Five inducted into Department of Engineering Education’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni
To celebrate its 20th year, the Department of Engineering Education launched its Academy of Distinguished Alumni by inducting its first class of five successful alumni whose careers in engineering education positively influence students, faculty, and society.
This year's inductees are:
- Bevlee A. Watford
- Jennifer Mullin
- Richard Cassady
- Jean Mohammadi-Aragh
- Andrea M. Ogilvie
“Our five inaugural inductees to this academy exemplify the levels of sustained impact on engineering education that define the academy,” said Jenni Case, head of the Department of Engineering Education. “Their careers and their passion stand as beacons of inspiration for all of us. We are delighted that they accepted our invitation to join the academy.”
2025 inductees
Bevlee A. Watford
- Ph.D., industrial engineering and operations research, 1985
- Master’s degree, industrial engineering and operations research, 1983
- Bachelor’s degree, mining engineering, 1981
Through decades of visionary leadership, tireless advocacy, and impactful mentorship, Watford has helped reshape the landscape of engineering education and inspired educators and students alike.
From 2019-24, Watford served as the associate dean for equity and engagement at Virginia Tech. Watford founded and grew the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity from a $20,000 operation in 1992 to a nationally recognized model with a $4.4 million budget and a large team. Under her leadership, graduation rates for all engineering students rose dramatically, solidifying the center as a driver of engineering student success.
Watford was the first African American woman to serve as president of the American Society for Engineering Education, in 2017. For the National Science Foundation, Watford served as program manager in the Division of Undergraduate Education and program director for broadening participation in the Division of Engineering Education and Centers. In 2023, President Joe Biden appointed her to the National Science Board.
Multiple awards have been named after Watford, including the Bevlee A. Watford Inclusive Excellence Award from the Women in Engineering Pro-Active Network and Virginia Tech’s Bevlee A. Watford Outstanding Doctoral Student Award and Bevlee A. Watford Outstanding Dissertation Award.
Reflecting on what inspired her to pursue engineering, Watford said, “My best friend's dad, Ted Klug, was an engineer. He built things like the Twin Towers and a tunnel under the East River. It was amazing to me, and I never knew such jobs existed. He was the only engineer I’d met before going to college, and he convinced me that it was something I could do. His faith in me never wavered."
Jean Mohammadi-Aragh
- Ph.D., engineering education, 2013
Driven by commitment to innovation and continuous improvement, Mohammadi-Aragh has elevated the field of engineering education from within, by transforming electrical and computer engineering undergraduate education and empowering engineering faculty to create meaningful, research-informed educational experiences.
Mohammadi-Aragh is an associate professor at Mississippi State University, where she co-founded the engineering education working group and grew it to nearly 50 members with more than $14 million in engineering education research proposals.
Mohammadi-Aragh also helped establish Mississippi State’s Ph.D. program in engineering education, where she continues to serve in a leadership role, and redesigned the university's electrical and computer engineering department degree programs, reducing a five-semester plan to four to improve student completion rates. Additionally, she aided in the establishment of an online electrical engineering bachelor's degree program at Mississippi State.
She has served on more than 20 National Science Foundation review panels and has more than $9 million in funded projects, including a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. She's also served various roles within the American Society for Engineering Education. “The people at Virginia Tech didn’t just influence my career — they shaped my character and gave me the confidence to pursue meaningful, lasting contributions to the field of engineering education,” said Mohammadi-Aragh.
Richard Cassady
- Ph.D., industrial and systems engineering, 1996
- Master’s degree, industrial and systems engineering, 1993
- Bachelor’s degree, industrial and systems engineering, 1992
A triple Hokie, Cassady is a professor of industrial engineering and serves as co-director of the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center at the University of Arkansas. Cassady is the founder of the first-year engineering program at the University of Arkansas and served as its director from 2006-23. He also served a five-year term on the Virginia Tech Industrial and Systems Engineering Advisory Board.
Outside of work, Cassady’s passion is helping to lead team-based robotics programs for students through the FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST LEGO League in Arkansas. Root Negative One, a FIRST Tech Challenge team that Cassady co-founded and coaches, was selected to represent the United States at the FIRST Global Challenge in Dubai in 2019 and has won numerous championships.
Cassady was awarded the 2016 Albert G. Holzman Distinguished Educator Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and the Virginia Tech College of Engineering Dean’s Award of Excellence for Public Service.
“The people I met at Virginia Tech were incredibly impactful in my life, especially Joel Nachlas. He was the advisor for my undergraduate research project, my master’s thesis, and my doctoral dissertation. More importantly, he was my mentor for many important career and personal decisions,” Cassady said.
Jennifer Mullin
- Ph.D., engineering education, 2010
Mullin pioneered engineering education as the first Ph.D. graduate from Virginia Tech’s department in 2010. Currently an associate teaching professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and faculty director for experience engineering at University of California San Diego, she is piloting an undergraduate course for non-engineering majors focused on sustainability and clean energy as well as co-developing and piloting a first-year seminar to create more collaboration for engineers with the arts.
Previously, Mullin developed active learning experiences for all undergraduate engineering students at University of California Davis and was awarded a Best Teaching Award in 2020. She has also dedicated her time to working on outreach programs at STEM summer camps and youth design camps. Mullin was awarded an ASEE Division for Experimentation and Laboratory-Oriented Studies Best Paper Award.
“Engineering appealed to me for the exciting global challenges and problem-solving skills involved. I was interested in technology but also wanted to do work that would help others live a healthier, safer and fuller life,” said Mullin.
Andrea M. Ogilvie
- Ph.D., engineering education, 2017
- Master’s degree, industrial and systems engineering, 2015
Ogilvie has more than two decades of experience in academia, administration, and national policy. She currently serves as assistant dean of student success and associate professor of instruction at Texas A&M University. Previously, she worked as an academic administrator at the University of Texas at Austin, where she created job opportunities for underrepresented students and secured more than $3.7 million in grants and private donations to support her programs. Her legacy was cemented with the establishment of the Andrea M. Ogilvie Honorary Endowed Excellence Fund in her honor.
Ogilvie was selected for a science and technology policy fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she served the U.S. research enterprise in the National Science Foundation's Division of Engineering Education and Centers. During her time at Virginia Tech, Ogilvie was instrumental in helping develop the Department of Engineering Education’s Rising Sophomore Abroad Program.
“I feel fortunate and accomplished when I look back on my time at Virginia Tech,” said Ogilvie.
