CBE Honors Distinguished Alumni Recipients – 2016

On December 9, 2016, the department hosted a luncheon to honor CBE graduates who have received either CBE or College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Awards.

The CBE Distinguished Alumni Award and the CBE Distinguished Young Alumni Award were established in 2016. The awards are intended to celebrate and recognize the exemplary contributions recipients have made to their profession, their community, and their department, college or university. All graduates of the department, including deceased graduates, are eligible for consideration.

The inaugural CBE Award recipients are:

CBE Distinguished Alumni Awards

• Dr. Candis S. Claiborn
• Vice Admiral Joseph W. Dyer, Jr., USN, Ret.
• Mr. Carl S. Stutts, Jr.
• Mr. Alan S. Weinberg

 CBE Distinguished Young Alumni Award

• Dr. Eric M. Paradise

Candis S. Claiborn

 Dr. Claiborn received her B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Idaho and worked in the petroleum industry before coming to N. C. State for graduate school. She studied under the guidance of Professors Viney Aneja, Ruben Carbonell, and Michael Overcash, earning a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1991.  That same year she joined the faculty at Washington State University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

From 2006 to 2016, she served as the Dean of the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture at Washington State University.  As Dean, she led the Voiland College through the budget challenges of the recession, as well as through unprecedented growth including a 65% increase in enrollment, 75% increase in research expenditures, establishment of new engineering programs in Bremerton and Everett, WA and expanded entrepreneurial activities by faculty and students. After 14 years of administrative work, Dr. Claiborn returned to her faculty position in 2016.

She’s a professor in the Laboratory for Atmospheric Research and in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has received several outstanding teacher awards, and was recognized as a WSU Woman of Distinction in 2016.

 Joseph W. Dyer, Jr.

 A 1969 graduate, Admiral Dyer is currently the Chief Strategy Officer for the National Spectrum Consortium and an independent consultant in tech, aerospace, and defense.  He holds an MS in finance from the Naval Post Graduate School and focuses on the intersection of technology, finance and risk management.

During his military career, he served as Commander of the Naval Air Systems Command where he was responsible for an annual research, development, test & evaluation and procurement budget of $40 billion.  He was Commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, and naval aviation’s chief engineer. Earlier, he was the F/A-18 Super Hornet Strike Fighter Program Manager and the Navy’s chief test pilot.

His industry experience includes serving as an executive at iRobot Corporation. From 2003 until mid-2016, he chaired NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and was deeply engaged in planning the mission to Mars. Admiral Dyer is a recipient of the James H. Doolittle Award for outstanding engineering accomplishment in aerospace technology.  He is an elected fellow of both the National Academy of Public Administration and the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

Eric M. Paradise

Dr. Paradise graduated as a Park Scholar in 2001, earning B.S. degrees in chemical engineering and biochemistry. Following graduation, he received his doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

He published his dissertation work in synthetic biology in Nature, an international journal that’s widely recognized as one of the finest peer-reviewed research journal in all fields of science and technology. His research results ultimately enabled an alternate industrial source of an anti-malarial drug for distribution in Africa.

Eric started his career at The Boston Consulting Group where he consulted with Fortune 100 companies and led teams across a variety of industry sectors. In 2010 he joined MedImmune, which is the biologics R&D arm of the global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Currently, as Senior Director of Partnering & Strategy, he heads the early-stage partnering activities for the Respiratory, Inflammation, and Autoimmune therapeutic areas, as well as for Diagnostics and Devices

Carl S. Stutts

Carl Stutts, a native of Salisbury, NC, received his B.S. in chemical engineering in 1968 and subsequently received an MBA from the University of Houston.

After graduating from State, he joined Union Carbide in Texas City, Texas and later joined Tenneco where he held various management positions, including vice president of Tenneco Ventures.  In 1988 he left Tenneco for more entrepreneurial waters and became a general partner at Columbine Venture Funds, a technology-focused venture capital fund. Subsequent to Columbine, Stutts was President and CEO of Texas Petrochemicals and of Cyanco Corporation. He remains chairman of Cyanco, a leading global producer of chemicals supporting the precious metals mining sector.

During his career he has served on over 20 boards of directors and has often served as chairman or lead director. Stutts has also been active in Rotary International and in Child Advocates of Houston, an organization focused on children placed in foster care. He is currently serves on the board of the N. C. State Engineering Foundation.

Alan S. Weinberg

Alan Weinberg earned his B.S. in chemical engineering with honors in 1963 and began his career as a Process Engineer at Esso Research and Engineering, now ExxonMobil. After three years, he joined the Cryovac Division of W. R. Grace & Company in Duncan, South Carolina as a Product and Process Development Engineer.

After 36 years, with all but 7 years in RD&E, he retired in 2001 as Global Vice President of Technology for Cryovac. During that time, the company’s global sales grew from about $100MM to almost $3B.

Alan was a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers, served on the CHE Advisory Board at Clemson University for 4 years, and the CHE/CBE Alumni Advisory Board for 18 years.  He has served on numerous community boards including the International Chamber Music Series, the Warehouse Theatre, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Furman University.  He was active in the United Way and remains involved at OLLI where he served as president and continues as an instructor, volunteer, and student.

Alan and his wife Ellen have three daughters and six grandchildren, and have recently endowed a Distinguished Professorship in the CBE Department at N. C. State.

The Distinguished College of Engineering Alumnus Award was established by the Faculty of the College in 1966 to honor engineering graduates who have been recognized for outstanding achievements in planning and direction of engineering work, fostering professional development of young engineers, contributing to knowledge in the field of engineering or bringing, in other ways, distinction to the University through engineering achievement.

Recipients of Distinguished College of Engineering Alumni Awards

•  Mr. William E. Angelo
• Dr. Norvin A. Clontz
• Mr. S. Frank Culberson
• Mr. Wayne T. Day
• Dr. James K Ferrell
• Ms. Elin E. Gabriel
• Mr. Jeffrey R. Garwood
• Mr. William R. Garwood
• Mr. Carlos D. Gutierrez
• Mr. Michael D. Killian
• Mr. Ross W. Lampe, Sr.
• Mr. Arthur P. Moss
• Dr. Donald R. Paul
• Mr. Fred H. Ramseur, Jr.
• Mr. F. Perry Wilson

Congratulations to these distinguished alumni. You’ve represented yourselves and our department exceedingly well!