For nearly 20 years, Timothy Reese, ENG ‘90 has been an active member of the Temple University community. Through an increase in family obligations, career success and the overall busyness of life, his presence at Temple has never wavered.   

The impetus for Reese’s dedication can be traced back to his first campus visit. From the moment he stepped foot on campus through graduation, he felt a sincere interest in his success from administration and faculty. The welcoming feeling of support is one that has never left him. His donations and time commitments are born out of a desire to pay that support forward. 

Return to Temple 

Reese’s initial experience in campus involvement was in the 2000s in joining TUAA (Temple University Alumni Association). In his early years, while serving on TUAA, Reese recalls being approached by the TUAA board about forming a Black Alumni Association, leading to the eventual formation of TUBAA (Temple University Black Alumni Association), an organization that is still thriving and connecting alums in present day.  

However, Reese wasn't always confident about his decision to get involved. “I was initially unsure, because I was young, and I still had young children to raise along with my career, and I didn’t know what the commitment would look like,” he said. “...To this day, I am glad I said yes.” 

Becoming an active alum opened Reese up to a new side of Temple. “My volunteerism has made me appreciate Temple so much more in ways that I never knew,” he shared. “I have met countless alums from many generations, and I see a common thread. That common thread is humility and love for this university...and it was the same feeling I had when I walked on campus.” 

During his involvement with TUBAA and TUAA, Reese met with College of Engineering Dean Keya Sadeghipour. While heavily involved at the University level, he knew he wanted to get back to his roots at the College of Engineering. He joined the College’s Board of Visitors in the 2000s, with intermittent participation through 2021.  

Career Pivots 

Reese credits his engineering education as the foundation of many of his strengths today. The discipline and resilience he developed from working through intense math and engineering coursework are skills he covets to this day. 

His professional journey post-graduation is winding. Reese's first full-time job out of college was as a project engineer at a major company who provided industrial products and solutions to industries around the world. It was during this period; he was able to apply his love for entrepreneurship at the intersection of technology and business. 

This led him to transition from engineering into founding and leading several start-up businesses over the years, deepening his understanding of business, finance and investing. 

With nearly 20 years of private business experience under his belt, in 2015, he once again was able to pivot. This time to serve as treasurer of Pennsylvania. A position he held from 2015 to 2017 before leaving office to return to private life. Then in 2020, while the world was dealing with COVID, Reese re-entered public service becoming the chief executive officer & chief investment officer of the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System, a state-wide public pension system where he is still leading today. 

While financial work seems like a major departure from his engineering degree, Reese sees it as just another application for the translational engineering skills he honed as a student. 

“Engineering teaches you to model systems, assess risk and make data-driven decisions. I realized that financial markets were just another complex system to analyze,” said Reese. “I didn’t see it as leaving my engineering background behind, but rather I saw it as applying my engineering mindset to a new field.” 

Giving Back 

As Reese was navigating his career and its many changes, he saw an opportunity to support engineering students. Combining his beginnings in engineering with his passion for entrepreneurship, he established the Timothy Reese Engineering and Entrepreneurial Scholarship in 2008.  

Reese knows firsthand the impact a scholarship can have on a student. During his time in college, he paid tuition through a combination of financial aid, scholarships, and income from supplemental jobs. “I saw a need to support students who weren’t just excellent engineers,” said Reese, “but who also had a spark of innovation and a desire to create something new.” 

While he hopes his scholarship provides immediate financial relief for a student, he also hopes they might use it to take a risk or pursue a passion project. 

After decades of being an active alum, he still enjoys interacting with Temple and playing a role in its availability for future generations. Part of that dream has come to fruition in his own family, with his stepdaughter and stepson currently attending Temple as a junior and freshman, respectively. 

Reese’s continued dedication to Temple and the College of Engineering brings him a sense of purpose and connection, learning as much from students as they learn from him. 

“Whether it’s speaking at a class, or meeting a scholarship recipient, their energy, intelligence and drive, it’s infectious,” he stated. “It reminds me of why I fell in love with Temple in the first place.”