Neshaminy School District

2025

Fourth Annual Neshaminy Alumni Achievement Awards

Five Neshaminy School District alumni were honored at the Fourth Annual Alumni Achievement Awards on Monday, November 24. Four out of the five attended the ceremony, held in the Black Box Theater at Neshaminy High School, while the fifth attended via video from Virginia. Each recipient was presented with an etched crystal trophy along with citations presented by PA Senator Frank Farry and PA Representative Joe Hogan.

Nominations for this year’s ceremony were drawn from the Neshaminy community during the spring. An awards committee from the Neshaminy Education Foundation made the final decision.

Each honoree is recognized for outstanding lifetime achievement in post-graduation pursuits of business, the arts, academics, the military, government and/or community service. The purpose of the ceremony is to share the district’s pride in its alumni and to inspire current students with stories of success.

Dr. Rebecca (Becki) Beadling graduated from Neshaminy High School in 2009 before earning dual degrees in Chemistry (B.S.) and Biology (B.A.), with a minor in Mathematics, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her growing interest in the climate system led her to pursue an M.S. in Geoscience at the University of Arizona, where she investigated ocean circulation in the North Atlantic using climate model simulations.

Beadling continued her work on ocean circulation and the ocean’s role in the climate system, completing her Ph.D. in 2020 at the University of Arizona. She was subsequently awarded a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship, jointly hosted by NOAA-GFDL and Princeton University’s Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. She is now an Assistant Professor in Temple University’s Department of Earth and Environmental Science, where she teaches courses on climate dynamics and climate change and leads the Ocean Climate Connections Research Group.

Beadling’s research combines observations and climate model simulations to advance understanding of the ocean’s role in Earth’s heat and carbon budgets, with a particular focus on Southern Ocean processes and their influence on global climate. She also works to identify and address biases in coupled climate models and contributes to national and international climate modeling efforts. Most recently, she was selected as a Lead Author for Chapter 6 in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Seventh Assessment Report (IPCC-AR7).

Mr. Cechak holds a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and a Master’s degree in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. He served six years active duty in the U.S. Navy as a submarine officer, serving on two nuclear submarines. After leaving active duty, he spent 14 years as a civilian supporting the Navy’s submarine stealth initiatives and later managed programs related to active sonar technology for Navy airborne anti-submarine warfare platforms. He also volunteers with veteran and service organizations and is a certified beekeeper.

Bruce Cordelli graduated from Neshaminy High School in 1979. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1983, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army. He served for more than 24 years, commanded multiple organizations, and attained the rank of Colonel. He later held senior roles supporting defense readiness and industry programs, and in 2023 became President of Ace Electronics Defense Systems.

Bruce enjoys spending time with his family, reading, music, and golfing. He and his wife have two children and one grandson.

Lori Ozoroski is an Aerospace Engineer who manages the NASA Commercial Supersonic Technology Project. She has 35 years of experience researching supersonic aircraft technologies and design methodologies at NASA Langley Research Center. She served as NASA’s airframe design lead for the X-59 Low Sonic Boom Demonstrator and now manages research using the X-59 to support future commercial supersonic regulations.

Lori is recognized as an international expert in commercial supersonics. She chairs the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics Supersonics Integration and Outreach Committee and has received numerous NASA Group Achievement Awards.

Dr. Hawthorne Smith is a licensed psychologist and the Director of the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT). He is an Associate Clinical Professor at the NYU School of Medicine and President of the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs (NCTTP). He has extensive experience providing clinical services for survivors of socio-political violence, supervising trainees, and speaking on cross-cultural clinical skills.

Dr. Smith is also a professional musician (saxophonist and vocalist) with national and international experience.

Past Neshaminy Alumni Achievement Award Winners