Homecoming 2024

Keynote Speaker & Alumna of the Year
Zoe Diana Draelos, MD (BS mechanical engineering, 1979: MD, 1983)
President, Dermatology Consulting Services, PLLC
Consulting Professor, Department of Dermatology, Duke University School of Medicine

"Invention at the Medical/Engineering Interface"

Dr. Zoe Diana Draelos, considered one of the most influential women in cosmetic science, was the 2019 inaugural recipient of the Florence Wall Award from the Society of Cosmetics Chemists. The Rhodes Scholar earned a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona and graduated from the College of Medicine in 1983. She is a research and clinical board-certified dermatologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. Draelos has a private practice, is a consulting professor at Duke University, and founded Dermatology Consulting Services for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

Quality Engineer, Medical Products Division | W. L. Gore & Associates

Ryan Gapp, a quality engineer with W. L. Gore & Associates, has worked on several cardiovascular health care devices since graduating with a BS in Biomedical Engineering in 2014. At the university, he was an Engineering Ambassador and research associate with the Arizona Center on Aging. Gapp has served as Gore’s outreach liaison on campus since 2018 – leading a team of Wildcats who volunteer at college events and advocate for philanthropic support. He also participated on the search committee for the head of Biomedical Engineering Department, who joined the college in fall 2023.

Outstanding Young Alumni Volunteer Award
Vy Kieu (BE mechanical engineering, 2014)
Manager, Generation Engineering Planning, Analysis and Renewables | Salt River Project

Vy Kieu holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and a BE in Mechanical Engineering. She has 13 years of experience, the last nine with utility company Salt River Project, where she is now manager of generation planning, analysis and renewables. Vy is leading SRP’s transformation of energy generation to include more renewable resources such as solar photovoltaics and batteries. She has served on the Alumni Engineering Council Board for over five years, including as council president. Vy has also volunteered her time and expertise to the College and continues to raise her hand to support the next generation of engineers.

Manager, Mining Engineering, Retired

Alejandro (Alex) Reynoso graduated in 1974 with a Mining Engineering degree. His career spanned 44 years, including most recently 28 years with Rio Tinto Kennecott in Utah. The retired mining engineering manager has been active with the University of Arizona Alumni Association for 30 years. He is founder and president of the Salt Lake City SkiCats and received the 2021 Alumni Wildcat Spirit Award. His scholarship endowment affords opportunities for minority students in mining engineering. Additionally, Reynoso supports the Bear Down Network and volunteers with community and church organizations.

Vice President & Senior Project Manager at WSP
Civil Engineering Board Member with the Arizona Board of Technical Registration

Scott Sayles, vice president and senior project manager with WSP, earned a BS in civil engineer in 2000. At Parsons as well as WSP, he has worked on complex problems nationally and internationally. Sayles recently was reappointed the civil engineering member on the Arizona Board of Technical Registration. He has led or been part of many volunteer efforts to support the college, including the Engineering Alumni Council, Sayles Advancement in Education Foundation, and Civil and Architectural Engineering Alumni Industry Council, to name a few. Sayles also volunteers with his sons’ scouting troop.