Each year, the Academy of Sciences and Arts recognizes alumni who have brought distinction to themselves, the College of Sciences and Arts, their departments, and Michigan Technological University through their outstanding contributions to and leadership in their chosen professions and/or through distinguished public service.
The academy celebrated the induction of two new members this year: Steven Fantetti ’07, who earned his bachelor’s degree in social sciences, and Derhun Sanders ‘97, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences.
Steven Fantetti: Tech Athlete and Accomplished Jurist
Steven Fantetti came to Michigan Tech from Tecumseh, Ontario, to play wide receiver for the Huskies Football team. After graduating from Michigan Tech with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and a minor in psychology, Fantetti enrolled in Western Michigan University’s (WMU) Cooley School of Law. He graduated cum laude from WMU as valedictorian with a juris doctor in 2011, also having earned the Thomas M. Cooley Alumni Association Distinguished Student Award. Fantetti graduated in 2015 with a master of laws degree in corporate law and finance.
Fantetti went on to clerk in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court. He subsequently served as in-house legal counsel for several global corporations, focusing on advanced corporate transactions. Simultaneously, he also served as an adjunct professor of law at WMU Cooley School of Law for nine years, teaching corporate business planning. He later opened his own law firm, Fantetti Legal LLC.
Fantetti is the owner and founder of Athlete Empowerment Agency, which represents several NCAA athletes in negotiating their name, image, and likeness deals, along with other contractual matters with institutions and Fortune 500 companies. He also represents several former and active National Football League (NFL) players, assisting with contract representation, negotiating player endorsement deals, and private business and legal affairs, as well as the development of post-career planning following completion of their NFL careers. Fantetti is a certified licensed NFL Player Agent with the NFL Players Association, and a member of the State Bar of Florida.
A lover of history, Fantetti recently wrote his first book, a soon-to-be-published historical fiction novel called “Across the Knoll,” a story about the events surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He and his wife, Kelly Fantetti, a Perry, Michigan native and fellow 2011 WMU Cooley Law School Graduate, live in Tampa, Florida, with their two children, Everett and Simon.
Derhun Sanders: Military Leader and STEM Champion
Derhun Sanders is a decorated Army civilian leader, strategist, and STEM champion whose career has spanned more than 25 years of public service. He currently serves as chief of domestic industry and academia partnerships in the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command headquarters, where he leads enterprise-wide initiatives to transition innovative technologies from academic, industry, and federal research partners into the hands of warfighters.
Sanders is a 1997 graduate of Michigan Technological University with a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences, cum laude. He credits his time at MTU for shaping his lifelong dedication to service, equity, and scientific excellence. As an undergraduate, he was an active campus leader—serving in the National Society of Black Engineers, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and the Echoes from Heaven Gospel Choir. He later returned to serve on the Michigan Tech Board of Trustees from 2017–2024, the Michigan Tech Alumni Board of Directors, and has been a featured keynote speaker and role model for MTU’s Summer Youth Programs. Sanders is also a proud recipient of the university’s Percy Julian Award for leadership and academic distinction.
Sanders previously served on special assignment to the Pentagon in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology. He has led collaborative efforts with agencies including the Department of Energy, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of Naval Research, the Department of Homeland Security, and state-level partners. In recognition of his leadership, he received the Department of the Army’s Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
Outside the Army, Sanders has made a mark in STEM education as a volunteer coach for Heroes’ Alliance, a youth technology and leadership organization. Under his mentorship, the Genius Within Cooperative Learning Center high school electric-solar car team secured back-to-back national championships in 2022 and 2023.
Sanders draws strength from his faith, family, and music. In the latter category, he’s an avid fan of both Rascal Flatts and Commissioned. He’s the proud father of Cameron, a graduate student at Georgetown University, and a devoted husband to his wife, Verona, to whom he donated a kidney around the time of their tenth anniversary.
“We appreciate the contributions these distinguished academy members have made to both Michigan Tech and society as a whole,” said LaReesa Wolfenbarger, dean of the College of Science and Arts. “They serve as role models for our sciences and arts students.”
Fantetti and Sanders’ portraits, including a brief listing of their accomplishments, will join the permanent display of CSA academy members featured in the Walker Arts and Humanities Center.
About the College of Sciences and Arts
The College of Sciences and Arts is a global center of academic excellence in the sciences, humanities, and arts for a technological world. Our teacher-scholar model is a foundation for experiential learning, innovative research and scholarship, and civic leadership. The College offers 33 bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences, chemistry, humanities, kinesiology and Integrative physiology, mathematical sciences, physics, psychology and human factors, social sciences, and visual and performing arts. We are home to Michigan Tech’s pre-health professions and ROTC programs. The College offers 25 graduate degrees and certificates. We conduct approximately $12 million in externally funded research in health and wellness, sustainability and resiliency, and the human-technology frontier.
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