Milestones

David W. Roop of Henrico was formally inducted Sept. 30 into the National Academy of Engineering during a ceremony at the NAE’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Roop, director of electric transmission operations and reliability with Dominion Energy, was honored for leadership in electric vehicles, grounding methods, and safety and training in transmission and distribution grid operations. Roop is a graduate of Freeman High School. Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. The NAE elected only 83 new members and 16 foreign members this year, bringing the total U.S. membership to 2,293 and the number of foreign members to 262. Other inductees this year include Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, and many other researchers, professors and business leaders.

Frederick Gray of Glen Allen graduated in August from Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pa. Gray earned a bachelor of science in Animal Science.

The James Madison University marching band, the Marching Royal Dukes, will march in the 92nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – their fourth appearance in the holiday event. At 535 members, the Marching Royal Dukes are the largest in the parade and one of only three college bands invited. Participating students from the area include: Matthew Baka, Ben Coates, Gabrielle Corbett, Devin Esleck, Cassandra Hill, Ashley Lynch, Lynn Marsh, Matthew Maynes, Thomas Peery and Jordan Womack, of Henrico; and Eric Fenske, Jessica Kegley and Adam Miller, of Glen Allen.

Gregory Crutchfield of Henrico recently graduated with an online Cert-Human Resources from Grantham University, an online-only university based in Kansas.

Gov. Ralph Northam recently reappointed The Honorable Debra H. Rodman of Henrico to the Virginia Interagency Coordinating Council. Rodman is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 73rd District.

Stephen Oley of Henrico, a Pharmaceutical Sciences student in Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at University of the Sciences, participated in a special recognition ceremony for the Pharmacology/Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Sciences programs on Oct. 12. In addition to donning a white lab coat, Oley was among the students who also received a pin to reinforce their commitment to their chosen field of study. The BS program in pharmacology/toxicology trains students to understand the interactions of drugs and other chemicals with living systems, while the BS program in pharmaceutical sciences trains students to develop novel methods to deliver drugs to the body and analyze the effectiveness of these drug delivery systems.