Hal Lawton III (B.S. ’96) was one of the 2026 College of Engineering Distinguished Engineering Alumni (DEA) Award recipients during a dinner and ceremony on campus on Oct. 28, 2026, as part of Red and White Week.

In 1966, faculty from the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University established the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award to honor and recognize outstanding engineering graduates.

Awardees have exceptional 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 NC State through engineering achievement. Fast forward 60 years, and engineering faculty still nominate alumni for the prestigious award, while faculty representatives determine the award’s recipients.

Lawton earned his bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and pulp and paper science technology from NC State and a master’s of business administration from the University of Virginia.

Lawton has served as the president and chief executive officer of Tractor Supply Company since January 2020, where he continues to oversee unprecedented growth. He also serves on the board of directors for Wayfair Inc. Prior to joining Tractor Supply, he was president of Macy’s and served in senior executive roles at eBay and Home Depot. Lawton was named to the list of “Most Admired CEOs” for 2023 by the Nashville Business Journal.

Lawton is a CBE Distinguished Alumnus, was the NC State College of Natural Resources 2024 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, was a CBE Centennial Seminar Series Speaker in 2024 and is a current member of the NC State Board of Visitors.

This is an edited version of an original article written for College of Engineering News.