Alumni Hall of Fame | NC State ISE

Mike Futch

Mike Futch is the CEO, President and co-founder of Tompkins Robotics. He has led the firm’s design, IP and growth to be North America’s leading robotic sortation and order fulfillment system. Futch oversees the day-to-day operations and drives much of the new development, product roadmap, and integration with partners, solving unique problems with complimentary robotic automation.

Futch received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1987. Before that, he proudly served in the US Air Force. He was a supply chain consultant from 1987 to 2016 with firms such as Deloitte, Garr and Tompkins as a manager, VP and Partner. Mike resides in Cocoa, Florida, with his wife, Cynita and has four children.

Andres Medaglia

Andrés Medaglia is a full professor of Industrial Engineering at Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia) and director of the research center Centro para la Optimización y Probabilidad Aplicada (COPA). He holds a Ph.D. (2001) in Operations Research (OR) from North Carolina State University (USA). From 1999 to 2002, he worked as an optimization specialist developing decision support systems for SAS (Cary, NC, USA). In 2002, he joined the Industrial Engineering Department at Universidad de los Andes and served as Department Chair from 2014 to 2017. He has more than 20 years of experience designing, developing, and applying optimization methodologies to transportation and logistics, healthy and sustainable cities, engineering design, and agricultural systems.

Keith Nichols

Keith Nichols is a 32-year veteran of the home furnishing industry. He is currently the Vice President of Manufacturing for Century Furniture, responsible for operating Century’s case goods and upholstery plants and trucking division.

Before his current role, Nichols was the plant manager for the Century Chair Division for 15 years. He is a 1991 Furniture Manufacturing and Management Program graduate with a minor in Industrial Engineering. Nichols resides in Hickory with his wife, Rhonda and their three children, Battle, Maggie and Henry.

Tonya Smith-Jackson

Tonya Smith-Jackson is Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at North Carolina A&T State University. Before becoming Provost, she held many roles, including senior vice provost, cybersecurity center director, laboratory director, graduate program director and department chair of industrial and systems engineering. She was an industrial and systems engineering professor at Virginia Tech and directed multiple centers and labs.

Dr. Smith-Jackson has worked in industry (IBM, Ericsson Mobile Communications), at community colleges, and as a Department of Defense (European Division) manager. She graduated from NC State with her master’s and Ph.D.

Stephanie Earnshaw

Stephanie Earnshaw, Senior Vice President of RTI Health Solutions at RTI International, leads the Health Economics group. She has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences and has published extensively in journals. In addition to her research, she teaches the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Budget Impact Analysis short courses, has published various book chapters, and has authored Budget-Impact Analysis of Health Care Interventions: A Practical Guide. She has served on the board of directors of the ISPOR professional society from 2017 to 2020 and is currently Chair of ISPOR’s Educational Council. Earnshaw received her BS in mathematical sciences from UNC-Chapel Hill and her MS and Ph.D. from NC State.

Jason Mann

Before becoming the Vice President of the Internet of Things, Jason Mann served as Director of Product Management for Industry Solutions and the Internet of Things. He set the strategic IoT direction for SAS. Before that, he served as Manufacturing Industry Strategist, leading the internal and external positioning of SAS’s distinctive competence and value to the manufacturing industry. Before joining SAS in 2003, he worked at Nortel Networks for ten years, leading the multiyear design and implementation of global manufacturing operations and order management systems. Mann received a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from NC State.

Phil Mintz

Phil Mintz is the executive director of NC State University’s Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) and director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Before joining IES in 1997, Mintz held posts as an industrial and systems engineer and engineering cost analyst for organizations including the US Navy Procurement Office, Lockheed-Martin Engineering and Sciences Company, and Westinghouse Electric Corporation’s Electronic Systems Division. He is a board member of the Foundation for Manufacturing Excellence Board of Directors, Polymers Center of Excellence Board of Directors, NC Manufacturing Policy Roundtable, and the UNC System Economic Transformation Council. Mintz has a BS degree in Engineering Operations from NC State University and an MS in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.

Ed Neill

Ed Neill is President of Neill Grading and Construction Co. Inc., a turnkey site preparation, water-sewer utility, historic restoration and residential-commercial building contractor located in Hickory, NC. Neill’s love of slalom skiing has led to State and National records and championships, the construction of seven ski lakes, and three generations of state, national, and world champions. Neill graduated from NC State in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering Furniture Manufacturing and Management while working summers in construction and furniture. After two years in furniture, he has been at Neill Construction ever since and while now looking for more time away, but with no plans to retire. He is proud of organizing and looks forward to the annual Raleigh reunion of his NC State friends, this year being the 46th.

See the article about Ed Neill’s award in the Hickory Daily Record

Sheila Benny

As co-founder and president, Sheila Benny leads Optricity Corporation, a technology solutions company specializing in advanced supply chain optimization software, headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC. Since 2005, Benny has grown Optricity Corporation from inception to servicing 1,600+ distribution centers in 80+ countries. The NC State Alumni Association designated Benny as a 2006 Outstanding Young Alumnus after she served the university. This service included eight years on the Alumni Association board of directors, providing leadership to the Caldwell Fellows scholarship committee, and for her work on the steering committee for the Campaign for Excellence. She received her bachelor’s in Industrial engineering in 1990.

Patrick Murray

Patrick Murray earned his BSIE from NC State in 1988. Including his time as a co-op, he spent 30 years at Intel Corporation working as an applications engineer, managing several strategy and product planning teams, creating and managing Intel’s Global ISV Alliances Team. He closed his career managing Intel’s WW Retail Sales Development Team.
As a retiree, Patrick started volunteering for the ISE Department as an alumni-student mentor and working on special projects for the department head and the Advisory Board. In the Spring of 2020, he began serving as an Industry/Executive coach supporting ISE undergraduate students in their senior design engineering class. In addition to volunteering with the ISE Department, Murray serves on the Raleigh Charter High School board of directors. He is the vice-chair for the Town of Cary’s Information Services Advisory Board. He also serves as an industry Mentor at Duke University’s Kenan Institute for Ethics and the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering and is a Miracle League baseball coach.

Ed White

Ed White is Chairman of the Board and CEO of Field2Base, Inc., a Morrisville, NC-based technology company that uses tablet computers, wireless communications and Field2Base software to support mobile forms automation for various vertical markets. He is also the founder of White Ventures LLC, a private equity and commercial real estate development company. White graduated with a degree in Engineering Operations and is the past president and member of the University’s Engineering Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Stephanie Alexander

Stephanie Alexander is an internationally recognized pioneer in using healthcare information technology and big data to drive improvements in quality, safety, and efficiency. She served as CEO of PeraHealth, Inc. an innovative clinical decision support start-up company providing health systems real-time clinical surveillance.

Prior to joining PeraHealth, Alexander was President of Performance Analytics and Decision Support Services at MedAssets. She also served nearly three decades building and leading Premier’s Healthcare Informatics business.

Alexander holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rick Coffey

Rick Coffey After graduating from NC State, Rick Coffey began his career with Stanley Furniture in Virginia. At the age of 24, he became Stanley’s youngest plant manager. From there he worked at several furniture companies including Broyhill, Thomasville, and MASCO. Then in 1998, Coffey bought an existing upholstery business and Morganton Chair was born. In 2000, his specialty upholstery business flourished and merged with McCreary Modern. At 44, Coffey became president and COO of McCreary Modern and maintains that position today.

McCreary Modern is one of the largest privately and employee-owned upholstery companies in the world. McCreary Modern’s operations provide employment for over 1000 residents in six separate facilities. All products and raw materials are sourced locally and made in the USA. Coffey earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering with Furniture Manufacturing and Management from NC State University in 1978.

Misha Dawson

Misha Dawson is the Director of Information Technology for Engineering Solutions within Raytheon Missile Systems. She received her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1995. Before joining IT, Dawson worked as an industrial engineer for Siemens Energy and Automation and Nokia Mobile Phones. Dawson has worked for Raytheon in engineering and management roles since 2001. She obtained her current position in 2017.

In this role, Dawson operates the engineering computing environment and technical software implementation for engineering employees across the US. Her team provides tool support, testing, and training for major business initiatives. They also provide supplier and vendor management, engineering solutions, and software solutions for businesses. She received her BSIe from NC State in 1995.

Carlos J. Gonzalez-Miranda

Carlos J. Gonzalez-Miranda is the Dean of the College of Engineering at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. He received his M.E. in Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering in 1990 from NC State University. In 1995, Dr. Gonzalez also received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from NC State University. From 1994-99, Dr. Gonzalez was a tenure track faculty member of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. In 1999, he served as Dean of the College of Business at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. A year later in 2000, Dr. Gonzalez became the Dean of the College of Engineering. His research and teaching interest are in the areas of facilities design, logistics, material handling automation, and computer simulation.

Tony Blevins

Tony J. Blevins oversees Apple Inc’s global supply chain as Vice-President of Procurement. Since 2000, he has supervised a large international and multi-disciplined staff that has enabled innovative Apple products that include the original and all later versions of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Before joining Apple, Blevins held positions at IBM in engineering, finance, production control, and procurement while doing many international assignments which culminated in a role as Program Director at IBM’s development lab in Greenock, Scotland. Blevins, a native of Ashe Country, NC was an undergrad engineering co-op at Burlington Industries and earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from NC State University in 1989

Dr. Subhash Sarin

Subhash C. Sarin currently holds the Paul T. Norton Endowed Professorship in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. He has made research contributions in production scheduling, sequencing, applied mathematical programming, and analyzing and designing algorithms for the operational control of manufacturing systems. Sarin has published over a hundred papers in the Industrial Engineering and Operations Research journals and has co-authored three books in the production scheduling area. He has been recognized with several prestigious awards at the university, state, and national levels for his research work, teaching, service, and advising. Sarin received his Ph.D. from N. C. State in 1978 in industrial engineering and operations research. Before that, he received an M.S. in industrial engineering from Kansas State University and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Delhi.

Brad Sullivan

Brad Sullivan is the co-founder and former president of Thomas-Bain Leather, Inc., which specializes in the manufacturing of custom upholstered and leather furniture. Sullivan received his BSIE degree with a Furniture Manufacturing and Management concentration from NC State in 1982 after having received a BS in Economics & Political Science from Western Carolina University in 1979. He is a member of the W.C. Riddick Lifetime Giving Society and the NC State Alumni Association.

In 2016, he and his wife established the Brad and Anna Sullivan Family Scholarship Endowment which provides need-based scholarships to students from counties in western NC pursuing a degree in the College of Engineering, Textiles, Management, or Agriculture & Life Sciences. He is a longtime member of the Wolfpack Club and an avid supporter of all NC State athletics. His wife, Anna, and their three children are all NC State alumni.

Jeffrey Johnson

Jeffrey Johnson 

Jeff Johnson is the owner of JWJ Energy, providing exclusive strategic and executive consultancy to EDF Trading Ltd and EDF Inc. He recently served as Interim President, EDF Trading North America in Houston and serves the EDF Group as a board member in its CENG nuclear generation joint venture with Exelon. Johnson was one of the founding members of EDF Trading Ltd in 1999 and has been involved in a number of business development activities for the EDF Group over the years in London, Paris, and Houston.

Prior to working with the EDF Group, Johnson worked in various engineering, finance and corporate capacities at Duke Energy and business development capacities at Louis Dreyfus Corp. Independent of EDF related activities, he served on the Board of Visitors of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and he was active in developing the Energy and Environment program within the Nicholas School. Johnson earned his BS in Industrial Engineering in 1978 from NC State University.

Dr. Jeffrey Joines

Dr. Jeffrey Joines is putting his Industrial Engineering training from NC State to great use in a multitude of ways. As Department Head and Professor of the Textile Engineering, Chemistry, and Science Department at NC State, he has improved efficiencies of a variety of administrative matters.

Dr. Joines has a long history as part of the NC State Wolfpack. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and B.S. in Industrial Engineering in 1990, an M.S in Industrial Engineering in 1993, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering in 1996, all from NC State University. For his Ph.D. research, he received the 1997 Pritsker Doctoral Dissertation Award from for the best dissertation for the year from the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Prior to joining the faculty at the College of Textiles in 2000, he worked as a research associate for the ISE Department’s Furniture Manufacturing and Management Center (FMMC) working on applied optimization problems in the furniture industry.

Dr. Nancy Larson

Dr. Nancy Larson’s career has been directed toward the application of human factors and ergonomics technical knowledge within business environments. As manager of the ergonomics programs for two major corporations as well as consulting at dozens of others, understanding technical research and then coordinating the application of that knowledge into everyday business practice has been her primary focus.

For the 18 years, Nancy was the manager of 3M’s Corporate Ergonomics Program. Previously she managed the ergonomics program American Express and consulted in a number of industries. Currently, she is a consultant and co-instructor at the University of Minnesota. Nancy has a Ph.D. in Industrial Design from the Delft University, Masters Degree in Industrial Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University. Board Certified as a Professional Ergonomist in 1993 and inducted as Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Fellow in 2016.

Juli Trexler

Juli Trexler is the Vice President of IBM Support as a Global Business Partner Channel Sales in IBM’s Global Technology Services Division. Trexler has been with IBM for 20 years and has worked in executive and leadership roles for over 15 of those years. Her experience spans across many areas from Global Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Logistics Operations to Engineering Management, Process Innovation, and Business Transformation. Most recently she has moved to client-facing business development and business line management. At the core, Trexler is a dynamic leader who prides herself in leading with integrity and results-driven innovation.

Trexler has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University, is a Certified Project Management Professional, and a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

James “Jimmy” Adams, III

James “Jimmy” Adams, III is the President of Coach, LLC, a leading manufacturer of luxury motor coaches. He also serves as Chief Operating Officer at Amadas Industries, a specialized manufacturer of agricultural and industrial equipment. Adams earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering in 1995. He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at N.C. State, and played club lacrosse.

Adams has a passion for motorsports, and competed in professional auto racing, driving Porsches, Vipers, and Le Mans Prototype cars in the IMSA, Grand-Am, and SCCA Pro Racing series. He has been a winner and record holder in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and has served as a driving instructor for auto manufacturers including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Land Rover, often in South America.

Adams and his wife Hannah met at NC State, they have two children, and reside in Suffolk, VA. The couple actively supports the Suffolk Humane Society, JDRF, Suffolk Art League, Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society, and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. For leisure, Jimmy enjoys travel, boating, skiing, fishing, hunting, motorhoming, and motorsports. Jimmy is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and serves as the Virginia State Chairman of the YPO Southern 7 Chapter.

Tracy Doaks

Tracy Doaks joined DIT as Chief Deputy State CIO and Chief Services Officer in November of 2015. In this role, Tracy leads the Service Delivery Division (SDD) and focuses her efforts on the delivery of hosting services, network and voice connectivity and other related services to state agencies. Prior to joining DIT, Tracy worked for Duke Medicine where she served as the Senior Director of Service Delivery. Her primary responsibilities included providing leadership and oversight in the execution and delivery of application and infrastructure for Duke Medicine. Tracy previously worked for the state of North Carolina as Assistant Secretary of IT and CIO for the North Carolina Department of Revenue, where she led all aspects of strategic IT planning, implementation, support, and risk. In addition, her past work experience also includes managing clinical informatics at Blue Cross and developing applications at Accenture.

Tracy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering in 1990 and then went on to earn her CIO certification from the UNC School of Government. She is also certified as a Project Management Professional.

Ralph Edwards

Ralph Edwards, Jr. is the Chairman and CEO of Glenridge Real Estate Inc., a private real estate company that invests in and provides asset management services for U.S. office, retail, and industrial properties in the Southeast. He received his B.S. Degree in Industrial Engineering in 1961 and an MBA from Harvard University in 1967. He has served on the board of the Atlanta Commercial Board and has been a member for fifty years, earning the Silver Phoenix Award for lifetime achievement.

Edwards has served on the boards of the Atlanta Beltline Partnership since it’s inception, the Trust for Public Land as well at the Grants to Green Program which enables non-profits to be more efficient. He is currently Chairman of the new building committee of a non-profit inner-city youth development program known as “Moving in the Spirit”.

The arts and education are among his other philanthropic interests and he and his wife Ree are excited about sponsoring a three-year-old international immersion program for College of Engineering students. Meeting and learning from our most motivated and bright students is a highlight of their involvement in the school.

Since joining the NC State Foundation Board as a member of the College Relations Committee he has helped sponsor a series of successful Atlanta events to highlight the College of Engineering, the Dean, the Chancellor and some of the Engineering Faculty “Super Stars”.

Jiao Gu

Jiao Gu is the President, CEO, and founder of FEi Systems. He founded FEi in 1999, with a focus on building behavioral health IT systems and supporting various clinical research initiatives. Prior to establishing FEi Systems, Dr. Gu served as a Senior System Specialist at Mcfadden & Associates. He was also the key system architect and designer of the FAA NASDAC project, a project focused on aviation safety. Dr. Gu also facilitated several NASDAC international collaborations concerning aviation safety. He later built a similar system for the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).Dr. Gu achieved an M.S. in Manufacturing Engineering from the Northwestern Polytechnic University in Xian, China, in 1981. He was an Exchange Scholar at UMUC from 1983-1984 and earned an M.S. in Industrial and Management Engineering from Montana State University in 1989. Finally, Dr. Gu earned a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering at NC State in 1992.

Timothy Berkey

Timothy Berkey is a Vice President with Premier Healthcare Alliance in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tim received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1991. At Premier, he serves as the engagement executive for large-scale expense reduction engagements. In this capacity, he provides strategic guidance to Premier’s project leaders and client executives to facilitate expense reduction. During his tenure with Premier, Berkey has also served as the manager of Premier’s former process benchmarking unit, as a facilitator of multi-hospital “collaboratives”, and as a project consultant for hospital-specific labor productivity comparative analyses. Berkey is a published author who speaks regularly to numerous professional groups, regionally and at national conferences.

F. Scott Moody

F. Scott Moody is the co-founder and CEO of K4Connect, a technology integration company focused on the emerging IoT market across several end markets. Tim received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1980 and an executive MBA from the University of Florida. In addition to K4Connect, Moody is also an Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the Blackstone Network, an advisor to the National Science Foundation’s ASSIST program at North Carolina State University, and a regional board member for Hope International. Previously, Moody was the co-founder, chairman and CEO of AuthenTec, the company that developed the technologies now at the foundation of the Touch ID in the Apple iOS products. Moody began his career at Harris Semiconductor, now Intersil, in 1980 where he eventually became Division VP of a $200M division before co-founding AuthenTec.

Dr. Arup K. Mallik

Dr. Arup K. Mallik retired in 2004 from Quincy University. As the Engineering Program Director, he initiated the engineering program within the College of Science and Technology. Dr. Mallik received his Master of Science in Operations Research (M.S.O.R.) in 1970 and his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering in 1972 from NC State. Before joining Quincy University, Dr. Mallik was a professor of Industrial Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. During his eighteen-year tenure, he served as the department head for over seven years. Dr. Mallik was also part of the IE Department faculty at West Virginia University for over eleven years.

Throughout his career, Dr. Mallik helped establish the Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Center and the Center for Energy Research and Training. Both Centers are part of the U.S. Department of Energy. For his 30 years of work in the field, Dr. Mallik has received the Institute of Industrial Engineers Award of Excellence and Special Citation Award. His commitment to industrial engineering has earned him the title of Fellow from the Institute.

Dr. Mallik has two children, both engineering graduates from NC State.

Penni McLean-Conner

Penni McLean-Conner is the Chief Customer Officer and Senior Vice President of Customer Group for Northeast Utilities. She received her bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from NC State in 1986 and is a registered Professional Engineer. Before her position at Northeast Utilities, McLean-Conner was Vice President of the customer care team at NSTAR Electric & Gas. She also served as Director of Customer Service for Tampa Electric in Florida and worked at Duke Power for 12 years in Electric Operations and Customer Service.

PennWell books published her first book, “Customer Service: Utility Style” in 2006. This book offers proven strategies for improving customer service and reducing customer care costs. In the spring of 2009, her newest book, “Energy Efficiency: Principles and Practices”. This book is a primer for the many stakeholders interested in energy efficiency solutions.

Tiffany Sargent

Tiffany A. Sargent received her M.S.I.E. from NC State in 1994. She also has a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Sargent began her career at Intel Corporation as a manufacturing systems engineer. She then rotated through five different business groups taking on various leadership and management roles. She has led complex technical endeavors across different fields. Her engineering education has enabled her to span both technical and business areas at Intel. Tiffany has received Intel’s highest award, the Intel Achievement Award, for innovative cyber-security solutions. Currently, she is a senior technical contributor within Intel Federal LLC. The Phoenix Junior League recognized her as a 75th Anniversary Outstanding Women Honoree. They also awarded her the Mary Harriman Community Leadership Award. The Phoenix Business Journal inducted her as a member of the Forty under 40 Class. In 2014, Connected World Magazine named her as one of the Women of M2M (IoT).

Sargent has volunteered her technical and business expertise with non-profits, academia, and government.

Clarence Smith

Clarence L. Smith is a senior lecturer emeritus in the ISE Department here at NC State. He received his bachelor of science in industrial engineering from NC State in 1969 and his master of science in industrial engineering in 1983. Smith began his career as a staff industrial engineer with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He returned to NC State in 1978, as the inaugural ISE extension specialist. He joined the ISE department full time in 1984 as the first-ever assistant department head. He held that position until his retirement in 2010. During his tenure, he advised for over 4,000 graduates or approximately 80% of all BSIE graduates from the program since its start in 1931.

NC State University recognized Smith with the NCSU Outstanding Extension Award in 1984. He also received the Alumni Association Distinguished Undergraduate Professorship in 1985 and the NCSU Outstanding Faculty Advising Award in 2005. At the time of these awards, they represented the University’s most prestigious recognition in their respective areas. The Institute of Industrial Engineers awarded Smith the title of Fellow in 2005. His public service to the State of North Carolina includes 20+ years as a Board Member with the State Board of Refrigeration.

William Burton

William C. Burton is Assistant Vice-President of Duke University Health System. He received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1983. Upon graduation, he joined Premier, Inc. in Charlotte where he served as a management engineering consultant, supporting hospitals in North and South Carolina. While continuing to work full-time at Premier, he returned to NC State to pursue his Master of Science in Industrial Engineering; a degree he received in 1988. In 1993, William joined Duke University Hospital where he led the development of the Performance Services Office for Duke University Health System. Performance Services is a diverse group of engineers, analysts and nurses dedicated to the measurement, monitoring and improvement of organizational performance. Today, the office consists of 50 professionals providing support to all entities in the Health System including Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Specialty Practices and Duke Primary Care. William is also active professionally, speaking and organizing conferences and symposia.

Jay Paschall

Jay Paschall is the National Sales Manager for Century Furniture Industries in Hickory, North Carolina. Jay received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering with a Furniture Manufacturing and Management concentration in 1983. At Century, he is responsible for a large sales force and is involved with strategic planning as it relates to sales, Merchandising, product development, and marketing. Jay began his career with Baker Furniture Company as a sales representative. He later joined the Hickory Chair Company where he rose from Regional Sales Manager to Director of Marketing, and then finally Director of Wood Product Development. The next step in his career took him to Baker, Knapp, and Tubbs where he was the Director of New Product Development and Merchandising. Before accepting his current position with Century, Jay was the Vice President for Sales and Product Development for Kindel Furniture Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Caroline Reda

Caroline Reda currently serves as President and CEO of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) in 2010. She is responsible for leading a billion-dollar nuclear business that consists of 3,000 employees and manufacturing, service and sales facilities around the globe. Caroline also manages the joint venture between General Electric and Hitachi. Prior to her current position, Caroline served as President and CEO of GE Sensing and Inspection Technologies and has also served as President and CEO of GE Energy Parts, Inc., a global organization providing parts for GE’s fleet of power generation equipment. She has also held leadership roles in New Product Introduction, Quality, and Plant Operations including serving as Chief Operating Officer for Global Nuclear Fuels Americas, LLC. Caroline earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1993. In addition, she is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Caroline plays a prominent role in industry organizations, including moderating and participating in many panels and thought-leadership discussions. She currently sits on the board of directors of the World Nuclear Association and Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and also serves on NEI’s Executive Steering Committee which sets broad policy for the industry.

Wilmer “Will” Boykin

Wilmer “Will” Boykin, Director of Respiratory Production for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), provides strategic and operational leadership for the GSK North American Respiratory Value Stream. Prior to his current assignment, he served as director of business improvement, embedding continuous improvement methods into the GSK North America Sales and Marketing organizations to create conditions for consistent and sustained business performance improvement. Will received his BSIE from NC State University in 1985. He started his career at Data General Corp. where he worked in manufacturing assembly board production process development. In 1987, Will accepted a position with GSK, where he has worked for more than 25 years, developing a broad base of pharmaceutical industry experience. During his tenure at GSK, he has been involved in a number of national and global initiatives.

Dr. Edward H. Frazelle

Dr. Edward H. Frazelle is president and CEO of Logistics Resources International, a supply chain consulting firm with offices around the world; executive director of RightChain™ Institute, a supplier of supply chain education resources; and one of the world’s foremost authorities on supply chain strategy. He was founding director of The Logistics Institute at Georgia Tech. As an educator, Dr. Frazelle has lectured at universities all over the world and trained more than 50,000 professionals in the principles of logistics. As a consultant, he has assisted more than 100 corporations and government agencies around the world in their pursuit of world-class supply chains. As an author, he has authored, co-authored, and/or contributed to seven books and over twenty articles on logistics. Edward received both his BSIE (1983) and his MSIE (1985) from NC State University and his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech.

Dr. Robert K. Koger

Dr. Robert K. Koger is president of Advanced Energy Corporation and North Carolina GreenPower. A large portion of his career was spent with the North Carolina Utilities Commission serving as both interim commissioner and chairman of the commission during his tenure. In 1991, Dr. Koger was named Energy Executive of the Year by the International Association of Energy Engineers and in 2006 was presented with a National Public Leadership Service Award by the U.S. Energy Association and Johnson Controls. In 2008, he was named the Green Non-Profit Leader of the Year by the Triangle Business Journal. Dr. Koger received his BSIE degree from the University of Tennessee, his master’s in economics and his Ph.D. in industrial engineering from NC State University (1984). He is a member of numerous professional organizations and active in his church and civic clubs.

Dr. Jacqueline Reynolds

Dr. Jacqueline Reynolds Mozrall is a professor and associate dean in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), previously serving as department head in Industrial and Systems Engineering. She has published more than a dozen articles on ergonomic-related design and development topics. Most recently, Jacqueline has been engaged in research and activities related to the recruitment and advancement of women students and faculty in STEM-related areas. She has a keen interest in undergraduate education and has been significantly involved in program assessment and evaluation. She currently serves as a program evaluator and training mentor for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). She has also been involved in the coordination of a multi-disciplinary senior design experience and honors program for undergraduate engineering students at RIT. Jacqueline received a BSIE from RIT, an MSIE from NC State University and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering from the University of Buffalo.

William L. Sigmon

William L. Sigmon is a senior vice president at American Electric Power (AEP) where he is heavily engaged in the development and execution of the environmental compliance program and at the same time serves on AEP’s Sub company Board, Risk Committee and Wellness Steering Committee. Before joining AEP, He worked for the Duke Energy family of companies where he worked his way from a junior engineer up to senior vice president of project management and technical services. William is the past chair and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Central Ohio American Heart Association, a member and former generation committee chair of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, and serves on the executive committee of the Electric Power Research Institute’s Research Advisory Board. He received his BSIE from NC State University (1971) and completed an advanced management program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business Executive Education.

Mike Cramer

Mike Cramer graduated from NC State University in 1984 with his BSIE and began his career at Tompkins Associates in Raleigh, NC, an industrial engineering consulting firm that focused on supply chain management. From there, he joined Kellogg’s in Battle Creek, MI and held positions in engineering, logistics, and competitive intelligence. In 1996, he joined Hub One Logistics, a start-up company in Pittsburgh, PA as the chief logistics officer, creating a Hub System for the key client, McDonald’s Corporation. In 2005, Cramer then joined McDonald’s Corporation as a part of the Restaurant Innovation Division, in the role of developer of operations research. Currently, he helps to pioneer applied sciences within McDonald’s as a part of the Global Innovation Group. He has also published numerous technical articles.

Dr. Gül Ege

Dr. Gül Ege is currently the research and development senior director responsible for SAS’s price optimization, size optimization and forecasting solutions for the retail industry and received the SAS CEO Award of Excellence in 2011. Over the years, she has worked on financial analysis and reporting procedures, forecasting and investment analysis software, and SAS Risk Dimension Software. In 2003, Dr. Ege started building the R&D Merchandise Intelligence Team. She is active in many professional societies including the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), International Business Forecasting Association (IBF), American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), Institute for Operation Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS), Professional Pricing Society (PPS) and Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS). She received her BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees in industrial engineering, having received her Ph.D. from NC State University (1988).

Karen Eichelberger

Karen Eichelberger was born and lived in the Pittsburgh, PA area until the age of 10 when her father was transferred to the Research Triangle Park. She received a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University. Upon completion of graduate school, Karen accepted an engineering position with Tektronix and relocated to Portland, Oregon. Her first fifteen years in business focused on technical and project management roles in information systems, manufacturing engineering, and logistic functions. During that time she worked for Tektronix, Portland General Electric, Mentor Graphics, and Intel. Beginning in 1997, Karen moved into an Information Technology executive position at Mentor Graphics and later at LaCrosse Footwear where she was the Vice President of Information Technology. Karen is the Principal Consultant at Project Leadership and an Instructor at Portland State University where she teaches project management.

Steve Head

Steve Head received a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from NCSU in May 1968. Upon completion of his degree, Steve accepted an engineering position with Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, working in scheduling for overhauling and refueling of nuclear naval ships. In 1972, Steve returned to Raleigh, NC after accepting a position with Progress Energy. During his career at Progress Energy, Steve worked in the Fuel Department, first in auditing nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities and later in negotiating and managing contracts with railroads to transport coal to fossil fuel plants. In 1997, Steve joined the Rail Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation where he currently serves as Rail Corridor and Property Manager, which includes overseeing construction of pedestrian trails on NCDOT property.

Willy G. Yamamoto

Willy G. Yamamoto received his BSIE degree in 1957 from NC State and joined the Industrial Extension Service where he held the position of Industrial Management Specialist, assisting the electronic, furniture, textile and masonry industries with quality control. He returned to the department and received his MSIE in 1964. He subsequently worked for the Thompson Machinery Company in Thibodeaux, Louisiana, working as an Industrial Engineer and Materials Manager for the harvesting equipment company. Following that he returned to North Carolina and worked for the Carolina Seating Company in Thomasville. In 1966 he moved to the Sperry Rand’s Electro-components Plant in Durham. Yamamoto joined UNC Hospital in 1971 as the Director of Management Engineering, a position he held until his retirement in 1995. He was responsible for productivity and staffing, materials management, information systems and statistical analyses for the improvement of hospital operations. Starting as a one-man operation he began this group, critical to patient safety and satisfaction. He is also responsible for giving many department alumni their start in the healthcare industry.

Christopher T. Irwin

Christopher T. Irwin is director of engineering at Automation Innovation, Inc. developing in-process monitoring technologies and products used worldwide by the automotive, aerospace and heavy industry manufacturers. He previously served in increasingly responsible engineering and management roles at Eastman Kodak, Lockheed-Georgia, Lord Corporation, and Assurance Technologies. Chris received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1981 and his MSIE degree from our department in 1983. He has taught numerous workshops and seminars on advanced manufacturing and sensory systems at Stanford University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Harvard University, among several universities and research centers.

Joseph M. Pleasant, Jr.

Joseph M. Pleasant, Jr. is chief information officer and senior vice president of Premier, Inc., the largest healthcare alliance in the United States. Prior to his current appointment, he served as the chief administrative officer of SunHealth, Inc., one of Premier’s predecessor organizations. Joe received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1972 and completed his MBA degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1977. A founding member and past chair of the Coalition for Healthcare eStandards organization, a fellow member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), is also a founding member of the College of Healthcare Information Executives (CHIME). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of GS1US and is on the leadership team of the GS1 Global Healthcare organization. Mr. Pleasant serves on the Board of Advisors for the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department of NC State University.

John L. Colley

John L. Colley, Jr. is the Almand R. Coleman Professor of Business Administration in the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia (UVA). He received his BSIE from NC State in 1957, a Master’s degree in Industrial Administration from Yale University in 1959, and DBA in Quantitative Analysis from the University of Southern California in 1964. John has significant experience in corporate governance and strategy, and operations planning and control. His early research in the area of job shop scheduling, which is based on the discipline of queuing theory, has been recognized as seminal work in its field. He is the author or co-author of 15 books and more than 330 Darden case studies. He is a former founding director of Avid Medical, Inc. and former long-time director and chairman of the board of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Virginia (now Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield VA). Prior to joining UVA in 1967, he served as Chief of Operations and Systems Analysis for the Hughes Aircraft Company, El Segundo, CA. In 2010, John received the Thomas Jefferson Award, UVa’s highest honor, and in 2011 was selected to live in Pavilion VIII on UVa’s historic Lawn.

William M. “Buck” Deal

William M. “Buck” Deal is former senior vice president of Bernhardt Industries, one of the oldest and largest family-owned and operated marketers of fine wood and upholstered furniture in the United States. His 41-year career with Bernhardt included leadership positions as director of engineering operations and vice president of manufacturing. He received his BSIE degree as valedictorian from NC State in 1963 and completed his MBA degree from the Harvard School of Business in 1968. Throughout his career, he was active in the American Furniture Manufacturers Association and served as co-chair of the Furniture Industry Task Force, working with the Environmental Protection Agency to establish air quality standards for the furniture industry. Mr. Deal has extensive work experience in Europe and Asia as well. Buck remembers his roots and feels it is important to give back to your community by being an active member of local civic organizations and his Church. Buck and his wife Carol have two children, William Jr., also a graduate of NCSU, and Kelly, a graduate of UNCG. They are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren.

David F. Parker

David F. Parker is a senior advisor of Triangle Capital Corporation, having co-founded Triangle’s predecessor companies, Triangle Capital Partners, LLC and Triangle Mezzanine Fund LLLP in 2002 and 2003 respectively. David received his BSIE from NC State in 1968 and his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1971. Prior to attending Harvard, David worked for the College of Engineering’s Industrial Extension Service. His other work experience includes responsibility for venture capital investments, divestitures, investor communications and management buyouts of numerous and varied middle-market companies. He has served as the founding chairman of the NC State Graduate School Board of Advisors, vice chairman of the Board of Visitors and currently serves on the Board of the NC State Investment Fund.

Dr. John S. Usher

Dr. John S. Usher received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from NC State in 1987 under the direction of Dr. Thom Hodgson. He was appointed as Assistant Professor of IE at the J. B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville and has remained there throughout his entire career. From 2005-2012 he served as Chair of the IE Department. In August 2012 Dr. Usher was named the Associate Dean of Administration, Planning, and Faculty Affairs. His research results have been published widely in refereed journals, conference proceedings, and book chapters. He has given presentations at numerous international conferences and professional events over the years. In 2001, he was honored by the University of Louisville, for his outstanding teaching and student mentoring efforts, and awarded the Distinguished Teaching Professor Award. In 2005 he was named as a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers for his “professional leadership and outstanding contributions to Industrial Engineering.”

Henry Booke

Henry Booke is vice chairman and board member of McNeary, Inc., an insurance consulting and risk management firm, having previously served in a similar role at Booke and Company, an employee benefits firm (now part of Aon Corporation). Henry received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1956. An avid sailor who has been commodore of two yacht clubs, Henry has a long and distinguished track record of support for the College, including co-hosting student recruiting events in Winston-Salem, as well as decade-plus continuous participation in the Engineering Dean’s Circle and Chancellor’s Circle. Additionally, he has served as president of the Child Guidance Center, a board member and president of The Arts Council of Winston-Salem’s Endowment Fund, and a board member of Science Stars, helping middle school students from the Winston-Salem area become more science enriched.

Larry A. Bowman

Larry A. Bowman is a Principal with Bowman Investments, LLC, a private investment business. He is a former president of Prodelin Corporation, a satellite communications equipment manufacturing company he co-founded in 1987. Prior to that time, he was Vice President of Operations for CommScope, Inc. Larry received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1973 and completed his MBA degree from the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University in 1983. Recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the North Carolina Small Business Person of the Year in 1995, Larry has served in many community activities including Director and Chairman of the Board of the Catawba Valley YMCA, Catawba Valley Chamber of Commerce, Western Carolina Industries and the Catawba Valley Industrial Development Corporation among many others. He serves on the Board of Directors of the NC State Engineering Foundation as well as the Board of Visitors for the University.

Thomas E. Cabaniss

Thomas E. Cabaniss, the managing partner of McGuireWoods LLP, oversees a 900 attorney international firm with offices in 17 cities worldwide. He concentrates his practice in the areas of corporate finance, creditor’s rights, commercial lending and workouts, real estate workouts and corporate transactions. A member of Phi Kappa Phi, Tom received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1972 and his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1975. He has served NC State as former president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and as a member of the Lifetime Giving Society. He is an Alumni Lifetime member and serves as an officer and board member of the Wolfpack Club who rarely misses a game at the PNC Arena or Carter-Finley Stadium.

Ed Gerken

Ed Gerken is Executive Vice President of PalFleet Truck Equipment Company, part of the Palfinger North America Group. Palfinger is an Austrian based, a global manufacturer of truck-mounted lifting, loading and handling equipment. With over 30 years of progressive manufacturing, marketing, and executive management experience, he has served as president and chairman of the board of directors of Norwalk Furniture Corporation, as vice-president of Vaughan Furniture Company and as chairman of the board of directors of the Upholstered Furniture Action Council. In addition to his 1974 BSFMM degree from NC State, he earned an MBA from Tennessee Tech in 1983 and is the winner of the 2002 Distinguished Service Award from the American Furniture Manufacturers Association.

J. Phillip Kennett

J. Phillip Kennett is the former owner and president of Kennett Furniture Group, a retail furniture business he founded in 1975. He previously served as general manager of the Lane Company. Phil received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1962, and, along with his wife Gloria, endowed a College of Engineering undergraduate scholarship beginning in 2000. He has served the university as a co-host for Greensboro area student recruiting events and is a member of the Engineering Dean’s Circle. In 1986, he received the NC Furniture Retailer of the Year Award and, in 2002, he was recognized with the Willis Award as the Southern Home Furnishing Retailer of the Year. Phil has served as director of several organizations including the NC State Engineering Foundation, National Home Furnishings Association, Southern Home Furnishings Association, High Point Chamber of Commerce, NC Baptist Retirement Homes and the High Point Salvation Army. He has also served as president of the NC Furniture Retailers Association.

Thomas K. Laundon

Thomas K. Laundon was the chief operating officer of ArtusLabs, Inc. prior to its acquisition by Perkin Elmer, Inc. in 2011. Previously, he was president and chief financial officer of PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., responsible for nonscientific operations, financial performance at the company. His past work experience includes various sales, marketing, financial and HR duties, with positions of responsibility including vice presidencies at the NC Biotechnology Center and EnSolve BioSystems, director of business development for VennWorks, and chief operating officer for Synthematix. Tom received his BSIE from NC State in 1974 and his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1978. The Laundon family has endowed a Caldwell Scholarship, Tom has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and, in 2006, an office in the Park Alumni Center was named to honor the memory of Tom’s wife, Dr. Caroline Laundon. In 2011, Tom announced a significant donation to support NC State Engineering’s Ben Franklin Scholarship program.

Kenneth A. Stevens

Kenneth A. Stevens is the retired chairman of the board of Heat Transfer Sales of the Carolinas, a company of which he was the majority owner from 1988 until 2007. His previous work experience includes technical sales and account executive positions with the Trane Company. Ken received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1972, having served as editor of The Southern Engineer, the magazine of the Engineer’s Council of the College of Engineering, and he is a current and active longtime member of the College of Engineering Dean’s Circle. Recently he was inducted as a member of the R. Stanhope Pullen Society at NC State. A former board member and director of the Greensboro Jaycees, he is a past committee chairman for several of the Greater Greensboro Open (GGO) golf tournament’s operating committees, actively assists in fundraising for the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, and supports the NC State College of Engineering with his participation in numerous recruiting events within Guilford County.

Kathleen McKinney Wynegar

Kathleen McKinney Wynegar is Facilities & Equipment Upgrades Manager for B&W Y-12, a contractor to the Department of Energy’s Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Kathy is a 1986 valedictorian graduate of ISE and also earned a BA in French from Purdue University and a MA in Romance Languages from the University of Missouri. She was the first-ever recipient of the College of Engineering’s most prestigious scholarship, the Faculty Senior Scholar, selected by the entire COE faculty. Her previous work experience includes engineering and management positions with Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) and Alcatel Network Systems. The winner of an extensive list of work-related recognition awards, Kathy serves as a director of the Smokey Mountain Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, is an NCSU Alumni Association volunteer at numerous Knoxville area high school career fairs, and attends all Wolfpack home football games.

Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri

Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri is Director-General of The Energy Research Institute (TERI), a non-profit scientific and policy research organization that focuses on global warming and its perils, based in New Delhi, India, with offices throughout the world. Dr. Pachauri also serves as chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which earned the 2007 Nobel Prize for Peace. Additionally, he has been awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s highest civilian award that recognizes distinguished service of a high order to the nation. He received his MSIE and Ph.D. degrees from NC State in 1972 and 1974 respectively. His Ph.D. was joint with NC State’s department of economics and business. He has served as a visiting professor at NC State University, Yale University, and West Virginia University and as a senior visiting fellow at Resource Systems Institute and at The World Bank. This year he was nominated for Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

John V. Andrews

John V. Andrews is the former president of the High Performance Metals Group of Allegheny Technologies, Inc. He received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1955. John held several executive positions with Allvac (a High Performance Metals Group company) including serving as company president from 1971 to 1999. A 30+ year member of ASM International (previously the American Society for Metals), he was recognized as ASM Fellow in 1990 and was elected organization president in 1994. A veteran of the US Army Ordnance Corps, he has served as a director of several organizations, including Branch Banking and Trust Company, United Carolina Bank and United Carolina Bancshares, and was a director of the International Titanium Association.

N. Clark Hatcher, Jr.

N. Clark Hatcher, Jr. is former vice president of Masco Home Furnishings, whose subsidiary companies include Drexel Heritage, Henredon, Lexington Furniture, and Berkline, among many others. Clark received his BSFMM degree from NC State in 1952. He is a past president, director, and member of the Executive Committee of the NC State Alumni Association, a past board member of the NC State Engineering Foundation and a past member of the NCSU Athletic Council. A member of the Lifetime Giving Society at NC State, he has served on the Selection Committee for the Park Scholarships program. He also served on the Board of Directors of the American Furniture Manufacturers Association. He is a US Air Force veteran with service in Korea and Japan. His four sons are all NC State graduates.

V. B. Lougee, III

V. B. Lougee, III is the former president and chief operating officer of American Brands, Inc (currently Fortune Brands). Simultaneous to his presidency of American Brands, he served as president of American Tobacco, having started there as an industrial engineer. VB received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1951. A WWII Navy veteran, he served as Machinist Mate 3rd class on the destroyer Norman Scott in the Pacific arena. He is a past board member of the Andrew Jergens Company, Master Lock Corp., Franklin Life Insurance, Sunshine Biscuit, Gallaher Tobacco (England) and Acushnet Rubber Corp. Since 1978, VB has been a member of the Chancellor’s Circle at NC State, and is a charter member of the Duke Homestead Education and History Corporation.

C. Robert Rhodes

C. Robert Rhodes is the senior partner of the law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, North Carolina’s largest law firm. Bob received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1960 and his JD from the George Washington School of Law in 1966. Prior to his association with Womble Carlyle, he was managing partner of Rhodes and Mason, a Greensboro law firm. A member of the Lifetime Giving Society at NC State, he is a past member of the NC State Engineering Foundation. For his work in intellectual property law, he was ranked multiple times among the nation’s best by Woodward/White Inc.’s The Best Lawyers in America rankings, including the most recent ranking for 2008. Prior to beginning practice as a patent attorney, he was employed as an industrial engineer with Western Electric in North Carolina and Boeing in Florida and also worked with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, DC.

Thomas D. Pearson

Thomas D. Pearson is president of Pearson Land Corporation, which, along with its affiliates, develops single-family lots in the Charlotte, NC area. He graduated from NC State in 1965 with his BSFMM degree and went on to complete a Masters of Business Administration at Emory University in 1967. Tom held numerous positions in the mortgage banking business, rising to the level of senior vice president of First Atlantic Corporation. After serving as chief financial officer of First Colony, a land development company, Tom formed Pearson Land Corporation in 1986. He and wife Tressa have endowed the Pearson Scholarship, given each year to a student in industrial and systems engineering at NC State.

Dr. E. Emory Enscore

Dr. E. Emory Enscore, Jr. is professor emeritus of industrial and manufacturing engineering at Pennsylvania State University. He received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1965 (where he was named Outstanding Senior by the IE faculty), his MSIE and Ph.D. degrees from Penn State in 1967 and 1972 respectively. Dr. Emory served on the IME faculty at Penn State for 36 years, holding all academic ranks as well as administrative ranks of the assistant head, graduate administrator and interim department head. He has been honored with his department’s outstanding faculty award 5 times, earned the College of Engineering outstanding advisor award 3 times, and earned the University’s Lineback Award for Teaching as the most outstanding teacher on campus. Within the Institute of Industrial Engineers, he has served in numerous local chapters as well as national roles, has been an ABET evaluator since 1988, and is an IIE Fellow. His other professional associations include ASME and ASEE, among many others.

Kenneth D. Franklin

Kenneth D. Franklin retired from AT&T/Bellsouth in 2008 as Vice President – Broadband. He received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1971 (where he was named Outstanding Sophomore and Senior by the IE Faculty) and worked for AT&T/BellSouth for 37 years. At AT&T/BellSouth, Dick filled many roles, including Outside Plant Engineer, Senior Director, and Network Vice President. Under his leadership, BellSouth DSL consistently finished in the top 3 of the J.D. Power rankings of Broadband Internet Service Providers and took top honors in 2002 and 2003. After his retirement, Dick formed his own executive consulting firm focusing on end-to-end process re-design. He and his wife Wanda endowed the Alpha Pi Mu Outstanding Sophomore Award for NC State ISE students.

Gayle S. Lanier

Gayle S. Lanier is the senior vice president and chief customer officer for Duke Energy. Previously, she served as vice president of corporate services for Progress Energy. Prior to that, she held leadership roles at both Nortel and EMC (previously Data General Corp.).Actively involved in the community, Lanier currently serves on the board of trustees for North Carolina State University (NCSU). She established the Dwain K. and Gayle S. Lanier NCSU Scholarship Endowment in 2003 to help benefit engineering students. She received the NCSU Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 2008 and served as N.C. State College of Engineering Keynote Address speaker in 2005. Lanier was also one of 2009 The Network Journal’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business Award recipients and the 2011 Business Leader Women Extraordinaire recipient. Gayle received her BSIE from North Carolina State University in 1982.

Tim Scronce

Tim Scronce is president and chief executive officer of TelWorx Communications, a distributor to the wireless, wireline and government telecommunications sector. Prior to acquiring TelWorx in 2005, he was president and chief operating officer of Blue Rhino Corporation, the leading propane tank exchange company in America. In addition, Tim held executive-level positions at Diageo as well as management positions with Continental Baking Company and Frito-Lay. Tim received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1987 and recently completed a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Tim currently serves as a director of the NC State Engineering Foundation and he and his wife Sandra have endowed a scholarship in the College of Textiles in honor of Tim’s father.

Dr. M. Tayfur Altiok

Dr. M. Tayfur Altiok received his MSIE and Ph.D. degrees from NC State in 1980 and 1982. He worked at Rutgers University since 1983 and served as the chair of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering from 2001-2007. He was the founding Director of the Laboratory of Port Security at Rutgers University since 2008. His research interests were in capacity planning and performance analysis of transaction processing systems, manufacturing systems, and bulk port operations, queueing network, simulation, risk analysis with applications to homeland security, marine port logistics, safety, and security. He was a Fulbright awardee and he has published 48 archival journal articles, including 2 books in the areas of simulation modeling and performance analysis of manufacturing systems. Dr. Altiok was a member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, the Institute for Operations Research, the Management Sciences Applied Probability Society and Alpha Pi Mu.

Worley “H.” Clark, Jr.

Worley “H.” Clark, Jr. is former president, chairman, and CEO of Nalco Chemical Company. He earned his BSIE degree from NC State in 1956. He received the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from the NC State College of Engineering in 1993 and the Watauga Medal from the NC State Board of Trustees in 1996. Mr. Clark established the Worley “H” and Callie Anne Clark Scholarship Endowment in Sales Engineering in the NC State College of Engineering in 1997, and the Worley “H” Clark, Jr. Professorship in the NC State Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 1998.

Hugh M. Duncan

Hugh M. Duncan, former president of Southern Precision Spring Co., Inc., received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1955. Over the course of his career, he held engineering positions with Industrial Piping, Inc., Pneumafil Corp., and Luwa Corp. In 1964, he purchased and revitalized Southern Precision Spring Co., Inc. In 1997, he established the first endowed professorship sponsored by a single individual in the NC State College of Engineering, the Dean F. Duncan Professorship in Mechanical Engineering, in honor of his father. Mr. Duncan has also endowed a merit scholarship for undergraduates majoring in industrial and systems engineering.

Edward P. Fitts

Edward P. Fitts founder and former CEO of Dopaco (a global packaging company), received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1961. Before founding Dopaco in 1979, he rose to vice president of Sonoco Products Company. Mr. Fitts received the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from the NC State College of Engineering in 2001, the Watauga Medal from the NC State Board of Trustees in 2006, The President’s Award at the IIE annual conference in 2006 and the Captains of Industry Award at the IIE annual conference in 2011. His gifts to NC State include the Edward P. Fitts Scholarship established in 1999, the Edward P. Fitts Industrial Engineering Professorship established in 2002, and a gift of $10 million that made the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering the first endowed academic department in the history of the University of North Carolina System.

Allen “Fred” Gant

Allen “Fred” Gant is the founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of BioMarck Pharmaceutical, Ltd. BioMarck was founded to commercialize a drug for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The drug addresses the cause of the disease and not just the symptoms. The drug was discovered at North Carolina State University at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Fred held managerial positions with U.S. Vitamin and Miles Laboratories, corporate executive positions with Merck and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and, in 1980; he was named vice president of Key Pharmaceuticals. In addition, he held the position of senior vice president, and sat on the Board of Directors, of Granutec. He received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1955 and received the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from the NC State College of Engineering in 1998. He has endowed numerous scholarships for undergraduates majoring in industrial and systems engineering.

James A. Hackney, III

James A. Hackney, III is the former president and CEO of Hackney Industries, Inc. He received his BSME and BSIE degrees from NC State in 1961 and 1962, respectively. He has served NC State University as Trustee and Chair of the Board of Trustees; General Chair of NCSU’s $230 million Century II Capital Campaign; Chair of the Board of Trustees of the NCSU Endowment Fund; an officer of the Alumni Association and Engineering Foundation; and Chair of the College of Engineering Advisory Committee. He is a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus, member of the University’s Lifetime Giving Society, Scholarship Sponsor in the Wolfpack Club, and recipient of the Watauga Medal and serves on the board of directors of the Engineering Foundation.

Dr. Ross W. Lampe, Jr.

Dr. Ross W. Lampe, Jr. is president of SiteLink Software, LLC, a software firm specializing in property management. He received a BSIE degree from NC State in 1977 and his MS and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1981 and 1983. Dr. Lampe worked in the defense industry for RCA and as a consultant for 1984 – 1990, and in the cellular telephone industry for Ericsson between 1990 and 1996. While at Ericsson, he served as manager of RF Technology for North America and supervised the design of RF integrated circuits.Dr. Lampe’s contributions to RF engineering include a number of patents in related technologies and the solution to a long-standing problem in electromagnetics for the design of the printed circuit folded dipole antennas.

Dr. Leon McGinnis

Dr. Leon McGinnis is Professor Emeritus in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his MSIE and Ph.D. degrees from NC State in 1973 and 1975, respectively. Dr. McGinnis is the author or editor of eight books and more than 110 technical publications. Before retiring from Georgia Tech, he held leadership positions in the Material Handling Research Center, the Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems Program, the Manufacturing Research Center, and the Model-Based Systems Engineering Center, as well as the Eugene C. Gwaltney Professor of Manufacturing Systems. He remains active as a teacher and research investigator and is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

Dr. Richard E. Nance

Dr. Richard Earle Nance is Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at Virginia Tech, where he served as Department Head during 1973-79. Before that, he served as chairman of the industrial engineering curriculum within the Department of Computer Science/Operations Research at Southern Methodist University. In 1984, he was appointed the director of the Systems Research Center, and in 1988, he was named the John Adolphus Dahlgren Distinguished Professor of Naval Computing Systems. Nance received his BSIE and MS degrees from NC State in 1962 and 1966 and his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1968. He has authored or co-authored over 150 papers and reports. Nance has held numerous editorial positions and was the founding editor-in-chief of the ACM Transactions on Modeling and Computer Simulation, 1990-1995. He has received numerous awards from professional organizations and the U. S. Navy, most notably the Lifetime Professional Achievement Award from the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) Simulation Society. Nance was elected a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in 1996 and an INFORMS Fellow in 2008. A more detailed record is accessible in an online interview.

John B. Vaughan

John B. Vaughan, former president of Vaughan Furniture, received his BSFMM from NC State in 1952. He served Vaughan Furniture Company as vice president (1954 – 1955), executive vice president (1956 – 1976), president (1976 – 1995), CEO (1992 – 1999), and Board Chair (1997 – 2005). Mr. Vaughan served on the Board of the American Furniture Manufacturers Association, the Furniture Foundation, the American Furniture Hall of Fame, and the Advisory Board of the NC State College of Engineering. He was inducted into the American Furniture Hall of Fame in 2000.

Edward I. Weisiger, Jr.

Edward I. Weisiger, Jr. is president and CEO of Carolina Tractor. He received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1982 and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the NC State Engineering Foundation. Mr. Weisiger endowed the Edward I. Weisiger Professorship in Construction Engineering in the NC State University Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering in honor of his father, Edward I. Weisiger, Sr.

Edgar S. Woolard, Jr.

Edgar S. Woolard, Jr. is the former chair of the Board of Directors, president, and CEO of DuPont. He received his BSIE degree from NC State in 1956. He is a member of the Board of Telex Communications, Inc.; a former director of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., Citigroup Inc., IBM, Apple Computer, Inc., and Bell Atlantic Delaware; and a former chair of the Business Council. In addition, Mr. Woolard is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Christiana Care Health System, the North Carolina Textile Foundation, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Philosophical Society, and the Bretton Woods Committee.

Class of 2023

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Class of 2021

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Class of 2018

Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis is a professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. Before joining NCA&T, she spent 12 years as a senior software engineer at IBM. Her work has appeared in 28 peer-reviewed journal publications, three book chapters and more than 40 refereed conference proceedings.

She is a Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina board member. Her proudest achievement is advising and helping launch the careers of 10 doctoral and 30 master’s students. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from NC State University in 2005.

Tao Hong

Tao Hong is the Duke Energy Distinguished Professor, NCEMC Faculty Fellow of Energy Analytics, Graduate Director, and Research Director of the Systems Engineering and Engineering Management Department at UNC Charlotte. Hong is the Director at Large of the International Institute of Forecasters (IIF), the General Chair of the Global Energy Forecasting Competition, the Founding and Past Chair of the IEEE Working Group on Energy Forecasting, and the Founding and Past Chair of the IIF Section on Water, Energy and Environment. He currently serves as a Department Editor of IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Forecasting, and Associate Editor of Solar Energy. He received his MS in Electrical Engineering, MS with co-majors in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, and Ph.D. with co-majors in Operations Research and Electrical Engineering from NC State.

Anita Vila

Anita Vila has over 15 years of experience in the healthcare industry, including research innovation grants, analytics, consulting and delivering best-in-class software that has impacted patient care. She is currently the Head of Product Management for pharmacy services at Amazon. Before this role, she was the Sr. Director of Product for the Precision Medicine, Research, and Clinical Decision Support portfolio at McKesson and Ontada. During her time in academia, she published 18 refereed articles, two book chapters and received grants from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid and the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality. Vila holds her Ph.D. and BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from NC State and her master’s from Duke University and Texas A&M. She enjoys coming back to campus to talk to students about healthcare technology, making career pivots and having fun along the way.

Zohreh Asgharzadeh Talebi

Zohreh Asgharzadeh Talebi is a researcher and a senior manager of Advanced Analytics R&D at SAS institute. She received her Master’s and Ph.D. in Operations Research from NC State University. Asgharzadeh Talebi is committed to NC State with her involvement in Goodnight Scholars’ Night, resume review sessions and career fair prep sessions with the ISE Department over the years. She has been an invited speaker for the SME and IISE student organizations. Currently, she is a leader with 11 years of experience in advanced analytical software development for data analysis and retail pricing optimization solutions.

Devon Person

Devon Person is the Director of Supply Chain for Hanesbrands Inc., leading their supply chain transformation initiatives for key brands such as Champion. Before joining Hanesbrands, he held director-level roles with three other Fortune 500 companies, including GE and Eaton.
He has been an ambassador for recruiting and retaining minority talent throughout his career, including founding members of several global employee resource groups within the companies he has worked. Person earned dual bachelor’s degrees (2010) in Industrial and Systems Engineering and Textile Engineering before earning a Master’s degree (2014) in Supply Chain Management from Penn State University. He has also acquired certifications in lean manufacturing, 6-sigma black belt, CPIM from APICs and executive leadership training from McKinsey consulting.

Charles “Link” Neal III

Charles “Link” Neal III is one half of the team, Rhett and Link. He is a writer, singer/songwriter and actor, known for Good Mythical Morning, The Mythical Show, Commercial Kings, Rhett and Link’s Buddy System, Looking for Ms. Locklear, and several songs, comedy sketches and commercials. In 2007, he started RhettandLinKreations as the production company for the Rhett&Link brand.

He graduated from NC State with his BSIE degree in 2001, which he used to get a job at IBM.

Rashida Hodge

Rashida Hodge is the Vice President of IBM Watson Embed and Strategic Partnerships. The IBM Watson Group is charged with accelerating a new class of “cognitive” software, services, and apps that fuel a diverse cloud-based ecosystem of enterprises.

Prior to her current role, Rashida held numerous leadership roles across IBM where she was core to establishing sustainable business operations and end to end client and partner success.

Rashida has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering, from North Carolina State University and holds an MBA from Duke University. She is the founder of the NC State College of Engineering Foundation Real Hope for Next-Gen Engineers Endowed Scholarship.

Rashida is originally from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and has a passion for mentoring and giving back to her community.

Dr. Constance Lightner

Dr. Constance Lightner earned her bachelor’s degree (1994) in Applied Mathematics from Norfolk State University and her master’s(1997) and doctoral (2000) degrees in Operations Research from NC State. Upon completing her doctoral degree, she began working at Fayetteville State University (FSU) as an assistant professor of Management. Dr. Lightner is currently an associate professor who has served as the chair for the Department of Management for 7 years. While Dr. Lightner has received numerous university teaching awards during her 19-year tenure at FSU, her most prestigious honor came in 2008 when she was recognized as a UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. She has been actively involved with community outreach projects that include working as a lead statistician for the United Way to conduct county-wide surveys about Social Service funding opportunities. Dr. Lightner also serves as a UNC Community College liaison who develops articulation agreements with Community Colleges in NC to assist students in transferring to new universities. Her last 2 research articles (about transportation route optimization) were published in Soft Computing and the International Journal of Intelligent Computing and Cybernetics, where she received an Outstanding Paper in Emerald Literati Network Award for Excellence.