Vecellio inducted into College of Engineering Hall of Fame, Sanivation wins inaugural Impact Award

Alumnus Leo Vecellio speaks after his induction into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Hall of Fame April 21. (Photo: Gary Meek)
 

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering alumnus Leo Vecellio Jr. is among the newest members of the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Hall of Fame.

Vecellio joined his fellow inductees at the College’s Alumni Awards and Induction Ceremony April 21, where he was recognized for his long career in construction and road building as well as his service to Tech. Vecellio earned his master’s degree in civil engineering in 1969.

The ceremony this year also included the first-ever Dean’s Impact Award, which recognized Sanivation, a social enterprise co-founded by environmental engineering alumnus Andrew Foote.

Foote, BSEnvE 2011, and Emily Woods, BSME 2010, created the organization while they were students to deliver clean and efficient sanitation services in East Africa. In their current model, the company installs modern container-based toilets in homes and charges a small monthly fee to service them. They turn the collected waste into charcoal briquettes, a clean-burning cooking fuel for the community.

The College honored two other School alumni with awards: Zakiya Seymour joined the Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni and Isaac “Ike” Scott III became a member of the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni.

More about this year’s honorees:

Alumnus Leo Vecellio, center, was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Hall of Fame April 21. He's holding his Hall of Fame medallion alongside the ceremony's guest speaker, retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, and engineering Dean Steve McLaughlin. (Photo: Gary Meek)
From left, ceremony guest speaker retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, BCE 1977, Leo Vecellio, and engineering Dean Steve McLaughlin. (Photo: Gary Meek)

Leo A. Vecellio Jr.
Chairman, President and CEO
Vecellio Group
Engineering Hall of Fame

Leo Vecellio earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech in 1968 and a master’s in civil engineering with emphasis on soil mechanics and construction management from Georgia Tech in 1969. He serves as chairman, president and CEO of Vecellio Group, Inc., a privately owned business founded by his grandfather, father and uncle in 1938. Throughout his career, Vecellio has been active in industry organizations, including leadership positions at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, where he served as 2007 chairman and chaired the Transportation Development Foundation for nine years. He is a member of the Virginia Tech Academy of Distinguished Alumni, Academy of Engineering Excellence, and Foundation Board of Directors as well as the Georgia Tech Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni, the West Virginia Academy of Civil Engineers, the Florida Transportation Builders Association Hall of Fame, and the National Academy of Construction. Vecellio served two terms on the Georgia Tech President’s Advisory Board under President Emeritus and Smithsonian Institution Secretary Emeritus G. Wayne Clough.
Alumnus Isaac "Ike" Scott, center, was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni April 21. He's holding his award alongside the ceremony's guest speaker, retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, left, and engineering Dean Steve McLaughlin. (Photo: Gary Meek)
From left, ceremony guest speaker retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, BCE 1977, Isaac "Ike" Scott, and engineering Dean Steve McLaughlin. (Photo: Gary Meek)

I.J. "Ike" Scott III
President and CEO
Scott Bridge Company
Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni

Ike Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech in 1974 and became a licensed professional engineer in 1980. He has served as president and CEO of Scott Bridge Company — headquartered in Opelika, Alabama — since 1988. Under Scott’s leadership, the company has become one of the leading highway and railroad marine bridge contractors in the Southeast. Highlights of his tenure include the design and construction of the rowing and yachting venues for the 1996 Summer Olympics as well as value engineering and construction of Georgia Department of Transportation’s $200 million interchange at Interstate 20 and Bobby Jones Expressway. Before joining Scott Bridge Company, Scott worked as a bridge project engineer with B.L. Harbert International. Scott and his wife established the Ike and Rhonda Scott Family Endowment to support the Structural Engineering and Materials Laboratory in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech, where he serves as an External Advisory Board member.
Alumna Zakiya Seymour, center, was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni April 21. She's holding her award alongside the ceremony's guest speaker, retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, left, and engineering Dean Steve McLaughlin. (Photo: Gary Meek)
From left, ceremony guest speaker retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, BCE 1977, Zakiya Seymour, and engineering Dean Steve McLaughlin. (Photo: Gary Meek)

Zakiya Ayo-Zahra Seymour
Senior Project Manager
Jacobs Engineering Group
Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni

Zakiya Ayo-Zahra Seymour earned master’s and doctoral degrees in environmental engineering from Georgia Tech in 2013. She also holds a master’s in civil engineering from University of California, Berkeley, as well as a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Tennessee State University. As a senior project manager for Jacobs Engineering Group, Seymour leads a variety of projects for municipal and industrial water clients. She is heavily involved with the company’s commitment to Georgia Tech, where she leads Jacobs’ student recruitment efforts and sponsorship of senior capstone projects and symposia. With a dedication to altruism first fostered at Georgia Tech, Seymour serves on the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization History Committee and organizes annual company service events. Before joining Jacobs, she worked for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and for JPMorgan Chase & Co. She holds a Six Sigma Black Belt Certification and is a licensed professional engineer in Georgia.
Emily Woods, center, one of the co-founders of Sanivation, with the first-ever Dean's Impact Award at the College of Engineering Alumni Awards and Induction Ceremony April 21. Woods created Sanivation with environmental engineering alumnus Andrew Foote. She's with engineering Dean Steve McLaughlin, left, and the ceremony's guest speaker, retired Gen. Philip Breedlove. (Photo: Gary Meek)
From left, engineering Dean Steve McLaughlin, Emily Woods, and ceremony guest speaker retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, BCE 1977. (Photo: Gary Meek)

Andrew Foote, BSEnvE 2011
Emily Woods, BSME 2010

Co-Founders
Sanivation
Dean's Impact Award

Sanivation is a social enterprise dedicated to improving the overall dignity, health and environment of urbanizing communities in East Africa by delivering clean, safe, and efficient sanitation services. Sanivation installs modern container-based toilets in people’s homes for free then charges a small monthly fee to service them. Instead of dumping waste, Sanivation transforms it into a clean-burning charcoal alternative. First created as a research project by Andrew Foote and Emily Woods during their engineering studies at Georgia Tech, Sanivation is currently raising capital in hopes of serving one million people over the next five years.