In a time when bad news, particularly bad news about Black youth, seems always at the ready, those looking for hope and inspiration need look no further than here.

Balanda Atis
Chemist, Mascara Laboratory
L'Oréal USA Research and Development

Balanda Atis develops mascara and liquid eye products for Maybelline, a division of L'Oréal USA Products, Inc. Her latest contribution is the use of cutting-edge fiber technology in eye cosmetics. She previously was a chemist for Playtex Products, working on such well-known brands as Banana Boat, Tan Express, Jhirmack, Ogilvie, and other personal care products. Atis earned her B.A. degree from Rutgers University in biology and holds an M.A. degree in cosmetic science from Fairleigh Dickinson. She now is pursuing an M.B.A. degree at Seton Hall University.

Mamadou Y. Barry
Process Engineer
Bayer Corporation

Mamadou Y. Barry works in the Process Technology Group at Bayer Corporation, where he provides technical solutions to challenging projects involving polymers and plastics. He is a member of engineering teams that make Bayer plants more reliable, efficient, environmentally friendly, and competitive. Born in Guinea in West Africa, the 28-year-old earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Technology of Compiegne (France) and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Craig Boles
Structural Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Craig Boles is a structural engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah, Ga. He received a degree in civil engineering technology from Savannah State University in 1995 and continued his engineering studies at Georgia Institute of Technology. He started his career in engineering as a co-op student at the Savannah District of the USACE in the Hydraulic Section, while attending Savannah State and Georgia Tech. He recently designed two communication antenna towers for the Army, using the latest design software to speed construction and reduce costs.

Pam Brite
Systems and Programming Unit Manager
Nationwide Financial Services

As Lotus Notes and Documerge Developer, Pam Brite provides technical and administrative leadership to a team of 12 programmers at Nationwide. In addition, she has served as a security application representative and as a computer instructor for the company. She earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Elizabeth City State University and has more than six years of information technology experience. Since October 1999, Brite has had responsibility for the core systems and programming functions that support much of Nationwide's fixed life insurance processing.

Alonzo Brown
Associate Software Engineer
MasterCard International

Alonzo Brown assists in software development and testing and maintains the company's Web site. Before joining MasterCard, he served as an office assistant in the Health Science Center Library, where he was responsible for typing, filing, e-mail, and maintaining daily statistics. He now is pursuing a B.Sc. degree in management information systems at St. Louis University.

Craig Brown
Systems Engineer
ENSCO, Inc.

Craig Brown has developed numerous software tools for ENSCO, including the Tray Management System and Robot Containerization material handling systems. He has done crucial work on the Flat Mail Sequencer project, developing a debugger tool for the new system applications. His leadership skills have flourished in his work as a senior integrator and site lead for domestic and international projects. He earned a B.Sc. in electrical and computer engineering from Louisiana State University. 

Sarah T. Butler
Civil Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

As a civil engineer in the Hydraulics Branch of the Vicksburg District of the USACE, Sarah Butler has been active in the Rotation Training Program for intern engineers, where she has gained experience in civil works programs. She has been involved in hydraulic analysis and design of levees and other flood control structures, as well as in field reconnaissance of stream erosion and flooding. She received her B.Sc. in civil engineering from Mississippi State University in December 2000 and is pursuing graduate studies.

Angelica Campbell
Senior Programmer Analyst, Corporate IT Applications Department
SCT

Since joining SCT in June 1996, Angelica Campbell has worked on a team responsible for the design, development, and support of an Oracle Application Server-based Web site. This Web site, called ActionWeb, provides approximately 2,000 SCT clients with secure access to client and product support information. She was named to lead this team in June 1998. Campbell graduated from George Washington University in May 1996, with a bachelor's degree in computer engineering.

DeJuan Carter
Structural Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

DeJuan Carter graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He is a registered engineering intern in the State of Arkansas and is pursuing his professional licenses. His main responsibilities include design and analysis of structural projects. He provides structural input that is used to maintain the integrity of locks and dams along the Arkansas River. As a result of his successes as a design engineer, Carter has been selected to participate in the Little Rock District Personal and Professional Enhancement Program. Only 12 persons in the entire district are selected each year to participate.

LaQuita M. Cox
Construction and Design Engineer
Entergy Mississippi, Inc.

As construction and design engineer, LaQuita Cox provides electrical services for residential and commercial customers, preparing work requests and assisting with service restorations during storm conditions. She joined Entergy in 1999 and was chosen in 2001 to participate in the Transition Launch Management Team, which provides coordination and integration of all activities for the transition to competition of all electric utilities in Texas. She holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State University and is pursuing an advanced degree at Belhaven College.

Danté Crockett
6-Sigma Blackbelt, Product Development Center
Ford Motor Company

Danté Crockett is a certified 6-Sigma blackbelt who has been recognized for his work on the Windstar power sliding door project. His work on a Mustang wind noise project is leading to noise deduction on future programs through use of the 6-Sigma tools. Earlier in his career, when he was a multimedia engineer for the Lincoln LS for Japan, Crockett was responsible for releasing Ford's first navigation system and the company's first integrated television antenna. Six-Sigma at Ford is a disciplined, problem-solving methodology that is designed to reduce variation in company products and processes.

Dennis Sean Cummings
Lead - Transmission Substation Engineer
Entergy Services

A former physics teacher at the St. Andrew Technical High School in Kingston, Jamaica, Dennis Cummings emigrated to the U.S. in 1997 to attend Louisiana State University (LSU). Upon graduation in 1999, he joined Entergy Services in New Orleans, where he was named substation design engineer and, a year later, was promoted to his current job. He works on designing, planning, and evaluating projects to help the company grow in a competitive environment and sits on the company's Diversity Council for the transmission business group. He recently was selected to sit on the LSU Minority Engineering Program Advisory Board.

Spencer L. Davis
Project Engineer, IPP Transmission Projects
Entergy Corporation

Spencer Davis manages the multimillion-dollar Independent Power Producers transmission projects over Entergy's entire service area, including Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. He directs teams of schedulers, designers, and contractors to define the parameters of projects and tracks the progress and costs of projects that could range up to $100 million. These projects have placed Entergy among the top 10 in the utility industry. In addition to other interests, he is active with the University of New Orleans Mentoring Program.

Alonzo Ellis 
Architect
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Alonzo Ellis, a recent graduate of Prairie View A&M University, is one of the newest interns at the Army's Transatlantic Center (TAC), Winchester, Va. TAC provides engineering services to U.S. military forces and other government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, including the Middle East, Africa, and Russia. As an intern, Ellis receives on-the-job training, rotating among the various divisions of the Army Corps of Engineers. He will receive a permanent assignment after training for two years.

John Faxio 
Manager, Product Marketing, National Accounts
Advanced Fibre Communications, Inc.

John Faxio joined Advanced Fibre Communications in July 2000, bringing more than seven years of experience as a naval officer and telecommunications account manager. He now serves as a product marketing manager, focusing on national accounts. He started his professional career as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy before joining Lucent Technologies as a project manager. Before joining AFC, he served as an account marketing manager for Alcatel USA in the wire line access division. He holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Joseph Ferguson
Senior Systems Analyst
ENSCO, Inc.

Joseph Ferguson is a member of ENSCO's Web development team, responsible for creating and maintaining the company Intranet and other applications. Before he joined ENSCO in March 2001, he was a Web developer for a Miami-based pharmaceutical Web development company. Ferguson attended the University of Florida, where he studied economics and minored in computer science, focusing on Web development.

Robert Fox II
Software Engineer
IBM Software Group

As a member of the Lotus Software Messaging & Wireless New Product/Technology Enablement (SWAT) Team, Fox works to ensure that customer evaluations of Lotus' wireless products are successful. He has served as technical lead in the implementation of the new IBM Sametime e-meetings internal and external Web sites and has been selected to become technical lead for the M&W SWAT team on the "domino" and "Sametime" wireless product family. Fox, 25, earned his B.Sc. in computer science from the University of Kentucky in 1999.

Cross Ganaway
Supervisor of Notes Infrastructure, Collaboration Services
Ahold Information Services

Cross Ganaway's employer, AIS, is the information technology solutions provider for Ahold USA's family of grocery food-related companies. He now plays a dual role with the company as supervisor for notes collaboration and as project manager of Royal Ahold's Notes Services Center, based at corporate headquarters in Zaandam, the Netherlands. He received his B.A. in computer science/business from Furman University in 1995 and worked in Furman's Information Services department for three years, before joining Ahold as an LAN specialist.

Jacqueline Gibson
Associate Systems Engineer
Storage Technology Corporation

Jacqueline Gibson helps deliver a broad range of storage solutions for digitized data for StorageTek in Mountainside, N.J. StorageTek is a $2-billion, world-wide company and inventor of virtual storage solutions. Gibson, a native of New Jersey, began her career with the company after attending Rutgers University and Oglethorpe University. She is a certified Microsoft Systems Engineer with training in Unix administration and Brocade communications systems.

Cowan Laron Gray
Engineer in Training 
Entergy - Independence Plant

Cowan Gray assists the senior engineer at Entergy's Independence Plant in implementing new technology, designing and upgrading systems, and overseeing special projects. He started his career with Entergy in May 2001, working as an entry-level engineer. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a B.Sc. in engineering.

Rodney Greenup Jr.
Project Manager
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

As manager of a large hurricane protection project, Rodney Greenup Jr., is responsible for providing flood protection to more than 75,000 residents of thousands of acres of wetlands in Terrbonne and Lafource parishes, at a construction cost of $680 million. He now is helping to design the largest navigation lock in the nation in the Houma Navigation Canal and serves as flood plain manager for the New Orleans District. Greenup holds a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering and M.Sc. in engineering management from the University of New Orleans.

Tina L. Hampton
Manager, Solutions Marketing
Advanced Fibre Communications, Inc.

Before she was graduated summa cum laude from the Illinois Institute of Technology, with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1994, Tina Hampton was involved in engineering through internships at Marconi's engineering test lab in Franklin Park, Ill. In 2000, she earned her master's degree in manufacturing systems engineering from the University of Saint Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., and then became a senior applications engineer at Petaluma, Calif.-based Advanced Fibre Communications. She now serves as a solutions marketing manager, focusing on the technical product needs of customers.

Sherri N. Hankerson
Manufacturing Engineer
GM Powertrain

As manufacturing engineer since June 1999, Sherri Hankerson manages operations critical to machining engine blocks. She is responsible for improvements in the cost and quality of tooling and machining equipment and is credited with saving $86,000 in tool costs. She was formerly a production supervisor at the Flint, Mich., GM facility. She received her B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in April 1997 and her master's in management from Central Michigan University in May 2001.

Felicia Hardy
Supervisor of Design - Six Sigma
Ford Motor Company

Felicia Hardy, supervisor of design for 6-Sigma at Lincoln Mercury, is the auto division's first certified Black Belt. Her work improving steering on the Taurus/Sable and Lincoln Town Car are credited with improving customer satisfaction by 70 percent and saving the company more than $2.8 million. She has led teams in powertrain and chassis engineering to improve performance and reduce emissions, has published technical papers, and is in the process of obtaining a patent in the automotive industry. Hardy received her B.Sc. degree in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University in 1990 and her M.Sc. in mechanical engineering in 2000 from the same institution.

William Gabriel Harris IV 
Civil Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

William Harris is a civil engineer in the Design Branch of the Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District, where he is an active participant in the organization's Rotational Training Program for intern engineers. He has contributed to computing land use mapping for court-approved methods to satisfy the environmental concerns of several government agencies. He is pursuing post-bachelor's studies at a local university graduate program.

John William Haskins Jr. 
Research Assistant, Department of Computer Science
University of Virginia

John Haskins Jr. is a member of the Laboratory for Architecture at Virginia (LAVA) research group at the University of Virginia. Before joining LAVA in May 2000, he worked at the University of Virginia Department of Computer Science as a teaching assistant. He received his B.Sc. in computer science from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1997 and a master of computer science degree from the University of Virginia in 2000. He now is pursuing his Ph.D. at UVA. He was invited to address the U.S. House of Representative Space Subcommittee in 1992, to discuss how space exploration benefits public school education.

James L. Hayes
Force & Load Parameter Engineer
The Boeing Company

Metrology engineer James Hayes is the primary focal for the parameters of force, torque, and mass measurements for The Boeing Company, Seattle. He designs test fixtures and develops schedules for a wide range of applications, from experimental aircraft to parts to fastener-testing machines. He has developed new methods to diminish the effort required to calibrate flight test parts, and he has streamlined the fixture record-keeping process to provide access to the records for anyone connected to the Internet.

Kara M. Hines
Associate Developer
Fannie Mae

Kara Hines maintains the technical processes used to analyze Fannie Mae loans. She also is responsible for updating the templates used by clients for analysis and works with clients to set standards for data exchange and handling procedures. Hines joined Fannie Mae through the Business Technologist Program as a university systems technologist in July 1998. This is an intensive, five-month information systems training program designed to prepare participants for a technical career. She received her B.Sc. in international business and marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park in May 1998 and joined Fannie Mae upon graduation.

Anthony Glenn Humphrey 
Senior Materials Logistics Professional, Integrated Demand/Supply Chain
IBM Corporation

Anthony Humphrey is driving implementation of world-wide processes based on the Total Order Management methodology. He first worked for IBM as a summer intern in 1999, developing organizational changes to improve the company supply chain. He served in the U.S. Navy for five years as a disbursing officer and later as an instructor at the Navy Supply Corps School. He earned his B.Sc. degree in accounting, cum laude, from North Carolina A&T State University in 1993 and his M.B.A. degree in June 2000 from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.

Tiphanie C. Jinks
Civil Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

As a planning technical leader for the Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville, Fla. District, Tiphanie Jinks is engaged in restoring complex ecosystems. She analyzes civil works projects to determine the socioeconomic, engineering, and environmental impact and benefits of plans. She recently coordinated plans to protect Manatees at the Canaveral Lock and now is involved in ecosystem restoration projects to protect Florida's Everglades. Jinks received her B.Sc. degree in civil engineering from Florida A&M University and began working for the Corps of Engineers as a cooperative education student.

Aaron N. Johnson, Ph.D.
Mechanical Engineer, Fluid Flow Group
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

A specialist in fluid mechanics, Dr. Aaron Johnson is responsible for improving America's primary gas flow standards. His current project is aimed at reducing the flow uncertainty of the NIST primary gas flow standard. Since millions of flow meters across the United States are traceable to the NIST primary flow standards, his work in flow metrology has far-reaching practical implications. He earned his graduate and undergraduate degrees at the Pennsylvania State University. His graduate research program focused on improving flow measurement.

Laundette P. Jones, Ph.D.
Assistant Director
BioTechnical Institute of Maryland, Inc.

In addition to her work at the BioTechnical Institute of Maryland, Dr. Laundette Jones serves as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Department of Medical and Research Technology, where she is coordinator for the Molecular Biology and the Virology/Molecular Diagnostics courses. After graduating from Morgan State University with a degree in chemistry, she received an award from the National Institutes of Health to pursue a doctorate in toxicological sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. She became the first African American to graduate with a Ph.D. from this division. Her postdoctoral training was in the Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis at NIH, where her investigations focused on breast cancer research.

Ronald L. Jones
Senior Business Analyst
Fannie Mae

As a business analyst and project leader, Ronald Jones manages testing activities that support Fannie Mae's e-business applications and ensure that clients' business and technical problems are resolved. Fannie Mae's technology solutions help lenders streamline business operations and reach broader lending markets. Jones joined Fannie Mae's Washington, D.C., office last April, after several years of technical and analytical experience with communications companies, where he was involved in quality assurance testing for IT and computer applications. He earned his B.Sc. degree in business administration and management information systems from Virginia Union University in 1994.

Lilian Kerongo
Chemical Engineer
L'Oréal USA Research and Development

Lilian Kerongo, who was born in Kenya, has held various positions in the cosmetics industry, including formulation chemist for Playtex Products, where she formulated sunscreens for the Banana Boat and Tan Express product lines, among others. Before that, she was an analytical chemist for the Dragoco fragrance house, where she analyzed raw materials and finished products. In her current job with L'Oréal, she develops processes for such product lines as Maybelline, Lancome, Soft Sheen, and Matrix. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from New Jersey City University and now is pursuing her master's degree in cosmetic science at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Christopher Kifuthu
Senior Database Administrator
America Online, Inc.

Christopher Kifuthu became fascinated by computers at an early age, starting with his first Commodore 64. He began learning everything he could about the device and by the time he was 12 years old, adults were asking him for computer advice. Years later, he became a one-man computer department for a fast-growing environmental lab in Berkeley, Calif., where he taught himself how to program applications, manage desktop PCs, and support a Novell file server and various networks, systems, and databases. Today, he manages enterprise-wide databases for AOL, including all AOL Music databases, as well as datacenter and database migrations.

Leslie Kilgore
Supplier Integration Release Engineer
General Motors Corporation

Leslie Kilgore works with Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Oldsmobile Bravada, and S/T Truck instrument panels and floor consoles, leading the design of new "infotainment" systems for the 2002 S/T Truck Instrument Panel and providing design direction for significant new content changes in future years. Kilgore is in the process of moving to a new position as the vehicle system engineer for two new GM programs, a job that will involve greater leadership and engineering responsibilities.

Keisha M. Lisbon
Process Control Engineer
United Water Services Atlanta

Keisha Lisbon oversees plant optimization projects and key budget initiatives for UWSA. She also serves as the Partnership for Safe Drinking Water program coordinator, performance indicator developer, and community mentor. As chief engineer of a water treatment plant, she oversees all technical projects. A graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a B.Sc. in chemical engineering and a waste management certificate, she has embraced both the chemical and environmental industries. She continued her education at the University of Florida, where her research has demonstrated that low dissolved oxygen concentrations in waste water treatment will lead to higher performance in nitrogen removal plants and minimize aeration energy consumption.

Belden Love
Controls Engineer
General Motors Corporation

Belden Love has moved from college graduate in training to supervisor of Machine Repair/controls engineer, in only five years with the General Motors Metal Fabrication Center in Indianapolis, Ind. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1996 with a B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering and began his GM career within a few weeks of graduation. He plans to begin studies for an M.B.A. in the near future.

Tonya L. Love
Electrical Engineer/Sensor Technologist
Xerox Research and Technology Center

Tonya Love works with the Specialty Sensors group within the Xerox Research and Technology Center. For the past three years, she has been involved in the development of a new sensor technology known as a Low Cost LED Spectrophotometer. This experience has given her the opportunity to pursue a career in electro-optics. Before joining Xerox in 1998, Love worked for Eastman Kodak Co. as a development engineer in their electronic manufacturing division. Love earned her B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering technology from Alabama A&M University and a master of engineering degree in solid-state devices from Clarkson University in New York.

Mchuma Makene
Software Engineer
MasterCard International

As a software engineer in the MasterCard Technology Development Department, Mchuma Makene is responsible for application design, development, and implementation for MC IDEAS. Her work requires her to write Oracle SAL Scripts, PL/SQL, Unix Korn Shell Scripts, and Coworks Scripts, as well as perform database design. She previously worked as a programmer/analyst for Kansas CIM Power & Light, where she wrote queries in SQL for Oracle and designed business solutions using Korn shell and PL/SQL. Mchuma holds a B.Sc. degree in computer science from Florida State University.

Michael E. Malone II
Data Sales Engineer
Verizon Communications

Michael Malone provides technical support to Verizon account managers and customers by developing local area network (LAN) configurations. One of his projects, the American Airlines Center, is the most technologically advanced sports and entertainment venue in the country. It includes Internet-ready seats and has the capability to support today's technology as well as technologies of the future. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.Sc. in electrical engineering.

Robert A. Martin 
Technical Delivery Team Manager
EDS

Robert Martin began his career at EDS in 1994 in Troy, Mich., and after achieving success in a series of management positions, he was promoted to technical delivery manager, supporting Sabre Enterprise Applications at the EDS headquarters in Plano, Texas. Under his leadership, customer satisfaction increased and contracts were renewed. He was recognized with the company's Information Solutions Champion of Growth Award for his efforts. A baseball scholarship allowed Martin to attend Selma University, where he received his B.Sc. degree in business administration in 1994.

Conrad Maynard
Manager, Global Processing for Infrastructure Support, Information Infrastructure
The Coca-Cola Company

Conrad Maynard was named to his current job in 2000. In this capacity, he is responsible for a team that supports the global enterprise applications in North America and around the world. He also serves as a talent scout at job fairs and participates in Coca-Cola's mentoring program. Beginning with the company in 1992, Maynard served as computer operator/problem manager, responsible for user problem resolution and new operator training. He later became an operations supervisor and team lead, moving up to manager of AS/400 Operations in 1999. He received his bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor in economics from Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Ervin McDaniel III
Engineer
Baltimore Gas & Electric Company

Ervin McDaniel attended at Morgan State University on a scholarship provided by Baltimore Gas & Electric. From 1993 until he received his B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering in 1998, he held various assignments throughout the BGE system as a co-op student and summer intern. Today, as an engineer for the company, he develops plans for several multimillion-dollar construction projects.

Nichole McEachern
International Product Registration Coordinator
L'Oréal USA Research and Development

As international product registration coordinator in the Technical Information Services Department of L'Oréal USA, Nichole McEachern interacts with more than 48 countries to register products in foreign markets. She started with L'Oréal in 1997 in the Product Evaluation Department as a research scientist conducting claims substantiation testing for advertising claims. She earned her B.A. in biological science from Rutgers University, with a minor in psychology. She now is in the master of public administration program at Kean University, with a concentration in health care, and expects to graduate in May 2002.

Colin McNab
Web Engineer
Pitney Bowes, Inc.

When he graduated from Yale University in 1998 with a degree in behavioral neuroscience, Colin McNab was pointed toward a career in medicine. But his passion was always computers, and working with them soon went from being a hobby to a career. Before joining Pitney Bowes, McNab worked as an IT recruiter, a Web development consultant, and a dot-com entrepreneur. He joined Pitney Bowes as a Web engineer in June 2000 and now is a member of the company's Advanced Concepts & Technology Department, where his role has expanded to include customer service and business-related functions.

Sharon Meadows
Systems Engineer 
TRW

Sharon Meadows started at TRW as a systems engineer, supporting the test and verification of a digital satellite processor. She later was asked to return to the project to support the launch and on-orbit support of the system. To broaden her expertise, Meadows accepted a job as systems engineer working on the Advanced EHF military satellite communications system, a job that has given her exposure to different program phases and more challenging responsibilities. Meadows earned her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering at the University of Southern California.

Dameon A. Ming
Network and Distributed Systems Engineer
The MITRE Corporation

Dameon Ming works with MITRE's Joint and Defense Wide Services group. He has worked on several projects for the Department of Defense and plays a key technical role in Information Assurance, Network and Systems Management. He has collaborated on developing leading-edge technology prototypes using COTS-based systems and has consulted widely on information security issues. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he received his bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and statistics. He is pursuing a master's degree in engineering management at the George Washington University.

Wesley G. Mitchell
Project Manager
Maryland State Highway Administration

Wesley Mitchell's recent promotion to project manager makes him the youngest -- and only the second -- African American to achieve this position in the Maryland State Highway Administration's Project Planning Division. He started his career with Maryland's SHA in the Project Planning Division as a project engineer in 1997, after graduation from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md., with a degree in civil engineering. Mitchell has a wide range of duties, including developing preliminary engineering plans and coordinating projects with citizens organizations and elected officials.

Darrell B. Mobley
Project Manager
Maryland State Highway Administration

Darrell Mobley manages the design and construction budget of 10 roadway projects with a total of $100 million in estimated construction costs. In addition, he serves as a member of the Maryland SHA recruiting team. An advocate of new technologies, he has identified practical applications for image processing technology and global positioning systems for use by the SHA to assist surveyors in collecting data for highway projects. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware, where he earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

Darnell J. Moore, Ph.D.
Member of Technical Staff, Digital Signal Processing Solutions Research and Development Center
Texas Instruments Incorporated

A specialist in video imaging processing, Dr. Darnell Moore is responsible for developing new image compression software for Texas Instruments' line of digital still camera chips. He also is working on the prototype for an "intelligent" security camera that uses advanced technology to take photographs without human supervision. These "smart cameras" are expected to revolutionize commercial and residential security. Dr. Moore joined TI after completing a doctorate in electrical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology in May 2000. He earned his master's degree from Georgia Tech and B.Sc. from Northwestern University, also in electrical engineering, and has authored several articles for international technical journals.

Claudine A. Morgan
Transportation Engineer
Maryland State Highway Administration

After graduating from Morgan State University in the spring of 1999 in the top 10 percent of her class, Claudine Morgan accepted a position as a transportation engineer with the Highway Design Division of the Maryland State Highway Administration. Morgan now manages two, million-dollar neighborhood conservation projects and is responsible for the design aspects of projects from preparation of final design plans to reviewing and evaluating consultant submissions.

Stephanie Morgan
Mechanical Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Born in Nuremberg, Germany, Stephanie Morgan graduated from North Carolina A & T State University in May 1998, receiving B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in architectural engineering, with a concentration in mechanical studies. Her graduate work in mechanical studies gave her the opportunity to develop a computer-simulation program for the heating and air conditioning system at a Fort Bragg, N.C., library. She now is assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers Fort Bragg office, where she oversees more than $800,000 in military construction projects.

Sean M. Morley
Systems Associate, Information Services for Basic Research Organization
Merck & Co., Inc.

An honors graduate in computer science from Hampton University, Sean Morley joined Merck in 1996 as an entry-level programmer. He is now a project team leader with responsibilities ranging from developing clinical labeling systems to building powerful applications for the automated robotic screening of biological compounds. Morley has developed several core software applications for basic drug discovery processes, including an application used to set up experiments and one that helps scientists graphically review and rate experimental results. He now leads a team that is designing a revolutionary information system that will be used by Merck scientists to manage data about growth of protein crystals.

Maurice N. Moulton
Senior Engineer, Powertrain Tuning Department
Toyota Technical Center, USA, Inc.

Maurice Moulton manages Toyota's North American vehicle certification and in-use emissions verification programs. He earned his B.S.E. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and joined the Engine Research Department at Honda R&D Americas in Ohio, working his way up to senior engineer in 1999. One of his proudest accomplishments was working with engineers in Japan and America to calibrate the 3.5L Acura MDX engine to achieve a 50-state ultra-low emissions vehicle rating from the Environmental Protection Agency, making it one of the first light-duty trucks to achieve this level. He joined the Toyota Technical Center's Powertrain Tuning Department last year.

Raushanah Muhammad
Civil Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Raushanah Muhammad, a recent graduate of Tennessee State University, is one of the newest interns at the USACE Transatlantic Center (TAC), in Winchester, Va. As an intern, she receives on-the-job training, rotating among the various divisions of the Army Corps of Engineers. Her two-year training program includes assignments in all engineering design disciplines, project management, contracting, and construction management in an overseas field construction office. TAC's area of responsibility includes the Middle East, Africa, and Russia.

Jacque Neal
Senior Analyst, Testing
MasterCard International

Jacque Neal leads the Quality Assurance Group in MasterCard's Internet Development Department, where his team provides quality-related services from test planning to execution. He also leads a standards committee that is responsible for documenting, modifying, and improving the way the Internet Development Department creates software. During his tenure, he has developed the testing standards that all company Internet Development projects now follow. Neal holds an M.B.A. from the University of Missouri and a B.Sc. in industrial science from Truman State University.

Brad Nicholas
Procurement Engineer
Entergy Operations, Inc.

Brad Nicholas works at the Waterford 3 nuclear power plant facility for Entergy. He prepares engineering evaluations that determine the equivalency of replacement components, establishes acceptance and testing criteria for commercial grade items, develops the technical and quality requirements for the procurement of safety- and quality-related products, and accompanies quality assurance teams on supplier audits as technical expert. He graduated with honors from Southern University and began his professional career as a sales engineer with Honeywell, Inc.

David Nichols
Partner
Accenture

As one of only a handful of minority partners in the global consulting firm Accenture, formerly known as Andersen Consulting, David Nichols combines a love of technology with a commitment to promoting diversity. He is responsible for generating new business and managing accounts, specializing in enterprise application integration. He also serves on the executive team that leads the company's efforts to attract greater numbers of minorities and women to consulting. He began his career with Accenture in 1991, after graduating from Northwestern University, where he earned a B.Sc. degree in computer engineering.

Phares A. Noel
Platform Executive, Premium Vehicle, Advance Manufacturing Engineering
DaimlerChrysler AG

Phares Noel develops alternative energy sources for the Chrysler Tech Center's manufacturing facilities and automated energy management systems, using his skills in engineering, finance, and economic analysis. He received B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering from Wayne State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Detroit/Mercy. In his previous position, he was responsible for shift maintenance activities for paint and final manufacturing at the Warren Truck Assembly plant.

Koranteng Ofosu-Amaah
Staff Software Engineer, Lotus Software
IBM Software Group

Koranteng Ofosu-Amaah leads the integration effort bringing K-station collaboration services and client-side IU components into the WebSphere Portal family. A 1995 graduate of Harvard University with a degree in electrical, computer, and systems engineering, he joined Lotus as a software engineer to develop the 96 and 97 Millennium editions of Freelance Graphics. Ofosu-Amaah designed and developed a plug-in and Active X component into Lotus Web ScreenShow Player, used for viewing multimedia presentations in Web browsers. He is pursuing his master's degree in computer science at Harvard.

Terrell J. Perkins
Engineer
Whirlpool Corporation

Terrell Perkins works with the Whirlpool Technical Development Group in St. Joseph, Mich. He specializes in "fabricare" technology, designed to provide consumers with state-of-the-art cleaning and care from the company's washers and dryers. He is also a rapid prototyping developer, helping program computer systems for improved data acquisition. Perkins joined Whirlpool in August 2000, after receiving his B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering technology from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.

Alfonso Robinson
Customer Service Engineer
Bell & Howell Company

Alfonso Robinson is a resident technician for Bell & Howell Affiliated Computer Services in Charlotte, N.C. Since going to work for the company in 1997, he has earned many company honors and awards, including being named the Bell & Howell Technician of the Year in 2001. He was selected from a group of 850 company technicians nationwide for this honor. 

Robinson earned an associate's degree in electronic engineering from Virginia College in Birmingham, Ala., in 1994. He now is pursuing certification as Microsoft certified system engineer at a community college in Charlotte. As resident technician, Robinson handles software and mechanical upgrades, installs computers, and repairs electrical and mechanical equipment.

Tutashinda Salaam
Civil Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Tutashinda Salaam is a civil engineer with the Corps of Engineers' New Orleans District. His focus is on applying advanced technologies to engineering and business practices. His current technology deployments integrate geographic information systems data sets into Internet-enabled knowledge bases and apply Internet-based solutions to processes. He worked for the Corps as a co-op student while raising a young family and earning his B.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of New Orleans.

Rosetta Santana
Diffusion Process Engineer
Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector

Rosetta Santana is a diffusion process engineer in one of Motorola's state-of-the-art Silicon factories in Austin, Texas, where she now is leading a $2-million yield enhancement project. Santana developed an early interest in science and math and was selected to attend Durham Academy in North Carolina, an enhancement program that focuses on technology for gifted students. While an undergraduate student, she participated in numerous cooperative education programs with companies including Allied Signal (now Honeywell) and 3M. She earned her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.

Timm Simms
Chief Technology Officer
Plethora Technology

Timm Simms, cofounder and chief technology officer of Plethora Technology in Greenbelt, Md., is the company's primary technical executive, chief product architect, and visionary. He leads a team of six engineers in product development and system administration. Before cofounding Plethora, he was partner and president of AliVE Multimedia Group, developing Windows, Internet, and database software for clients. He began his career as an application programmer for GE Information Systems. He studied computer science and electronic music technology at the University of Maryland.

Keith Dion Smith
Lead Software Design Engineer/Test
Microsoft Corporation

Keith Smith began his career at Microsoft in June 1998 as a software design engineer/test, after graduating from MIT with a master of engineering degree in electrical engineering and computer science. He has contributed to the development of several Microsoft products, including Visual J++, VJ++, and Trident SDK. In early 1999, he joined the Microsoft Visual Basic team and worked on the HTML Editor that will ship as part of MS Visual Studio.NET. He became a lead software design engineer/test on the Microsoft .NET Framework product in mid-2000. His team's primary responsibility is to ensure that features perform well under all conditions.

Mark Smith, Ph.D.
Member of Technical Staff
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies

Dr. Mark Smith decided to pursue a career in computer science after seeing the movie "War Games," when he was a young man. He moved from the island of Jamaica to Brooklyn, N.Y., during his senior year of high school, and enrolled in his first computer course. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in computer science and worked for Bell Laboratories as a summer intern before beginning a master's program at MIT. He continued to intern at AT&T throughout his doctoral studies, returning to the labs full time after completing his Ph.D. at MIT in computer science. Dr. Smith now focuses on solving Internet routing problems.

Nichelle Smith
Civil Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

After graduating from the University of Alaska-Anchorage in the spring of 2000, Nichelle Smith wanted to work in a field that would give her a broad range of opportunities. Her knowledge of Alaska helped her gain a position with USACE as a civil engineer stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base. As an engineer in training, she has worked on a broad range of assignments, including design and construction of military projects, civil works for coastal communities, and the National Missile Defense project. She earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering, with a minor in mathematics, and plans to pursue a master's degree in civil engineering.

Shawn L. Smith
Mechanical Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Shawn Smith completed a dual degree program in 2000, with a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala., and another in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama, Huntsville. He entered the engineering intern program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers upon graduation and, for four months in 2001, served a tour of duty with the Corps of Engineers Trans Atlantic Command in Kuwait. His duties in Kuwait included engineering design reviews and contractor oversight to include surveillance of contract work, shop drawing reviews, and quality assurance.

Stephanie Michelle Smith
Manufacturing Supervisor
Intel Corporation

Stephanie Smith earned her B.Sc. degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University in 1999, and began her professional career with Intel just a few months later. She is now a Fab 12 manufacturing supervisor in the company's Arizona plant, responsible for the activities of manufacturing technicians in the Diffusion and Wet Etch areas. Despite her youth, she has considerable experience with Intel, having worked in Site Information Technology and Planning and Logistics for the company in Chandler, Ariz., for several summers.

Renee Stevens
Chemist and Science Officer, Laboratories and Scientific Services
U.S. Customs Service

Renee Stevens has worked for the U.S. Customs Service Laboratories since 1994. She began her career as a student trainee chemist, continued working as a chemist in the New York laboratory, and now works at the Customs Service headquarters as a chemist and scientific officer in Washington, D.C. She provides Customs attorneys with technical opinions regarding proper classification of merchandise and assists in planning national training programs for the lab system. She volunteers her time as mentor for elementary school children and also has been a volunteer advocate for survivors of rape crisis programs in New York City and in Montgomery County, Md.

Christopher Charles Stewart
Project Engineer
Entergy Corporation

Christopher Stewart has launched his career as a project engineer for Transmission Business for Entergy. He worked as a research assistant for NASA in 1998-1999, conducting microgravity flight experiments. He earned his B.Sc. in mechanical engineering from Tennessee State University in 1999.

Scott L. Thomas
Systems Programmer/Advisor, Enterprise Systems Group
Dell Computer Corporation

Scott Thomas joined Dell in June 1998, after receiving his B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Florida A&M University. Less than a year into his current job, he is lead engineer for Dell's OpenManage Connections software programs. His position requires him to help establish software requirements, create project schedules, and work with vendors. He began his career with Dell as a systems engineer for the Dell Server instrumentation team, where he was responsible for testing future software, creating tests to resolve customer problems in the field.

Christopher L. Thompson
Mechanical/Systems Engineer
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Christopher Thompson is viewed as an up-and-coming member of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory's Strategic Systems Department. In key work to enhance security of the U.S., he has completed two significant tasks to reduce risks aboard the nation's nuclear submarines: He helped create and install a sensor to measure launch wake effects for a Tomahawk cruise missile launch, and he developed the instruments to measure flow field in nuclear submarine operating conditions. He earned a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 1996, and an M.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University in 1998.

Tyronne Tillis Jr.
Senior Engineering Associate
Entergy-Arkansas

Tyronne Tillis Jr. graduated from Grambling State University in the spring of 1999 with a degree in electrical engineering and has worked with Entergy-Arkansas for the past two years. During the worst ice storm in the history of Arkansas, last year, he worked as a lead scout with many different power and tree trimming companies to rebuild the transmission line structure in the state. He expects to begin working on a master's degree in business administration this year.

Daniel Walker
Failure Analysis Engineer
IBM Corporation

Daniel Walker began working with IBM when he was still a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. While an intern with the company over several summers, he worked in a number of diverse assignments, including analysis of failed products and analysis of robotic manufacturing lines. He earned his B.S.E.E. degree from UCLA in 1998 and now serves as team lead for a group of engineers and technicians. In addition, he is implementing test procedures and training protocols for production personnel in locations in Hungary, Italy and the U.S., monitoring the flow of product development from concept and design through field installation and end-user troubleshooting.

Derek L. Walker
Architect
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Derek Walker recently joined the Corps of Engineers as a team member on the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School renovation project at Fort Monmouth, N.J. Before joining the USACE, he was a project architect for Gensler Worldwide, where he worked on projects for clients such as Ernst & Young and Lazard Freres in New York City. He was the lead designer for the Otto Kretchmer Homes for the City of Newark, N.J.; the Dayton Children's Museum Exhibition addition; and the Springfield, Ohio, Fleet Maintenance Building. He received his B.A. in architecture from Hampton University in 1996.

Jasson Walker Jr.
Software Engineer
Optimus Corporation

Jasson Walker Jr. joined Optimus Corporation in Silver Spring, Md., shortly after graduating from Dartmouth College, where he earned his B.A. in arts/mathematics, with a strong emphasis on computer science, in 1998. Beginning as a Tier 2 Helpdesk analyst, he provided desk support for peripherals and network components and administered group and user accounts. Later, he was promoted to network administrator and was named to the position of software engineer in March 2000. He is responsible for designing ArcView GIS applications using GPS real-time tracking, statistical reporting, and database manipulations.

Tracy Ward
Software Engineer, Storage Systems Group
IBM Corporation

Tracy Ward graduated from San Francisco State University in June 1999 with a B.Sc. degree in computer science, and joined the IBM Storage Systems Group in San Jose, Calif., as a software engineer. Her initial assignments were in the Function Test area of the zOS Storage Management software development. She already has been identified by IBM as a Technical Resource Feature Hire. The scope of her assignments have been growing to the point where she now is part of a team that is working on a key project to improve the zOS Sysplex VSAM product.

Courtney Watson
Process Control Engineer
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

Courtney Watson began working for ADM as a process control engineer in Decatur, Ill., in November 1999, shortly after graduation from Southern Illinois University with a B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering. His engineering experience includes three summer internships with the City of Decatur Engineering Division, where he performed site surveys and other field duties. He has continued his education since joining ADM by earning a certificate in networking from Richland Community College and expects to earn a certificate in programming this summer.

Ajamu Wesley
Senior Software Engineer - Emerging Technologies
IBM Software Group

Ajamu Wesley received his B.Sc. in computer science from Cornell University. After joining IBM in January 1996 as an associate programmer, he quickly rose through IBM's technical ranks to senior architect. During the past five years, he has filled many roles, including inventor, consultant, developer, architect, and author, and has more than 30 patent filings to his credit. His development experience includes projects spanning Wireless, eCommerce, Voice, XML, and Java applications. As senior architect within IBM's Emerging Internet Technology Division, Wesley develops technical strategy and architecture, while providing technical consulting services to promote the adoption of leading-edge technologies. He has written several publications, most recently an instructive book for programmers titled "Programming WebServices."

Charles E. West Jr.
Business/Process Analyst
DaimlerChrysler Corporation

Charles West Jr. has been a systems analyst at DaimlerChrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., for the past five years. He now is helping design Enterprise Resource Planning software that will help the company's human resources staff project future hiring and training needs. West graduated from Jackson State University in Mississippi with a B.Sc. degree in computer science in 1996. He earned his M.B.A. from University of Michigan, Dearborn in 1999.

Andrea L. Williams
Civil Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Andrea Williams works in the construction branch of the Memphis District of the Corps of Engineers. She attended Tennessee State University in Nashville on a Presidential Scholarship and was awarded a GEM Fellowship. She was also the recipient of the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship and corecipient of Tennessee State University's College of Engineering Best Senior Project Presentation Award in 1994. She went on to attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to pursue a master's degree in civil engineering.

Lucretia L. Williams
Senior Business Analyst
Ford Motor Company

Lucretia Williams is a certified 6-Sigma Blackbelt at Ford. Her work with engine enhancements has given her the depth and insight needed to head the development of the Ford's Engine Hybrid Strategy. As a student at Wayne State University School of Engineering, she designed an "ear ringer" for patients suffering with multiple sclerosis. This device dissipated muscle spasms so patients could insert and wear pierced earrings.