The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering added expertise in bridge-building, transportation systems, investing, IT, and real estate development to its External Advisory Board this fall.
The American Chemical Society New York chapter will recognize alumnus Christopher Pappas later this year for his leadership of chemical firm Trinseo. The group announced April 6 that Pappas, BCE 1978, is this year’s recipient of the Leadership Award for Outstanding Corporate Reinvention from the society’s Chemical Marketing and Economics group.
The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s alumni advisory board has installed six new members, adding experience in finance law, social media, airport operations, and real-estate development as well as engineering. The new members of the External Advisory Board graduated from the late 1970s to the 2000s and join two dozen other alumni who help guide the School’s leadership on everything from academics to fundraising.
The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering added four new advisers this fall. Michael Houlihan, Emmy Montanye, Christopher Pappas and Wassim Selman joined the School’s External Advisory Board to counsel CEE’s leadership on everything from curriculum and fundraising to communications and recruiting.
The accolades have come pretty fast and furious for Andy Phelps in recent months. First, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) announced Phelps would receive a lifetime achievement award. Then, a few weeks later, the society elected him a fellow.
Perhaps the most valuable thing CEE alumni can offer students — other than jobs — is perspective. They’ve “been there,” as the saying goes. And with years of accumulated experience, they have insight and advice current students could use.
If there’s one thing that ties together most of the newest members of the School’s advisory board, it’s that they don’t work as engineers. In fact, three of them work in banking and real estate. That’s not to say, however, that they’re not using what they learned in their CEE classes every day.
“I’ve always said an engineer can do anything he likes. You know, what we are taught is to look at a situation, assess what the problem is, and find a solution. We have a structured mind, we have an analytical mind. And all businesses are the same thing.”
The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering welcomed four new members to its External Advisory Board this fall. Over the coming days, we’re going to introduce you to these people, all graduates of the program. And these guys are interesting — they have advice, insight and stories to share.
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Mason Building, 790 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332-0355
Phone: 404-894-2201
Fax: 404-894-2278