Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering held its annual Alumni Awards Induction Ceremony on March 8. The College of Engineering Alumni Awards were created in 1994 to recognize outstanding engineering alumni from the College.
“Tonight, we come together to celebrate the creativity, passion, and enduring impact of engineering,” said Raheem Beyah, dean of the College and Southern Company Chair. “Georgia Tech engineers’ impact is everywhere. The alumni we’re here to recognize embody the spirit of our profession and our College — to dare, to dream, to do.”
This year 30 College of Engineering graduates were honored at the Induction Ceremony. They were celebrated for their contributions to the engineering profession, career accomplishments, and the ways they’ve enhanced the lives of others both personally and professionally.
This year's inductees from Georgia Tech's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering are:
Robyn Gatens, CHE 1985 (Engineering Hall of Fame)
Director, International Space Station; Acting Director, Commercial Spaceflight NASA
Robyn is globally recognized for her career-long leadership and contributions to NASA’s human spaceflight missions. Upon graduating from Georgia Tech, Robyn began her career at NASA in the development and management of life support and habitation systems for the International Space Station (ISS) and other missions. As director of the ISS and acting director for Commercial Spaceflight, she leads strategy, policy, integration, and stakeholder engagement for the ISS, commercial low[1]Earth orbit (LEO), and commercial crew programs. She is also the lead strategist for securing a continuous LEO presence for the U.S. by enabling a successful, long-term private sector commercial LEO space economy. Additionally, Robyn serves as NASA’s liaison to the ISS National Laboratory and is an active participant and speaker in international spaceflight conferences and forums. She co-chairs a government interagency working group planning for future LEO space research and development to achieve national objectives, strengthen economies, and enhance the quality of life here on Earth for all people. Robyn served on the Georgia Tech Alumni Board of Trustees and has a passion for global student engagement, including speaking to and mentoring students of all ages interested in pursuing careers in STEM and the space industry.
Guillermo Ruiz, CHE 1998 (Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni)
Global Vice President of Polyolefins Sourcing at Vinmar International and Co-Founder and Managing Partner at MoreThan Capital
Guillermo is an authentic leader with nearly three decades of expertise in the petrochemical industry and a proven track record in entrepreneurship. As global vice president of a leading petrochemical distribution and trading company, he oversees global strategy and all buy-side activities. He also is a managing partner and cofounder of MoreThan Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to driving transformative impact across industries. Guillermo’s career has taken him to over 80 countries, shaping his global perspective and leadership style. After 15 years in the Netherlands, where he led European operations and served as a Georgia Tech Alumni Ambassador, he now resides in Houston. Guillermo holds an MBA from the University of Houston and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. A passionate advocate for giving back, Guillermo and his wife founded Sin Muros, a center for adults with intellectual disabilities in Peru. He also cofounded AMP Investment Partners, an investment club for Harvard alumni, where he serves on the board and investment committee. Guillermo’s greatest pride is his family: his wife, Beth, and their two children, Diana and William.
See Also Alumni Profile: Guillermo Ruiz – A Life Transformed by Georgia Tech
Anna Thomas, ChBE 2013 (Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni)
Founder, Owner, and Principal Consultant, Altimetry Consulting LLC
After graduation, Anna completed a Fulbright Scholarship in Germany doing combustion research. She attended Stanford University for her master’s and doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics with a focus on the physical chemistry of green in-space propellants. Anna then took a Director’s Fellowship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory focusing on the chemical kinetics of autoignition and soot formation for alternative fuels for ground transportation and aviation applications. Being drawn to the strategy and business growth aspects of scientific innovation within aerospace and sustainability, Anna has since worked in management and strategy consulting, venture capital, and entrepreneurship. Prior to founding Altimetry to help more clients in aviation, space, and sustainability, she served as chief strategy officer for Boom Supersonic, overseeing the company’s fuels and sustainability efforts. Anna enjoys mentoring through the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation as a former recipient and acting as a startup mentor through a local angel investing organization
