Interview Series


Over the past few years, former Dean Abernathy has asked notable alumni of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering to discuss leadership development and their ideas relating to challenges, globalization, and methods of leadership. Some of these alumni have even been recognized at the university level with Distinguished Alumni Awards, which are presented during Commencement exercises.

Watch the interview playlist below, or click on the list of names to watch their individual interviews and hear the advice they have for future leaders.

  • Martin “Marty” L. Abbott – M.S. CE ’98 – Founding Partner, AKF Partners
  • Paul Brown – B.S. ISE ’84 – Senior executive, International Paper
  • William Cirioli – B.S. CHE ’80 – Vice President, Global Technology, ExxonMobil Chemical
  • Andy Crawford – B.S. IE ’61 – Founder and Former CEO, Advanced Disposal Services
  • Carlos del Sol – B.S. IE ’72 – Vice President for Global Engineering, Campbell Soup Company
  • Linda Hudson – B.S. SE ’72 – President/CEO, BAE Systems, Inc.
  • Chris Malachowsky – B.S. EE ’80 – Co-Founder, NVIDIA
  • David Nelms – B.S. ME ’83 – CEO, Discover Financial
  • Lawrence Ramaekers – B.S. CHE ’59 – Principal, The Ramaekers Group, Inc.
  • Glenn Renwick – M.S. ISE ’78 – President/CEO, Progressive Insurance
  • Dave Thomas – B.S. IE ’71 & M.S. ’72 – Former IBM Executive
  • Erin Wallace – B.S. ISE ’82 – Executive Vice President, Operations Integration, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
  • Dr. Michael Durham – M.S. Env. Eng. ’75 & Ph.D. ’78 – President, CEO and Director, Advanced Emissions Solutions.
  • Norm Augustine – Honorary Doctorate Recipient 2013 – Retired Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
  • Walden Rhines – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mentor Graphics
  • Anil Rajvanshi – Ph.D. ME ’79 – Director, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute
  • George Kirkland – B.S. CE ’72 & M.S. ’74 – Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Vice President of Upstream, Chevron Corp.