October 10, 2023
Trine University honored three distinguished graduates with alumni awards during its annual Touchstone and Homecoming Celebration Dinner on Oct. 6.
The event was held in the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Inc. Athletic and Recreation Center.
Distinguished Service Award
Jennifer Sharkey, a 2007 civil engineering alumna who lives in Angola, Indiana, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award.
Sharkey graduated magna cum laude and was the recipient of the Cecil Hauber Civil Engineering Leadership and Shari Coons awards. During her time as a student, she was captain of the women’s soccer team, president and vice president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, president and vice president of the Lions Club, and secretary and treasurer of Gamma Phi Epsilon sorority. Additionally, she was a member of Skull & Bones, Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi and Chi Alpha Sigma.
Sharkey holds a Master of Science degree in civil engineering with a transportation emphasis from Purdue University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Ball State University. She currently serves as the Lead Research Engineer for Purdue University’s Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program, a role she has held since 2021.
She has coached women’s soccer at the high school and college levels since 2008. She has been a volunteer assistant soccer coach for Trine University women’s soccer since the 2020 season. She also served her alma mater as an adjunct professor from January to September 2022 and is a member of the Civil Engineering Advisory Board. She sat on the university’s Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2018 to 2019.
The Distinguished Service Award is given each year to an alumnus or alumna who has performed outstanding service to society in his or her profession, personal achievement or community; and who has manifest interest in Trine University and has supported it by contributions of time, talent and money; by recruitment of students; or by placement of graduates.
Outstanding Achievement Award
Kelly (Welty) Ferneau, a 1990 mechanical engineering alumna, received the Outstanding Achievement Award.
Ferneau, a Benton Harbor, Michigan, resident, has held the position of Site Vice President at American Electric Power’s Cook Nuclear Plant in Berrien County, Michigan, since July 2022. Her previous roles at AEP include Plant Manager, Operations Director and Operations Support Manager.
She was the first female to serve as both Plant Manager and Site Vice President at the Cook Nuclear Power Plant.
Ferneau has served as a Board Member for Lake Michigan College since April 2018 and a Board Member for the Berrien Community Foundation since late 2022.
The Outstanding Achievement Award is given each year to an alumnus or alumna who has attained a high level of achievement in his or her profession, is well thought of in his or her community, and who upholds the ideals of Trine University.
The Outstanding Young Alumnus/ae Award
The Outstanding Young Alumnus/ae Award was presented to Kayla (Cheesman) Warren, CPA, a 2006 accounting alumna.
An Angola, Indiana, resident, Warren was named Vice President of Finance at Trine University in August 2021. She joined Trine as Controller in 2016. Before joining the ranks of Trine University, she served as a Senior Accountant at BKD, LLP, and a Financial Operations Associate at PayServ Systems.
As a student, Warren played on the women’s basketball team and was a member of Kappa Sigma Alpha sorority.
Warren was elected to the Board of Directors of Farmers State Bank and FS Bancorp effective Jan. 1, 2023. She also serves as Treasurer for the Steuben County Community Foundation Board of Directors. She coaches the girls’ softball and basketball teams at Ryan Park Elementary School.
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award is presented to an alumnus or alumna 40 years of age or younger who the Alumni Board and university administration recognizes as an accomplished professional and role model in their chosen career, community activism and active support of Trine University.
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High school seniors looking to enroll at Trine University in fall 2025 are invited to attend Instant Admission Day on Tuesday, Jan. 8, where they can receive an immediate admission decision and learn about scholarship opportunities.
Trine University’s esports teams rose to new levels of success this fall, winning their first conference championship and first national titles in Overwatch and League of Legends.