Hudson Valley Honors Distinguished Alumni During Homecoming and Alumni Weekend on Oct. 17

October 19, 2026

Hudson Valley Community College capped a week of events celebrating the inauguration of President Dr. Michael Brophy with its Distinguished Alumni Awards and annual Homecoming celebration on Saturday, October 17.

The morning began with the Distinguished Alumni Awards, recognizing Hudson Valley graduates for their professional accomplishments, community service and continued connection to the college. This year’s event honored Dave Larkin ‘72 & ‘74, Morgan Moldoff ‘04, Peter Semenza ‘84, Stephen Obermayer ’81 and Dr. Omar Yaghi ‘83.

“Congratulations to this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, Dave Larkin ‘72 & ‘74, Morgan Moldoff ‘04, Peter Semenza ‘84, Stephen Obermayer ’81 and Dr. Omar Yaghi ‘83.” said Hudson Valley Community College President Michael Brophy. “These honorees are an excellent example of the good work Hudson Valley’s alumni do in their careers and communities. We are proud of their accomplishments, the way they represent our college, and the example they set about what is possible with a Hudson Valley education.”

Following the awards, students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the college gathered for a Homecoming tailgate before the Hudson Valley Vikings took on Erie Community College in football.

The events concluded a week highlighting Hudson Valley’s history, community and future under the leadership of Brophy, who was formally installed as the college’s eighth president earlier in the week.

Read more about the 2026 Distinguished Alumni award winners below.

David P. Larkin ‘72, ‘74
Dave Larkin earned an AAS degree in Electrical Technology from HVCC in 1972 and an AAS degree in Industrial Engineering Technology in 1974 before going on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering from Clarkson University in 1976 and a Master of Science in Manufacturing Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1981. Larkin began his career at the Watervliet Arsenal and held roles at Texas Instruments, the Harris Corporation and the United Nuclear Corporation before returning to Hudson Valley to teach in the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Department in 1991. He went on to serve as department chair for three different technology departments over the next three decades before retiring from the college in 2021. During his time at Hudson Valley, Larkin was actively involved in the fundraising and creation of CAMS, a $14.5 million dollar, 37,000-square-foot facility to train the advanced manufacturing workforce that opened on Hudson Valley’s campus in 2019. Today, he serves on the college’s Foundation board, as well as the board of Community Hospice, and manages his consulting firm, David P. Larkin and Associates, which has been active for more than 35 years.

Morgan Moldoff ‘04
Morgan A. Moldoff, P.E., earned her Associate of Science degree in Engineering Science from Hudson Valley in 2004 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Clarkson University. She is a licensed professional engineer in New York and Connecticut and serves as a senior rail engineer with Saratoga Railroad Engineering, P.C., leading the coordination, design, and construction oversight of passenger and freight rail infrastructure projects. Throughout her career, Moldoff has served as key leadership and technical roles on more than $2 billion worth of transportation infrastructure projects across the Northeast. She remains involved with Hudson Valley and gives back to students by participating in engineering panels, providing career guidance and mentorship, and creating job shadowing opportunities that offer aspiring engineers firsthand exposure to the profession. For nearly 20 years, she has served on the Capital District Future City Competition Committee, which challenges middle school students to apply engineering principles to real-world problems. She also volunteers with the RPI New Visions Program, mentoring high school students and sharing insights from her professional experiences.

Peter Semenza ‘84
Peter Semenza graduated from Hudson Valley with his associate degree in Marketing in 1984, then went on to complete his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communications at The University at Albany. He started his career in philanthropy at The Center for Disability Services in the early 1990s before taking on his leadership role at St. Peter’s Health Partners in 1997 and is now the regional vice president of philanthropy for Trinity Health New York, overseeing St. Peter’s Health Partners Center for Philanthropy in Albany and St. Jospeh’s Health Foundation in Syracuse. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of fundraising across the health system, which includes a fundraising budget of $30 million annually to support capital improvements, advancements in technology, nursing scholarships and mission integration. More than $350 million has been raised to advance the mission of St. Peter’s Health Partners under his leadership since 1997. Semenza is a NYS certified interior firefighter, has served as a first responder with the Halfmoon Fire Department for 18 years, and is currently serving his third term as a commissioner of Halfmoon-Waterford Fire District # 1.

Stephen Obermayer ‘81
Stephen Obermayer graduated from Hudson Valley with an associate degree in Business Administration in 1981 before earning a B.B.A cum laude from Siena College and a master’s degree in Accounting from the State University of New York at Albany. He now serves as the chief financial officer and principal for BBL Construction Services, where he supervises operations on a national basis, providing design-build construction services, general contracting, property management and real estate development. He also established and leads BBL Hospitality, the hotel and restaurant division that oversees BBL’s hospitality portfolio. Obermayer is a New York State certified public accountant, a certified fraud examiner, and a certified bank auditor. He serves on several boards, including the Business Council of New York State, Capital Region Chamber and Center for Economic Growth, Fort William Henry Corporation, St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation, Capital District YMCA; and serves as the board director for Ballston Spa National Bank. He is also a capital campaign cabinet member for Colonie Senior Service Centers, and a past board member of Living Resources Foundation, JDRF, Boy Scouts of America Twin Rivers Council, Junior Achievement, and Siena College Board of Trustees.

Dr. Omar Yaghi ‘83
Dr. Omar M. Yaghi was one of a team of three scientists awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) — porous molecular architectures with vast internal surface area and the ability to capture, store and transform gases such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. He is widely credited with founding the field of reticular chemistry, which uses molecular “stitching” techniques to build extended crystalline frameworks with atomic-level precision.

Born in Amman, Jordan, Yaghi moved to the United States at age 15 and later settled in Troy to pursue his education. He earned his associate in science degree in Liberal Arts & Science-Mathematics & Science from Hudson Valley in 1983, followed by his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UAlbany in 1985, graduating cum laude. He went on to earn his Ph.D. (1990) in chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a National Science Foundation (NSF) postdoctoral fellowship (1992) at Harvard University. He has held appointments at Arizona State University, the University of Michigan, and UCLA. He is now the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and also serves as founding director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute. His highly cited research portfolio includes more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and more 50 U.S. patents.