Leadership
Steve Sashihara
President and CEO
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Steve Sashihara leads Princeton Consultants' unique blend of optimization and predictive analytics, data science and management consulting to help businesses achieve transformational improvement in service and efficiency.
Dr. Irv Lustig
Optimization Principal
Irv leads our development of custom optimization software. An internationally recognized leader in operations research and advanced analytics, Irv joined Princeton Consultants from IBM Research, where he cultivated state-of-the-art approaches for the next generation of optimization/business integration. Irv received Sc.B. and Sc.M. degrees in Applied Mathematics/Computer Science from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Operations Research from Stanford University, where he studied under George Dantzig, the father of linear programming.
Matt Diamond
Senior Specialist
Matt designs, writes and supports computer software for clients in transportation, market research, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, and other industries. Matt joined Princeton Consultants in 1994. He mentors young developers, takes the lead on researching and migrating to new development tools, brings industry best practices to bear on a project, and produces high quality code on the critical path to meet deadlines—skills that are vital to the success of a project.
Keith Dierkx
Keith is expanding Princeton Consultants' Rail and Transportation Practices. He joined us from Oracle, where he was Executive Director - Transportation and Logistics, with responsibilities including business development, sales strategy, seller enablement, thought leadership and customer success. Previously Keith was Global Rail, Freight and Logistics Leader at IBM where he established a Rail Innovation Center in Beijing, China.
Jack Levis
Jack helps organizations with supply chain, advanced analytics, and process improvement. He worked at UPS for more than 42 years, where he was responsible for creating and executing a vision for operations planning, control, and monitoring processes and systems for Pickup, Delivery, and Transportation. In addition, Jack was responsible for the Operations Research and Advanced Analytics groups. Two major projects he led resulted in a reduction of 185M miles driven per year. Jack has been a TED speaker.
Shem Malus
Director
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Since joining Princeton Consultants in 1998, Shem has helped the leadership of transportation companies transform operations and processes to substantially improve asset utilization and increase network efficiency. He has built custom systems and applications for highly complex business environments, interfacing with client executives in different lines of business, Operations and IT, and working with teams of consultants and developers.
Michele Belfort-Mihalyi
Senior Consultant
Michele works with Class I railroads as a systems integrator and coordinator for the integration of an energy management system with the government-mandated train control system to prevent accidents. She is also an experienced incident/defect root cause analysis investigator for rail safety systems. Based on her skill at analysis, planning and collaboration, Michele leads technology product requirements management, acceptance testing and industry adaptation, and product vendor and customer coordination.
Steve Charbonneau
Senior Consultant
Steve joined Princeton Consultants in 2006. Steve designs and implements communications and signaling software solutions used by Class I railroads in the United States and Canada. He helped develop and deploy a next-generation rail car fleet management platform. He holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Polytechnique Montréal.
Dean Wise
Dean has 40 years of railroad (SP, CR, BNSF) and consulting experience (TBS, Mercer/Oliver Wyman, and Norbridge). He is currently a solo consultant, advising clients on transformational technology trends and adoption strategies in the rail and motor carrier environment.
Dinesh Maneyapanda
Director
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Dinesh Maneyapanda has been with Princeton Consultants for more than 21 years. He helps lead the optimization practice, and also has broad experience in the design and development of workflow and technology solutions and HR best practices. Dinesh graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a BS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He is also currently chairman of his undergraduate "eating club," a channel that allows him to pursue academic interests and reconnect with alumni.
Dr. David Johnson
Senior Specialist
David designs and develops reliable, high-performance software applications, using proven optimization techniques where needed. He joined Princeton Consultants in 2006. David holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the Center for Complex Quantum Systems at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Rick Mohring
Senior Specialists
Rick joined Princeton Consultants in 2008 after holding a leadership role at a publicly traded alternative energy company. Rick has served as a data scientist, leader, and machine learning / analytics subject matter expert on a diverse range of technology and management consulting projects, primarily for clients in Transportation and Logistics. Additionally, he was head of trading operations and a researcher for an algorithmic trading long-short equity hedge fund client. Rick holds a Ph.D.
Dr. Robert Randall
Senior Specialist
Since joining Princeton Consultants in 2006, Rob has helped executives and operations personnel improve asset utilization and increase profit. For companies in transportation and diverse industries, Rob builds custom optimization models based on mathematics, operations research and special software that makes recommendations. Working with client executives at their offices and facilities, Rob implements these advanced tools to transform business processes and help ease the burden on the employees. Rob holds a Ph.D.
Dr. Attila Mihalyi
Director
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Attila works with freight and transit railroads to architect and implement transformative solutions in the areas of rail safety, communications, systems management and railroad signal design. Since joining Princeton Consultants in 2005, he has managed software development and integration teams to implement and deliver custom applications that enable railroads to integrate and leverage new communication technologies, automate and improve testing processes, and to collect and analyze asset monitoring data.
Heath Hevlow
Senior Consultant
Heath joined Princeton Consultants in 2007. In transportation, insurance and non-profit spaces, Heath helps organizations achieve enterprise-wide goals using a strong command of technology and how it is best used to facilitate business processes. He is skilled at project management, facilitation, gathering requirements, design, development, and testing. Heath holds a BS in Computer Science from Tulane University.
Thomas Grace
Senior Consultant
Tom joined Princeton Consultants in 2017. For Class I railroads he performs project management, data analysis, technical documentation, and systems integration for new-generation software solutions. Tom spent more than a decade in corporate planning at a global leader in consumer and B2B electronics and medical technology. He is adept at bridging diverse business cultures with strong communication skills and a collaborative style.
Dr. Patricia Randall
Director
Patricia joined Princeton Consultants in 2007. She specializes in the design, development, and implementation of large-scale, high impact systems that help businesses optimize their decision-making at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels. Patricia works on-site with client executives and subject matter experts, and with a team of optimizers, software developers and mathematicians.
Serghei Sarafudinov
Senior Specialist
Serghei joined Princeton Consultants in 2004. He is a software architect and developer of operational systems in transportation and other industries. Serghei is a skilled project manager and IT consultant. He has an MS and BS in Applied Math and Physics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Vic Levy
Senior Consultant
Vic joined Princeton Consultants in 2004 and leads software development for railroad and intermodal transportation clients. Vic builds critical solutions that improve rail safety and locomotive health. Vic holds a BSEE/CS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University.
Fred Scheifele
Senior Specialist
Fred joined Princeton Consultants in 1984, making him one of our longest tenured firm members. Fred performs high-level software design, development and implementation for clients in financial services, transportation and other industries. With deep technical expertise, he is a valued consultant. Fred holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University.
Ernest Marshall
Senior Consultant
Ernie joined Princeton Consultants in 2010. For Class I railroads, Ernie leads the development of groundbreaking software solutions and he is a systems integrator for Positive Train Control, the federally mandated railroad safety initiative. He is skilled at program management and business process improvement. Ernie earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University.
Dr. Octavian Teodorescu
Senior Consultant
Octavian joined Princeton Consultants in 2006. Octavian leads engagements in financial and transportation services, working with client executives to uncover problems, gather and analyze data, and make better decisions powered by advanced analytics. Octavian holds a PhD in Computer Science, Bioinformatics and Computational Biophysics from Cornell University, a PhD in Nuclear and Particle Physics and Computational Physics from McGill University, and a License Diploma in Physics and Biophysics from the University of Bucharest.
Dr. Bob Steen
Director
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Bob Steen has been with Princeton Consultants since 1998, where he leads segments of the transportation, financial services, and optimization practice areas. He is also a skilled facilitator and educator. Bob holds a Ph.D. in Space Physics and Astronomy from Rice University, where he modeled the dynamics of planetary atmospheres. He and his family reside in the historic town of Rocky Hill, New Jersey, where he has served as an elected member of the borough council and is active in the community.
Dr. Godfrey Miller
Senior Consultant
Godfrey joined Princeton Consultants in 2013. Godfrey leads systems integration and software testing for a Class I railroad’s Positive Train Control initiative. His skills include numerical analysis, C++, and Monte Carlo simulation. Godfrey earned a PhD in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania and an AB in Physics from Princeton University.
Dr. Thomas Moore
Tom, who has a PhD in High Energy Physics from Yale, joined Princeton Consultants in 2006. Tom analyzes business problems and identifies suitable technological solutions for growing business and streamlining business processes in Rail. He is a skilled software project management and an expert developer with experience in a variety of programming languages.
Kim Wells-McDonnell
Senior Specialist
Kim joined Princeton Consultants in 1998. Kim leads projects in systems integration and strategy, bringing together processes, people, and technology. She helps develop end-to-end solutions in transportation logistics (railroad, long-haul trucking, and intermodal), healthcare, financial services and insurance. Kim earned a Master in Public Policy (MPP) from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and a BA in Political Science from Rutgers University.
Maria Pekin
Senior Consultant
Maria is a systems integrator for the implementation of a Positive Train Control solution involving multiple railroads. Maria leads a team dedicated to design, maintenance and support of a real-time status relay software suite, an essential safety component of train safety. She joined Princeton Consultants in 2005. Maria earned an MS in Business Management from the Open University of Israel and a BS in Computer Science from the University of Haifa.
Penny Pelton
Senior Consultant
Penny joined Princeton Consultants in 2008. For Class I railroads, Penny helps lead systems integration to assist the development and integration of Positive Train Control, the federally mandated railroad safety initiative. Her skills include business process improvement, data analysis and comprehensive use case development. Penny earned a BA in Astrophysics at Princeton University.
Dr. Michael Silva
Michael joined Princeton Consultants in 2012 after earning his PhD in Aeronautics at Caltech. He develops high-value solutions such as a highly available monitoring agent to reliably report the status and health of complex mobile remote assets, and an automated software update process for mobile assets with potentially poor/spotty communication paths.
Stefan Sabo
Senior Consultant
Stefan joined Princeton Consultants in 2012. Stefan helps business leaders solve complex problems by applying a blend of information technology and management consulting expertise. As an IT project leader, he delivers transformative enterprise software solutions to address the client's needs. His skills include project management, process re-engineering, requirements development, business functional design, quality assurance and defect management, and implementation support.
Stylianos Tegas
Stylianos, who joined Princeton Consultants in 2018, is a subject matter expert for railroad information security. He designs and manages development, testing, and implementation of information security software systems to improve railroads’ operational efficiency.
Ulises Torelli
Senior Consultant
Ulises joined Princeton Consultants in 2016. He is a software architect and development lead of trailblazing operational systems for Class I railroads. Ulises has deep experience as a full-stack developer building scalable web-based applications, locomotive communications reporting solutions, and strategic forecasting tools.
Dr. Greg Wellman
Senior Consultant
Since joining Princeton Consultants in 1996, Greg has led high-end solution development for a wide range of fields, including transportation, finance and pharmaceuticals. Greg earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University in Theoretical Physics. He earned a B.Sc. in Physics/Math with double honors at the University of British Columbia.