From Pardee to NASDAQ: Alumni Reflect on ROC’s IPO Milestone
On March 19, 2026, recent Pardee School of Global Studies graduates Lexi Pfalzgraf (’24) and Michelle Kaplun (’21) traveled to New York City to mark a major milestone in their professional journeys: the successful initial public offering of their company, ROC (Rank One Computing Corp), on the NASDAQ.
The company, which integrates sovereign biometric, video analytics, and mission intelligence capabilities into a unified platform, celebrated the milestone with Chief Executive Officer B. Scott Swann ringing the NASDAQ Closing Bell in honor of the occasion.
As ROC rang the closing bell in Times Square, the moment offered both alumni an opportunity to reflect on their roles in the company’s growth and on how their Pardee education helped prepare them for careers at the intersection of technology, business, and global security. In the reflections below, Pfalzgraf and Kaplun share what the experience meant to them and how the skills they developed at Pardee continue to shape their work.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the closing bell ceremony for ROC at the NASDAQ MarketSite studio in Times Square. To witness such a celebration of achievement alongside my coworkers, each of whom played a role in getting us to this point, was an experience I’ll never forget. Although I currently work on the tech side of the house as a software engineer, the skills I honed throughout my time at Pardee have proven invaluable as a foundation upon which I’ve grown as a young professional. Pardee provided me with a strong understanding of how to approach problems – driven through curiosity as a means to grow, with a keen eye for details and thorough research. This suite of skills, alongside my technical knowledge, allows me to effectively and efficiently solve problems in my day-to-day work at ROC.
– Lexi Pfalzgraf (Pardee ’24)
My experience since graduation has been shaped by my time at ROC, a company specializing in biometrics and computer vision, where I joined almost five years ago as part of a small, fast-growing team. In this time, I’ve watched the company more than triple in size and evolve into a publicly listed organization — an experience that culminated in a true full-circle moment while standing in the middle of Times Square and seeing ROC’s logo and mission on the NASDAQ billboards. We had been invited to ring the NASDAQ closing bell, which was a reminder that I’m part of a company making a meaningful impact in the national security sphere by leading American innovation in biometrics and computer vision. In my role as Proposal Manager, I lead and manage competitive bids for large-scale international opportunities, helping translate advanced technology into real-world applications. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how my studies at Pardee have directly reflected in the work I do every day — supporting efforts that sit at the intersection of advanced technology and global security.
– Michelle Kaplun (Pardee ’21)
The full bell ceremony can be watched here.