2021 Distinguished Engineering Alumni/Alumnae

The Distinguished Engineering Alumni/Alumnae Award is presented to men and women who have distinguished themselves, in any field, in ways that reflect favorably on Purdue University, the engineering profession, or society in general. These alumni are engaged in engineering work and their record of accomplishments is indicated by their growth into positions of increasing responsibility.

Please use this interactive web page, by clicking on the school names listed below. Hear from our Engineering ambassadors, who will share the incredible work our 2021 award recipients are doing in their respective fields. Then, click on the individual videos for each honoree, as they provide insights into how a Purdue education impacted their careers.

Aeronautics and Astronautics

Ernest U. Gambaro

Co-Founder
Infonet Services Corp. (retired)

For his forward thinking approach to enabling client access to computer mainframes that transformed a computer time share into the world’s largest provider of secure data network services to large and mid-size multinationals which provide sales and customer support in over 80 countries.

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Tanya M. Skeen

Executive Director – F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office
U.S. Department of Defense

For her exemplary management of complex systems bringing together the United States Armed Forces, consisting of the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy, as well as eight allied nations to implement affordable and sustainable fifth-generation strike aircraft.

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Chemical Engineering

Joseph S. Alford

Engineering Advisor
Eli Lilly and Company (retired)

For his championing of key technical and auditing practices in the bio-pharma industry leading to the in-house design, development, validation, implementation, and application of computer based process automation and data historian systems.

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Stephen R. Cornell

Joint President and Chief Executive Officer
Sasol LTD (retired)

For his exemplary career in the petrochemical and energy industries formulating new approaches leading to technological innovation and excellence while successfully managing front-end development of multibillion-dollar expansion projects creating operational and financial improvements.

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Civil Engineering

Andrea Rinaldo

Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources
Director – Laboratory of Ecohydrology
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

For his internationally-recognized expertise in hydraulic engineering that contributes to the structural understanding of river basins and the role drainage networks play as ecological corridors for species, populations, pathogens and biodiversity.

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Electrical and Computer Engineering

Lila Ibrahim

Chief Operating Officer
DeepMind

For her noteworthy managerial and entrepreneurial success in leading multiple venture capital and tech companies’ growth efforts by creating frameworks for performance management, technological infrastructure, portfolio development initiatives, business models and firm-wide operating processes.

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Akshay D. Kothari

Chief Operating Officer
Notion

For his enterprising achievements in developing a news-reader interface app redefining how viewers on social media access content that became one of the fastest growing consumer products inside the LinkedIn platform.

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Industrial Engineering

Ricardo J. Echevarria

Vice President – Sales and Marketing Group
General Manager – Olympics Program Office
Intel Corporation

For his instrumental role in the growth and development of the worldwide software developer ecosystem and building a global professional services organization that enhances the prestige of the world’s largest semiconductor chip manufacturing company.

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Susan J. Ellsperman

President
Ivy Tech Community College

For her groundbreaking role in becoming the first female president of the nation’s largest singly-accredited community college system as well as her exceptional service to the State of Indiana through roles in economic and workforce development and public service.

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Materials Engineering

Steve E. Ferdon

Director – Global Engineering Technology, Fuel Systems Business
Cummins Inc.

For his commitment to environmentally responsible engineering through pioneering innovations in fuel systems supply chain that push for the highest purity standards in the global market and demonstrating technical leadership in pursuing material selection and process design for sustainable global manufacturing.

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Mechanical Engineering

Angela Barbee

Senior Vice President –Global R&D and Technology
Weber Grill

For her visionary leadership in business management, product development and manufacturing expertise of large engineering enterprises directly impacting consumer products while advocating for diversity and inclusion within the STEM disciplines.

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Juan Manuel de Bedout

Vice President – Aerospace Technologies
Raytheon Technologies

For his established success in shaping business strategy and driving development across diverse product lines creating impactful innovations in the energy and aerospace industries through long-term technology roadmaps in strategic and transformational industry segments.

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Manahar R. Shah

Chief Executive Officer
M S International, Inc.

For his remarkable success in modernizing the natural stone industry by establishing M S International Inc. as the first nationwide distributor in the United States for residential and commercial usage, and developing diverse supply chains across several continents as well as introducing RFID, imaging and data science into the hard-surfacing products sector.

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