Three Honored with Clarkson University’s Most Prestigious Alumni Award
Clarkson University alumni Doug Collette ’71, Michael Hayduk ’91 and Leo Titus ’91 have each received the Golden Knight Award, one of Clarkson’s highest honors recognizing distinguished achievement and service.
Presented each year during Clarkson’s Alumni Reunion, Clarkson’s most prestigious alumni award is given to alumni who have distinguished themselves either by service to Clarkson through Alumni Association activities or have demonstrated outstanding career achievement, bringing distinction to themselves and to Clarkson.
Doug Collette ‘71
Collette earned a Bachelor of Science degree with Distinction in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University. While a student, he was a member of Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu and served as treasurer of the Clarkson chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
He built a distinguished career spanning more than 50 years in telecommunications and network engineering. After beginning his career at a U.S. Navy research and development center, he helped develop the world’s first commercial narrowband two-way radio system and later held senior technology leadership positions with Advanced MobileComm and Fidelity Investments. Throughout his career, he earned numerous professional honors, published technical papers, and became co-inventor on four patents related to radio communications technology.
Following his retirement in 2009, Collette continued to apply his expertise in service to his community as a volunteer network engineer for the Town of Mansfield, Mass., helping modernize its communications infrastructure.
He and his wife, Jane, have supported Clarkson for more than two decades through the Doug ’71 and Jane Collette Scholarship, a permanent scholarship endowment, and a charitable remainder trust. Members of the Annie Clarkson Society, the Collettes are longtime champions of Clarkson, and Doug Collette is recognized as a Legend member in the Good Knights Guild.
Michael J. Hayduk ’91
Hayduk earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University before completing a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Virginia, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering at Cornell University. He further advanced his education through the Air War College, graduating in 2008.
He has dedicated more than 35 years to advancing national security through science, technology, and innovation with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He currently serves as deputy director of the AFRL Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., where he oversees a research portfolio exceeding $1.6 billion and leads more than 1,000 scientists, engineers, and support personnel.
A recognized leader in photonics and quantum information science, Hayduk was named a Fellow of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and has published more than 50 technical papers while earning a U.S. patent.
In 2020, he led the creation of the Innovare Advancement Center, an innovation hub focused on advancing artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, and other emerging fields critical to national security.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Hayduk serves on the Preferred Mutual Insurance Company Board of Directors, is a trustee of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, and has coached high school basketball for 18 years.
A dedicated Clarkson alumnus, Hayduk served on the School of Arts and Sciences Advisory Council and remains actively engaged with the university.
He and his wife, Gina, reside in Clinton, N.Y., are Legion and Loyal members of the Good Knights Guild, and are the proud parents of Michael Hayduk ’17 and Lindsay Brown and grandparents to Sadie.
Leo Titus ‘91
Titus earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Clarkson University before completing a Master of Science in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Mary Washington.
He is chief operating officer of Engineering Consulting Services (ECS) and a member of its board of directors, where he has built a distinguished career in engineering, business leadership and industry advocacy. A licensed Professional Engineer in multiple states, Titus was recognized for his industry leadership in 2024 when he was named a Fellow of The Geoprofessional Business Association.
A community leader, Titus served for 11 years with Fairfax County’s Urban Search and Rescue Team and was deployed to the Pentagon following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He has also demonstrated a longstanding commitment to charitable service, raising more than $400,000 with his daughters for Susan G. Komen programs in memory of his first wife, Jennifer Sierzant-Titus ’91.
Titus has remained closely connected to Clarkson, recruiting students to ECS for more than two decades and serving as an adjunct instructor in the Construction Engineering Management program since 2017. He established the Jennifer A. Sierzant-Titus Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund in 2024 and received Clarkson’s Woodstock Award in 2011.
Titus is a Legion, Loyal, and Legacy member of Clarkson’s Good Knights Guild. He and his wife, Rosalie, reside in Ashburn, Va., and are the proud parents of Laura, Allison and Kelley.
