVP, an award-winning technology consulting company he founded to help other businesses and organizations manage change.

Mr. Gumtow said he met his wife, Vicki, who was also inducted into the Hall of Fame, as a first-year student at GW. “We met at an engineering function and from my perspective, she was the most beautiful woman,” he said. “I found out she was probably the only woman there.”

He credited GW Professors Rachelle Heller and Dianne Martin in the SEAS Computer Science Department with involving him in a program within his first six months at the university, in which he taught inner-city girls how to build and interact with computers.

He said it is important to start early with girls, even before middle school, to maintain their interest in mathematics, which may explain why his daughters are pursuing careers in computer science.

“That opportunity in the summer between my freshman and sophomore year helped me learn a lot and want to continue to give back pretty much my entire life,” Mr. Gumtow said.

As an example, he pointed out that when CyberPoint recently was awarded a contract from the United States Cyber Command, money for a STEM program for kids was included.

The husband and wife team of Dov and Elma Levy immigrated to the United States from Israel and the Netherlands, respectively. When the Levys mentor startup entrepreneurs, they tell the story of how their company started in an attic with just the two of them. “Our start was much slower, but it worked well for us,” Mr. Levy said.

Dr. Riffat presented the 2018 Distinguished Industry Partner Award to Leidos in recognition of its partnership with SEAS and support for faculty and student research; alumni and student programming; and onsite recruitment. Corporate Chief Engineer Jim Cantor and Chief Scientist Julie Rosen accepted the award on behalf of Leidos.

2018 GW Engineering Hall of Fame Inductees

Karl Gumtow, B.S. ’92 and Vicki Gumtow B.S. ’91, founders of CyberPoint International, a cyber security company that delivers services to customers worldwide. They have created hundreds of jobs, been awarded multiple patents for innovative products and received GW’s 2017 Distinguished Entrepreneurial Achievement Award. They also have been recognized for their commitment to STEM education and active engagement in community programs in Baltimore, Md.

Anirudh Kulkarni, B.S. ’86 and M.S. ’88, founder and CEO of CVP (Customer Value Partners), an award-winning consulting company that helps businesses and organizations navigate change. Mr. Kulkarni has 30 years of experience in technology consulting, strategy development and change management, is a member of the SEAS National Advisory Council and a Clark Engineering Scholars mentor. He was recently named Outstanding Industry Leader of the Year by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.

Dov Levy, M.S. ’83, and his wife, Elma Levy, founders of Dovel Technologies, a government contracting company that has 1,300 full-time employees and annual revenues of $200 million. Both serve on the SEAS National Advisory Council. Ms. Levy is a mentor on the GW National Science Foundation I-Corps project, and she is a graduate of George Mason University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree, and Marymount University, where she earned a master’s degree.

2018 Distinguished Industry Partner Award Leidois a Fortune 500 information technology, engineering and science solutions and service leader in defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil and health markets with more than 31,000 employees and $10 billion in revenue. The company has supported faculty and student research and programs under GW’s SEAS Industry Partner program and is recognized for its support of women, minorities and other underrepresented groups in the technical workforce. In 2018, Forbes magazine named the company as one of America’s Best Employers.

-This article first appeared in GW Today.

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