Carlos M. Hernandez

Born in Cuba, Carlos M. Hernandez arrived in the United States with his parents as a political exile at the age of 8. He grew up in South Florida and attended Archbishop Curley High School where his affinity for math and science guided him to an education in Engineering. Although there was no prior family or geographic connection, his college search identified Purdue as the best fit as a highly regarded coeducational engineering university with broad offerings in academics, athletics and social opportunities. He set foot in West Lafayette for the first time in August 1972 for freshman orientation.

The four years at Purdue were transformational. Under the guidance of Professor William Kay, he joined the Co-Op Program and worked at HNTB where he was exposed to airport planning and design, and the business and legal aspects of the engineering profession. Professors Gutzwiler, Lee and Sutton helped fuel his desire to concentrate in structures. A member of Chi Epsilon and a four-year resident of Cary Quadrangle, he left Purdue seeking to further develop his personal and educational horizons and expand his professional skill set.

He enrolled at the University of Miami Law School, graduating in 1979, and thereafter joined a Miami law firm representing contractors. After two years, he accepted a position as in-house counsel at the architect/engineer firm of Burns and McDonnell (B&M) in Kansas City, Missouri. Thereafter, he was offered an opportunity to join the parent company of B&M, Armco Inc. – a diversified public company with interests in steel, manufacturing, oil field equipment, financial services, engineering, and construction.

In 2007, Fluor Corporation – the largest publicly-traded engineering and construction company on the New York Stock Exchange with world-wide projects – offered him the position of Chief Legal Officer. In 2019, he took on the role of Chief Executive Officer where he currently serves in that capacity.

While Purdue provided immense growth opportunities and served as the platform for a life-long pursuit of interests outside of his comfort zone, the most significant gain from the Purdue experience was Purdue co-ed, Deborah Lee Pautsch, his spouse with whom he shares three daughters. Purdue has been at the center of all his professional and personal experiences.