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Since 1987, more than 10,000 men and women have been nominated for the Black Engineer of the Year awards. 957 have received category awards, and 34 have been selected as Black Engineer of the Year.
BEYA nominations are judged by an expert panel, including past winners in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) award categories.
Over the span of three decades, the BEYA Conference has exposed 100,000 American students to role models in STEM careers.
Hosted by Black Engineer magazine, the Council of Historically Black College and University (HCBU) Engineering Deans, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Aerotek, the BEYA STEM Conference will take place February 13-15, 2020, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC.
On the agenda of the three-day event is the BEYA Gala, where the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA), the BEYA STEM Conference’s top award, will be presented.
Category awards include the Dave Barclay Affirmative Action, Career Achievement, Community Service, Education Leadership – K-12 Promotion of Education, Educational Leadership – College-Level Promotion of Education, Lifetime Achievement Award, Most Promising Engineer, Outstanding Technical Contribution, Professional Achievement, Research Leadership, Senior Technology Fellow, Student Leadership, and Technical Sales and Marketing.
Legacy awards include the Linda Gooden Legacy Award for Entrepreneurship, the Albert J. Edmonds Legacy Award in Federal IT, the Joe N. Ballard Legacy Award for Public Engineering Services, the Rodney C. Adkins Legacy Award for Business Transformation, the Dr. John Brooks Slaughter Legacy Award for Higher Education and Leadership, the Anthony R. James Legacy Award in the Utilities category, the William R. Wiley Award for Research, and the Walt W. Braithwaite Award for Aviation.
The Linda Gooden Legacy Award is named for the 2006 Black Engineer of the Year. Linda Gooden was the founding president of Lockheed Martin Information Technology. Before retiring, she led 31,000 Lockheed Martin employees and $8.8 billion in annual revenue.
The Lt. General Albert J. Edmonds award is named for the 1996 Black Engineer of the Year. The retired Air Force lieutenant general was a director of the Defense Information Systems Agency. He also managed the National Communications Systems and directed the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee.
The Lt. General Joe N. Ballard award is named after the 49th Chief of Engineers and Commander, United States Army Corps of Engineers. LTG Ballard is the 1998 Black Engineer of the Year.
2007 Black Engineer of the Year Rodney C. Adkins held several senior vice president roles at IBM, where he was responsible for developing strategies for a new era of computing, new markets, and new clients.
The Captain Donnie Cochran award is named for the 1989 Black Engineer of the Year. The retired U.S. Navy captain is the first African American aviator selected as commanding officer and flight leader of the Blue Angels.
An expert in higher education and leadership, Dr. John Brooks Slaughter is a former Chancellor of the University of Maryland and the first African American to head the National Science Foundation. He received the very first Black Engineer of the Year Award in 1987.
Retired Utility executive Anthony R. James served as president and CEO of Savannah Electric and Power Company from 2001 through 2005. In 2004, he was selected as Black Engineer of the Year.
William R. Wiley (1931-1996) was a lifelong believer in the ability of research to drive development and, through it, to change people’s lives. He last served as Battelle Memorial Institute vice president and was the 1994 Black Engineer of the Year.
BEYA SIGNATURE EVENTS Technology Recognition Lunch Stars & Stripes Dinner HBCU Engineering Deans’ Power Breakfast BEYA Gala