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Speaking at the 18th annual Stars and Stripes Dinner, which takes place on Friday during BEYA Week, the 2022 Black Engineer of the Year Ted Colbert, executive vice president of The Boeing Company and president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (seen at the podium in 2022), congratulated this year's BEYA winners.
"I've long said diversity is a force multiplier," Colbert said. "Growth and innovation are possible by challenging our assumptions and learning from the experiences and perspectives of others," he added. "All industries are facing pressure to find a more diverse pipeline. It is a challenge that no industry can solve alone, which is why I'm proud that Boeing has partnered with BEYA and other organizations to diversify and strengthen our talent pipeline."
Tonight, Colbert will pass the torch to the 37th Black Engineer of the Year at the annual BEYA Gala, the grand finale of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) festival that takes place during Black History Month.
Hosted by Career Communications Group’s US Black Engineer magazine, the 15-member Council of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Engineering Deans, and Lockheed Martin Corporation, more than 30 category winners will be honored during the BEYA Gala on Saturday.
Colin Parris, Ph.D. will receive the top award as the 37th Black Engineer of the Year. Dr. Parris is the senior vice president and chief technology officer of GE Digital. He is recognized for his notable achievements and accomplishments in STEM.
Over his 35-year career, Dr. Parris has contributed significantly to the fields of science and engineering with his groundbreaking work in digital transformation across multiple industries, including banking, retail, high-performance computing, manufacturing, healthcare, aviation, and energy.
Today at GE, he is applying digital innovation in partnership with some of the largest energy producers and utilities to accelerate the world’s transition to a cleaner and more secure energy future.
In a press release, Chairman and CEO of General Electric and CEO of GE Aerospace H. Lawrence Culp, said, “Colin’s extensive knowledge across multiple industries—software, energy, aviation, healthcare, banking, and manufacturing—has been invaluable to GE. In addition to his many contributions to the industry, Colin is also a very committed mentor and sponsor of STEM talent, making him an ideal candidate for the Black Engineer of the Year Award.”
Last fall, the BEYA Selection Committee announced the winners of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) awards for the 37th annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards. The peer review committee is made up of a diverse group of scientific and technical leaders and supporters of the 15 ABET-accredited historically Black colleges. Each year, the career recognition program attracts nominations from employers in government, industry, business, academia, and the nonprofit world.
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT Lamar Garrett Chief, Chemical Biological Center Field Element U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Analysis Center
Capt. Kimberly Jones, U.S. Navy Reactor Officer USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN INDUSTRY Wole Akinyemi, Ph.D. Executive Director, Research and Technology Cummins Inc.
Cleophus Thomas Jr. VP, Director of Operations, Global Digital Center of Excellence Jacobs
THE CHAIRMAN’S AWARD Justin Simpson Director, Data Security Walmart Global Tech
COMMUNITY SERVICE Dr. Lewis Pate, Jr. Enterprise Solutions Architect CACI International, Inc.
Anike L. Sakariyawo Founding Executive Director S.E.E.K. Foundation
DAVE BARCLAY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Scott Drach Vice President of Human Resources for Corporate and International The Boeing Company
Odetta Scott Indirect Procurement—Associate Director Raytheon Technologies
DEANS’ AWARD Larry O. Harris PEO-C4I/PMW-120, Assistant Program Manager-Test & Evaluation Naval Information Warfare Center—Pacific (NIWC—PAC)
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP—CORPORATE PROMOTION OF EDUCATION Nathaniel Price Environmental Engineer/Project Manager Jacobs
ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOW Stella McDonald Project Engineer Jacobs
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Capt. Melvin Ronald Smith Executive Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command U.S. Navy
MOST PROMISING ENGINEER IN GOVERNMENT Kelan Berry Aerospace Engineer (Propulsions Systems) Air Force Civilian Services—AFLCMC/LPS
Lt. Timothy C. Horton Assistant Public Works Officer U.S. Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command—Washington, D.C.
MOST PROMISING ENGINEER IN INDUSTRY Kendric Garmon Software Engineer Leidos
Zephaniah Horton Systems Engineer, Sr. Lockheed Martin
MOST PROMISING SCIENTIST IN GOVERNMENT Lyndsey McMillon-Brown, Ph.D. Research Electrical Engineer National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Jamesa Stokes, Ph.D. Aerospace Materials Research Engineer National Aeronautics and Space Administration
MOST PROMISING SCIENTIST IN INDUSTRY Houda Kerkoub Senior Aviation Data Scientist The MITRE Corporation
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION IN GOVERNMENT Kelly Thomas Davis, Sr. Lead Information Technology Specialist The U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command Software Engineering Center
Crystal Hayden Deputy Chief, Contract and Program Management Oversight Office National Security Agency
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION IN INDUSTRY Nalini Ambrose VA Health Systems and Strategy Department The MITRE Corporation
Bridget Beamon Principal Systems Engineer Raytheon Technologies
Siraaj M. Hasan Director/Principal—National Cyber Market Lead Booz Allen Hamilton
OUTSTANDING METAVERSE CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER Ernest L. Smiley Chief Data Scientist and CISO Kingdom Capitol
PIONEER AWARD Wendell Foster Executive Director/ Joint Force Headquarters Department of Defense Information Networks (JFHQ-DoDIN)
PRESIDENT’s AWARD Chauncey McIntosh Vice President and General Manager, Training and Logistics Solutions Lockheed Martin
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT
Dr. Paige Brown Expert Electrical Engineer and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Program Manager United States Food and Drug Administration
Patrick G. Taylor, Ph.D. Chief, Propulsion Test Branch U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command—Aviation and Missile Center
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN INDUSTRY Sean Bradshaw, Ph.D. Fellow, Sustainable Propulsion Raytheon Technologies
Candice M. Smith, PMP Director, Engineering Strategy & Operations The Boeing Company
RESEARCH LEADERSHIP Bianica Pires, Ph.D. Lead Modeling and Simulation Engineer The MITRE Corporation
SENIOR TECHNOLOGY FELLOW Cedric Mann Consulting Engineer Systems Architect—Tech Fellow Northrop Grumman Corporation
Mrs. Danielle Stephenson Principal R&D Systems Engineer Sandia National Laboratories
STUDENT LEADERSHIP—UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL Erron Williams Undergraduate Student Prairie View A&M University
TECHNICAL SALES AND MARKETING Everton Swearing Global Head of Sales, 2-Wheeler & Powersports Customer Group Vitesco Technologies USA, LLC