Purdue IE alumna and retired U.S. Air Force Major Gen. Theresa C. Carter (BSIE 1985) will keynote two commencement ceremonies at Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus. 

Carter served 31 years as a civil engineer officer and installation management leader. She is currently CEO and senior strategist for TC3 Solutions LLC.

Carter commanded five units, ranging in size from 400 to 8,000 members. She culminated her career by leading the Air Force's largest and most complex reorganization since 1992, consolidating installation support activities at the intermediate command level, creating the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center and serving as its first commander. 

Carter was the first female civil engineering officer promoted to brigadier general and to serve as Air Force Civil Engineer, the career field's highest-ranking officer. She is a Purdue Distinguished Engineering Alumna (2013), an Outstanding Industrial Engineer (2010), and a Purdue ROTC Hall of Fame inductee (2011). Carter currently serves on the Purdue University Industrial Engineering Advisory Council and the Purdue Alumni Association Board of Directors, and is a member of the United Water Federal Services Inc.'s board of advisors. 

She holds a bachelor's of science in industrial engineering from Purdue, a master's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and a master's degree from the National Defense University. She is enrolled as a doctoral student at Drexel University with anticipated completion in 2021.

The winter 2018 graduating class includes approximately 1,491 undergraduate degree candidates, 709 master's degrees and 377 doctoral degree-seekers, two doctor of pharmacy and five doctor of nursing practice degree candidates. 

The winter commencement ceremonies will both take place in Purdue’s Elliott Hall of Music. Students in Health and Human Sciences, Krannert School of Management, Pharmacy, Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Science and Veterinary Medicine will graduate at 9:30 a.m. Those in Agriculture, Education, Engineering and Liberal Arts will walk the Elliott Hall of Music stage during a 2 p.m. ceremony. Purdue President Mitch Daniels will speak at both ceremonies.

Both events also will feature a student responder. Seon Shoopman, a student in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute from Indianapolis, will give the student response in the morning session. Jordan Cebulla, a student in the College of Liberal Arts from West Lafayette, will be the student responder in the afternoon ceremony.

The commencement exercises will be livestreamed at http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/1wd1v The video will play once broadcasting starts.

Source: "Purdue winter commencement ceremonies set for 9:30 a.m., 2 p.m. Dec. 16 at WL campus", Purdue University News, (Nov. 29, 2018)