Ceremony #1 - COE Master's Commencement
ORDER OF CEREMONY
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024, 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
CASSELL COLISEUM
PROCESSIONAL OF STAGE PARTY
NATIONAL ANTHEM
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS
Bevlee Watford, Associate Dean of Equity and Engagement
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING MASTER’S STUDENT
Ayden Cohn, Master of Science, Nuclear Engineering
MESSAGE TO GRADUATES
Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School
PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES
Julie Ross, Paul and Dorothea Dean of Engineering
CANDIDATES PRESENTED BY
Holly Matusovich, Associate Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies
RECESSIONAL OF STAGE PARTY
Distinguished Alumna: Bevlee Watford
Bevlee A. Watford ’81, M.S. ’83, Ph.D. ’85 is a distinguished figure in the field of engineering with a career spanning more than 30 years at Virginia Tech. She is a triple Hokie, holding a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering, and both a master’s and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering and operations research.
Since returning to her alma mater in 1990, Watford has held various roles where she could provide opportunities for students. She is best known for her passionate support of students and for pioneering the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) as the founding executive director.
After securing a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to expand CEED in 2004, she was promoted to full professor, becoming the first Black woman to hold this position in the College of Engineering.
In 2017, she made history as the first African American female president of the American Society for Engineering Education, and has received numerous accolades including:
- Recently being appointed by President Biden to serve on the National Science Board;
- Being the first Black woman inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence;
- The Black Engineer of the Year Award;
- Was named one of Virginia Business Magazine’s 100 People to Meet;
- The Educational Leadership Award;
- Being the first Black woman inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence
- Named an American Society for Engineering Education Fellow as well as a member of the Hall of Fame;
- And a recipient of the NSBE-ExxonMobil Impact award
Three honors in the college are named after Watford, including the Engineering Education graduate award, and three scholarships — one provided by the Student Engineers’ Council and the others funded by Virginia Tech alumni for students in underrepresented populations within the College of Engineering.
Watford shares her life with her husband Van Johnson, a fellow Hokie, and their two children who are also Virginia Tech alumni. In July 2024, Watford will officially retire from Virginia Tech in her role as the associate dean of equity and engagement.
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