Neshaminy Alumni Achievement Award Honorees

Provided by the Neshaminy Education Foundation:

The Neshaminy Education Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Neshaminy Alumni Achievement Awards.

Each of the honorees are 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 the current students of Neshaminy with the stories of success from those that came before them.

This year’s inductees are:

• Dr. Rebecca Beadling, Neshaminy HS Class of 2009

• Mr. Chris Cechak, Maple Point HS Class of 1978

• Col. Bruce Cordelli (retired), Neshaminy HS Class of 1979

• Ms. Lori Ozoroski, Neshaminy HS Class of 1983

• Dr. Hawthorne (Hawk) Smith, Neshaminy Class of 1983

A biographical summary of each recipient can be found below, and photos are attached to this release.

The Fourth Annual Alumni Achievement Award Ceremony will be held Monday, November 24, 2025, in the Black Box Theater at Neshaminy High School, 2001 Old Lincoln Highway, Langhorne, PA. The doors open at 5:00 pm and the ceremony will begin at 5:30 pm. Light refreshments will be served after. Admission to the ceremony is free and open to the public.

The Neshaminy Education Foundation is an independent non-profit organization started in 1993 as part of the district’s Strategic Plan. Their mission is to provide resources that foster innovation and excellence in education in our Neshaminy schools. The foundation also provides scholarships to graduating seniors in addition to sponsoring the Alumni Achievement Award Ceremony.

Dr. Rebecca Beadling, Neshaminy HS Class of 2009

Dr. Rebecca (Becki) Beadling is a geoscientist and college professor. Her work has focused on ocean circulation and the ocean’s role in the climate system. She completed her Ph.D. in 2020 at the University of Arizona and was subsequently awarded a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship, jointly hosted by NOAA-GFDL and Princeton University’s Program.

Chris Cechak, Neshaminy HS Class of 1978

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. He qualified in submarines and was certified as Engineer on the nuclear power plan. After leaving active duty, he spent 14 years as a civilian supporting the Navy’s submarine stealth initiatives, receiving the Navy Superior Civilian Service Medal—the second-highest civilian award presented by the Navy. After retiring from federal service, he joined Signal Systems Corporation (SSC), managing programs related to active sonar technology for the Navy’s airborne anti-submarine warfare platforms.

Colonel Bruce Cordelli (retired), Neshaminy HS Class of 1979

Col. Cordelli was president of his class and is a member of the Neshaminy Football Hall of Fame. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and received a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He served in the U.S. Army in leadership positions for over 24 years. He spent a tour as an Assistant Professor of Military Science of ROTC at Kent State University, and later, another tour as the Department Head and Professor of Military Science at NC State University while also attaining an MS in General Administration. He commanded a Field Artillery Battalion and successfully led 440 soldiers into combat without loss of life during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). His final stint during his Army career was as the Director of the Joint Deployable Training Group. After retirement, he began a second career as a Military Senior Consultant for the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Training advising the director on joint warfare readiness. His next position was at Boeing Defense Phantom Works, where Bruce eventually became the Director of Army systems and low altitude analysis and experimentation.

Ms. Lori Ozoroski, Neshaminy HS Class of 1983

Lori Ozoroski is an Aerospace Engineer who currently manages the NASA Commercial Supersonic Technology Project. She has 35 years of experience researching technologies and design methodologies related to Supersonic aircraft while working at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Over the past decade, she served as the NASA airframe design lead for NASA’s X-59 Low Sonic Boom Demonstrator experimental aircraft. 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 throughout her career. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Hawthorne (Hawk) Smith, Neshaminy HS Class of 1983

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 in the Department of Psychiatry, as well as the President of the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs (NCTTP). Dr. Smith received his Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, an Advanced Certificate in African Studies from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, as well as a master’s in international Affairs from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. Among his clinical duties, Dr. Smith has facilitated a support group for French-speaking African survivors of torture for the past 29 years. He supervises psychiatry residents, psychology interns and externs as well as social work trainees. He also speaks extensively at professional conferences and seminars on providing clinical services for survivors of socio-political violence and enhancing cross-cultural clinical skills among therapeutic service providers. Dr. Smith is the recipient of multiple national and international awards for his work.