Contact
  • Radka Z. Nebesky
    Director of Development
    National Academy of Engineering
    Phone202-334-3417
  • Stephanie Halperin
    Associate Director of Development
    National Academy of Engineering
    Phone202-334-1842

Noteworthy News

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of EngineerGirl and Women in Engineering

May 2022 - National Academy of Engineering leadership, council members, academy members, donors, and EngineerGirl Ambassadors gathered together at the Irvine Marriott in California to celebrate the Kickoff of the NAE National Meeting and the 20th Anniversary of the EngineerGirl program.

After two years of virtual meetings, more than 130 individuals attended the celebration to engage with fellow members and friends. Twenty-three EngineerGirl participants had the opportunity to network with program donors and innovators within each EngineerGirls’ field of interest. Attendees enjoyed comments from NAE President John L. Anderson, Vice President Corale Brierley, and EngineerGirl Ambassador alumna Sophie Mei Poole. Sophie shared the impact EngineerGirl has had in her life and encouraged the current ambassadors to embrace the experience of the program.  

Several donors were celebrated for their generous support of the NAE as a Franklin Society medal was awarded to Robin McGuire, Curie Society medals were awarded to Jim Ellis and Rick Rashid, and Einstein Society statuettes were awarded to Jo Cheng, Elsa Garmire and Robert Russell, Carol Hall, and Yannis Yortsos. Learn more about donor recognition at the National Academies. The Grainger Foundation’s representative, Bill Hayden, shared remarks on their foundation’s impactful $10,000,000 gift that renamed the Frontiers of Engineering program to The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering program. 

Highlights from the 2020 Golden Bridge Society and Donor Recognition Event

October 2020 - NAE President John Anderson and his wife Pat hosted the Golden Bridge Society Virtual Donor celebration during the 56th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Engineering. The event celebrated the NAE’s most generous members and friends. President Anderson announced the Academies three new recognition societies - the Abraham Lincoln Society, the Marie Curie Society, and the Benjamin Franklin Society - and welcomed the founding members of these societies. Attendees watched pre-recorded videos of donors from various recognition societies who shared “Why I Give” and welcomed new donors to the NAE’s top philanthropic recognition societies. 

This year, the NAE chose to shine a light on the impact that philanthropic support and member involvement has made on the NAE by highlighting one of its most successful programs—EngineerGirl. Since 2001, EngineerGirl has served as our primary outreach program to address the under-representation of women in engineering by connecting girls to female engineering role models. A highlight of the programming was hearing directly from three young women impacted by EngineerGirl and a live Q&A session with EngineerGirl Program Director and NAE Senior Program Officer Simil Raghavan, PhD.

The resounding message was: students who become engineers can make a difference in society.

The evening ended with closing remarks from the NAE’s Vice President for Development, Corale Brierley. Brierley spoke about the success of the EngineerGirl program and how it has inspired a new program to expand the academy’s outreach to other under-represented groups, to ensure a more diverse voice for future engineers.

Inaugural Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar Named

October 2019 - The National Academy of Engineering has named Guru Madhavan, current director of NAE programs, as the inaugural Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar. This endowment, which supports Madhavan’s work, was made possible through a generous donation from Norman R. Augustine and Lockheed Martin Corporation. 

Guru Madhavan with Norman R. Augustine and NAE President John AndersonThe Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar is awarded to an outstanding individual who will act as an advisor to the president of the NAE, and aid in the management and execution of the NAE’s programmatic activities.

Guru’s leadership and expertise is evident in his work as the NAE Director of Programs. He is a biomedical engineer and senior policy advisor. He is vice president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA, the world’s largest professional society for engineering and technology, and the author of the book Applied Minds: How Engineers Think.

Norman Augustine was elected to NAE in 1983 and has received the U.S. National Medal of Technology, Joint Chiefs of Staff Distinguished Public Service Award, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences, and the Department of Defense’s highest civilian decoration five times. He has served as a trustee of Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins University, and a regent of the University System of Maryland. He has aided the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology for 16 years and has received 35 honorary degrees.

Highlights from the 2019 Golden Bridge Society Dinner

October 2019 - NAE President John Anderson, and his wife Pat, hosted an intimate dinner in the historic Presidential Suite at Union Station to celebrate the NAE’s most generous members and friends. This historic venue was built in 1901 after the assassination of President James A. Garfield to give presidents a safe place to await their travel. Several presidents have welcomed world leaders and dignitaries to the United States here and during the world wars, it was temporarily transitioned to a USO lounge for soldiers heading off to war.

Nadine Aubry and John L Batton with Chairman England and NAE President John AndersonThis year, we presented five new Einstein Society statuettes as tokens of NAE’s gratitude for our members’ generous support. The new Einstein Society members include Nadine Aubry ('11) and John L. Batton, Chip ('16) and Belinda Blankenship, Gopa and Arindam Bose ('17), Chau-Chyun ('05) and Li-Li Chen, and Ronald ('89) and Joan Nordgren. We also welcomed 25 new members into the Golden Bridge Society and two new Heritage members - Jack Howell ('05) and Susan Conway.  

The night closed with Dr. Anderson highlighting the importance of philanthropy and how vital it is in carrying on the work of the NAE.

NAE Receives $2 Million Investment from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation to Expand EngineerGirl

July 2019 - The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced today that it is receiving a $2 million investment from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation to support and expand EngineerGirl, NAE’s premier program that brings national attention to the exciting opportunities that engineering represents for girls and women. The gift was made under an agreement signed on June 28.

“We are grateful to the Clark Foundation for this generous investment, which will empower EngineerGirl to expand its reach and spark interest in engineering among even more young people at a time when the profession greatly needs more diversity and inclusion,” said outgoing NAE President C. D. Mote, Jr. “Private philanthropy provides the essential financial support that many of the NAE’s programs depend on to grow and advance engineering. This grant is particularly meaningful because my friend Jim Clark set a powerful example to us all with his leadership in engineering and his passion for getting young people involved, especially young women.”

Read the full press release. 

Highlights from the 2018 Golden Bridge Society Dinner

September 2018 - NAE president C.D. Mote, Jr. and his wife Patsy hosted an intimate dinner to celebrate the NAE’s most generous members and friends at the spectacular Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). Attendees were immersed in “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man,” a collection of large-scale, participatory installations transported from the Nevada desert to the nation’s capital. The exhibit captured the dynamic energy of the unique festival and gave patrons the sense of being there. Members enjoyed examining and interacting with the various exhibits.

This year five new Einstein Society statuettes were presented as tokens of NAE’s gratitude for generous support from Jaya and Venky Narayanamurti (’92), John (’94) and Wilma Kassakian, Ross (’02) and Stephanie Corotis, James M. Tien (’01) and Ellen S. Weston, and Julie and Alton D. Romig, Jr. (’03)
 
Two couples were welcomed into the Golden Bridge Society: Teresa and Steve Zinkle (’12) and Katherine K. and John J. Tracy (’13). Three other new Golden Bridge Society members were not able to attend: Carl de Boor ('93), Aliene and Thomas K. Perkins ('84), and Bernard I. Robertson ('99). Julie and Alton D. Romig (’03) and A. Ray Chamberlain ('06)  were recognized as new Heritage Society members. Six members of the Loyalty Society joined us: Bob Loewy (‘71), Norman Abramson ('76), Virginia Bugliarello, Stan (’91) and Evelyn Settles, Jaya and Venky Narayanamurti (’92), and Mavis White. 

The evening closed with Dr. Mote highlighting the importance of philanthropy in helping NAE to thrive and achieve its mission. He expressed his thanks to all attendees for the many ways they give and how much he has enjoyed working with them.