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College Welcome

Since 2001, the Engineering First Year program has hosted an annual College of Engineering Welcome event featuring our Dean of Engineering and a keynote speaker.

23rd Annual College of Engineering Welcome Event

Keynote Speaker

Ana P. Davis (BS CHE ’91) Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE), North America for Syngenta

Ana Davis heads Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) in North America for Syngenta, a global agriculture company.

She manages Syngenta’s corporate HSE programs, which cover a wide array of business units, including active ingredient manufacturing, product formulation, seeds operations, and commercial sales.

She also serves as the Global HSE Business Partner for the Seeds Development business, responsible for the development of strategic programs to deliver breakthrough HSE performance globally. Her team develops tools to improve safety culture across the company and create a high level of employee engagement. Ana began her career as a process control engineer with Exxon, later working as a facilities engineer for Advanced Micro Devices. Prior to joining Syngenta in 2009, she held a variety of production and HSE management roles with Kao Specialties Americas. Before that, she was a plant manager at Dow and held several positions with Union Carbide Corp., becoming a plant production manager after the Dow Chemical merger.

A native of Spain, Ana was recognized in 2005 with the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award for Professional Achievement in Industry. She serves on the advisory boards of The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), North Carolina State University’s Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and North Carolina A&T Department of Chemical, Biological, and Bioengineering.

In 2019, she was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of AIChE and will be on the ballot as AIChE Treasurer in the upcoming 2023 election. Ana received her BS degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University, where she was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2020.

Ana and her husband have three children and established an endowment for chemical engineering undergraduate students. 

Past Keynote Speakers*

2022
Chris Olinger (BSCS ’89)
D-WISE, AN INSTEM COMPANY
2022 College Welcome (YouTube)
2021
Bhavana Bartholf (IMSEI)
Chief Digital and Transformation Officer, Microsoft Solutions Worldwide
2021 Video Podcast
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Fitts-1.png 2020
Edward P. Fitts (BSIE ‘61)
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Tim-Humphrey.png2019
Tim Humphrey
(BSEE ’96)
IBM
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Quint-Barefoot.png2018
Quint Barefoot (BSCHE ’85)
Entrepreneur
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Christine-Mann-Darden.png2017
Dr. Christine Mann Darden
Retired member of The Senior Executive Service
NASA Langley Research Center
2016
Congressman Chris Collins (BSME ’72)
New York’s 27th Congressional District
in the House of Representatives
2015 Jason Rhode President and CEO2015
Jason Rhode
(MSEE ’93 Ph.D. ’95 )
President and CEO
Cirrus Logic
2014 Suzanne Beckstoffer Director of Process and Tools2014
Suzanne Beckstoffer
(BSCE ‘82)
Director of Process and Tools
Newport News Shipbuilding
2013 Mark A. Norcross Founder and Consultant2013
Mark A. Norcross (BSFMM ‘76)
Founder and Consultant
Mark David, Inc.
2012 Dr. B. Jayant Baliga Distinguished University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering2012
Dr. B. Jayant Baliga
Distinguished University Professor of
Electrical and Computer Engineering
2011 Jake Hooks (MSE '78) President, Automotive North America2011
Jake Hooks (MSE ’78)
President, Automotive North America,
Eaton Corporation
2010 Mark Wyatt (CSC '80) VP, Smart Grid & Energy Systems2010
Mark Wyatt (CSC ’80)
VP, Smart Grid & Energy Systems
Duke Energy
2009 Tom McPherson (EE '76, '77) Managing Member Cluny Aviation LLC2009
Tom McPherson
(EE ’76, ’77)
Managing Member
Cluny Aviation LLC
2008 Steve Angel (CE '77) Chairman, President & CEO2008
Steve Angel (CE ’77)
Chairman, President & CEO
Praxair
2007 Lee Mazzocchi (CE '90) Vice President2007
Lee Mazzocchi
(CE ’90)
Vice President
Progress Energy
2006 Scot Wingo (ECE '92) President and CEO2006
Scot Wingo (ECE ’92)
President and CEO
ChannelAdvisor Corporation
2005 Gayle Lanier (IE '82) Vice President2005
Gayle Lanier (IE ’82)
Vice President
2004 Tim E. Scronce (IE '87) President2004
Tim E. Scronce (IE ’87)
President
Blue Rhino
2003 Ross Lampe, Jr. (IE '77) President2003
Ross Lampe, Jr.
(IE ’77)
President
SMD Software, Inc.
2002 Barbara H. Mulkey (CE '77) CEO2002
Barbara H. Mulkey (CE ’77)
CEO
Mulkey Engineers & Consultants
Marshall Brain 20012001
Marshall Brain
(CSC ’89)
Founder
HowStuffWorks
*Each profile dates back to the keynote speech year.

Questions?

Call Brian D. Koehler at 919.515.3263