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GSOE Commencement

The Grove School of Engineering
Class of 2021
Virtual Commencement Celebration

June 4, 2021
12 noon

Congratulations to the GSOE Class of 2021!

Thank you to all who joined us for the live program. Click here to view a recording of the virtual event.

Featuring Commencement Speaker:

John M. Dionisio '71BCE
Co-founder and Vice Chairman
Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc.

The Grove School of Engineering Class of 2021
Valedictorian & Salutatorian

The Grove School of Engineering
2021 Valedictorian

The Grove School of Engineering

2021 Salutatorian

Khandker Shadman Habib
Mechanical Engineering Major

Erin Wengerter

Environmental Engineering Major

Learn more about the 2021 Valedictorian Khandker Shadman Habib

CCNY Grove School of Engineering Class of 2021 Valedictorian Khandker Shadman Habib

Originally from Bangladesh, Shadman came to the US at the age of two with an insatiable curiosity of mechanics. As the years progressed so did his desire to understand systems. He attended Stuyvesant High School and immersed himself in a variety of engineering programs offered at NYU, Manhattan College, and at Cooper Union. Shadman gained acceptance into the highly selective Macaulay Honors College at The City University of New York, and chose The Grove School of Engineering to study mechanical engineering.

Shadman's talent is only surpassed by his unrelenting work ethic. As a freshman, he joined the Zahn Innovation Center where he ultimately became a CAD senior consultant, advising fellow students on developing prototypes, 3D printing and laser cutting. In the summer following his sophomore year, he interned for WearWorks, a haptic design company that creates wrist wearables to assist the visually impaired in smoother navigation. Last summer, he interned at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center where he researched and analyzed a special 2D material called hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). This past year, he led his senior design team in their capstone project for which they developed a knee energy generator device they named KneeGen+. And this past spring, Shadman managed to take on an internship at Carrier, a world-leading HVAC company, while completing his final semester.

Throughout his years at the Grove School, he's been a member of a number of student engineering clubs including the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, Society of Automotive Engineers, the National Society of Black Engineers, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, for which he also served as club president.

While his studies and extracurricular activities leave him little free time, Shadman enjoys working out, bowling and eating out with friends. He is also very passionate about giving back to those in need and serving as a mentor to younger students.

The next steps for Shadman include attaining his master’s degree and possibly a PhD. Whatever his future holds in store for him, we know it will be a bright future.

The Grove School of Engineering 2021 Commencement Speaker

About our Commencement Speaker

John M. Dionisio '71BCE is an illustrious alumnus and stalwart supporter of The City College of New York's School of Engineering, now The Grove School of Engineering. He has led a distinguished career as a civil engineer having held various executive and management positions and having played an influential role in some of the world's most notable heavy civil engineering projects. June 1, 2021 marked his 50th anniversary since earning his bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

Dionisio is co-founder and Vice Chairman of Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc., a privately-owned business which invests and helps grow engineering and construction management businesses. GISI commenced operations with its initial merger with the Structure Tone Organization, now STO Building Group. With the completion of its most recent merger with LiRo Engineers of Syosset, New York, GISI consists of 12 companies and more than 5,000 team members, located throughout the US, Canada, Ireland and the UK providing construction management services, and ranked among the top 3 in its class in Engineering News Record.

Prior to GISI, Dionisio served as Executive Chairman of AECOM where he oversaw the acquisition of URS and Hunt Construction, increasing revenue from $8 to $19 billion and the total staff to more than 95,000. Prior to that under Dionisio’s leadership as CEO, AECOM tripled its revenue to $8 billion and doubled its workforce, while considerably expanding its service offerings and geographic reach. During 2007, Dionisio oversaw the company’s initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, which was one of the 10 largest NYSE listings for 2007 — and one of the largest engineering industry IPOs of all time. This included the successful merger and acquisition of more than 10 companies, including Tishman Construction in the U.S., as well as successfully integrating companies in Asia, Europe, and Africa.

During Dionisio’s 40-plus-year career at AECOM, he also helped advance the company’s transportation and energy infrastructure business in the Americas. He oversaw the combination of three AECOM business units to form DMJM Harris in 2000. While heading DMJM Harris, Dionisio was involved in the advancement of many notable projects, including the Second Avenue Subway in New York; the Tren Urbano transit rail system in San Juan, Puerto Rico; the State Highway 130 toll-way in Texas; and the new World Trade Center PATH Terminal in Lower Manhattan.

Dionisio’s professional affiliations include the National Society of Professional Engineers; the New York State Society of Professional Engineers’ Nassau County chapter; the American Society of Civil Engineers, of which he is a fellow; the National Academy of Construction; the Society of American Military Engineers; and the American Public Transportation Association, of which he is the Co-chair of the Program Funding Cabinet in its Public Transportation Partnership for Tomorrow group. He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to a three-year term on the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum during 2013. Dionisio also is a licensed professional engineer in several states.

Dionisio is a board member of the Foundation for City College and the Grove School's External Advisory Board. He is also the recipient of the City College of New York Alumni Association’s Townsend Harris Medal and its Career Achievement Award, the Presidential Award, and the Milton Pikarsky Distinguished Leadership Award in Engineering.