A UW-Madison engineering education provides a solid foundation for a career as an engineer—and the College of Engineering continues a 150-plus-year tradition of enrolling, educating and graduating engineers of the highest caliber. When they go to work, engineering alumni excel at what they do.
At the 2018 Engineers’ Day banquet Oct. 19, 2018, the College of Engineering is proud to honor 12 influential alumni who have applied their UW-Madison engineering education and experiences to make a difference in such fields academia, hospitality, law, medical technology and more. Among the 12 are six young alumni who are exceptionally accomplished innovators and leaders.
Together, our award recipients illustrate the vast and remarkable impact Wisconsin engineers have in efforts that positively impact the lives of citizens around the world.
The celebration marks the 71st annual Engineers’ Day, which includes activities for all alumni and friends, including department luncheons, tours, talks, a banquet, pre-football tailgate, and more.
Early Career Award recipients
Justin Beck
CEO, PerBlue
BSCMPE ’09, BSCS ’09, UW-Madison
We are honoring Justin for his leadership in nurturing the Wisconsin entrepreneurial ecosystem, the state’s economic development, and as an exemplary demonstrator of collaborative engineering success.
Gilbert Haddad
Director, Point72 Asset Management
Staff Advisor, SparkCognition
BSME ’07, American University of Beirut
MSME ’09, UW-Madison
PhDME ’11, University of Maryland
We are honoring Gilbert for his work in applying data science and analytics in ways that have increased his companies’ productivity and profitability.
Andrew Hanson
Chief Technology Officer, PerBlue
BSCMPE ’09, BSCS ’09, UW-Madison
We are honoring Andrew for his leadership in nurturing the Wisconsin entrepreneurial ecosystem, the state’s economic development, and as an exemplary demonstrator of collaborative engineering success.
Gregory Hudalla
Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor and Pruitt Family Term Fellow, University of Florida
BSChE ’04, Illinois Institute of Technology
MSBME ’06, PhDBME ’10, UW-Madison
We are honoring Greg for his excellence in biomedical engineering research and education.
Rahul Shinde
Executive Director, DIL
BEME ’99, College of Engineering-Pune, India
MSMSE ’01, PhDIE ’05, UW-Madison
We are honoring Rahul as inspiring industrial dngineer and pragmatic leader who has successfully demonstrated how systems thinking and technology can transform business, upgrade customer experience and help improve lives within communities.
Forrest Woolworth
Chief Operating Officer, PerBlue
BSCMPE ’09, BSCS ’09, UW-Madison
We are honoring Forrest for his leadership in nurturing the Wisconsin entrepreneurial ecosystem, the state’s economic development, and as an exemplary demonstrator of collaborative engineering success.
Distinguished Achievement Award recipients
Wendy Harris
COO and GM, Commercial Operations, GE Healthcare
BSECE ’90, MBA ’99, UW-Madison
We are honoring Wendy for her industry leadership in healthcare technologies, workforce diversification, and women’s health issues.
Robert J. Heideman
Senior vice president and chief technology officer
A.O. Smith Corp.
BSMetE ’88, PhDMatE ’15, UW-Madison
MSMetE ’92, Purdue University
We are honoring Bob for advancing manufacturing technology through research, product engineering, technology management and corporate leadership.
Arthur Janes
CEO, PDS Technology
BSME ’67, BBA ’67, UW-Madison
We are honoring Art as an accomplished entrepreneur and corporate leader who successfully founded and grew an engineering and technical staffing company.
W. Kent Lorenz
Chairman and CEO (retired), Acieta LLC
BSEM ’84, UW-Madison
We are honoring Kent for his dedication as a leader whose efforts to advance industrial robotic automation have led to new and improved manufacturing processes. These advancements have helped to improve quality, lower costs and increase safety for North American manufacturers. Kent’s passion in industrial robotics has also inspired future generations of engineers through his work with Project Lead the Way and the Schools to Skills programs.
William S. Monfre
BSChE ’85, UW-Madison
Engineering and Manufacturing Management, Procter & Gamble (1985-2008)
President/Owner, Quality Insulators Inc. and Asbestos Removal Inc. (2008-current)
We are honoring Bill as an engineer and entrepreneur whose expertise and creativity have enabled him to become a leader in his professional career.
Brian Mullins
BSCEE ’77, JD ’80, UW-Madison
Partner, Axley Brynelson LLP
Brian passed away in February 2018. We are honoring him posthumously for the instrumental role he played, both as a civil engineer and as an attorney, in developing construction law in Wisconsin.