Nael Barakat (Board Member)
Nael Barakat is currently serving as a Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Tyler. Dr. Barakat is also an active consultant who is currently collaborating with international teams of professionals from academia and industry to build capacity and education programs in areas such as: Engineering Leadership, Engineering Ethics, Professionalism, Societal Impact of Technology, Curriculum Development, and Communication. His expertise and interest include also the areas of Mechatronics, Control, Robotics, Automation, and Nanotechnology Education.
Dr. Barakat has served in many leadership positions for professional organizations such as ASME and ASEE. He is also a program evaluator for ABET and a consultant for engineering programs development and evaluation under other systems.
Dr. Barakat is a professionally registered engineer in Ontario, Canada, a Fulbright Specialist, and is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Dr. Barakat holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from McMaster University, Ontario, and a Master Degree from Concordia University, Canada.
Rebecca Bates (Board Member)
Rebecca Bates is Professor of Integrated Engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato, home of Iron Range Engineering & Twin Cities Engineering, recipients of the 2017 ABET Innovation Award. These project- and practice-based programs articulate with two-year colleges and partner with industry. Her research interests include automatic speech recognition, the impact of belonging and community on STEM education, and institutional change in academia.
She has been a Program Officer at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM and the Division of Undergraduate Education. She is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education where she has chaired the Engineering Ethics Division, served as Chair of ASEE’s Commission on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and is the current chair of the ASEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee. She serves on the editorial board of the Online Ethics Center.
Bates earned a B.S. in biomedical engineering and an M.S. in electrical engineering from Boston University, a Masters of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Washington.
Jonathon Beever (Participating Society Representative, ASEE)
Jonathan Beever is Associate Professor of Ethics and Digital Culture in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Central Florida, and director of the UCF Center for Ethics. He serves NIEE and also serves on the Board for the Association of Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE), as co-director of the International Association for Environmental Philosophy, and on the editorial board of the Online Ethics Center (OEC). His interdisciplinary work around ethics, technology, and environments emphasizes how changing conditions shape the nature of relationships. He is the author of numerous articles and author or editor of four books including Understanding Digital Ethics (2019) and Philosophy, Film, and the Dark Side of Interdependence (2020). You can learn more about his work at jonathan.beever.org.
Rosalyn Berne (Board Member)
Rosalyn W. Berne, PhD holds the Anne Shirley Carter Olsson Professorship of Applied Ethics and chairs the Department of Engineering and Society in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Virginia. She also co-directs the Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science (OEC) and directs the University of Virginia’s Engineering Character Strength Initiative (ECSI). Formerly, she served as Director of the Center for Engineering Ethics and Society at the National Academy of Engineering.
As a scholar Berne explores the intersecting realms of emerging and converging technologies, science fiction and myth, and the links between the human and non-human worlds. She has numerous articles published under her name, and has authored or edited 7 books, including, Animals, Ethics, and Engineering: Intersections and Implications (2025); Creating Life from Life: Biotechnology and Science Fiction (2014); and Nanotalk: Conversations with Scientists and Engineers about Ethics, Meaning, and Belief in the Development of Nanotechnology (2006).
Carl Bertha (Board Member)
Dr. Carlos Bertha earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida, in 1989. After a five-year tenure with the Savannah District Corps of Engineers, he returned to USF to pursue a Ph.D. in Philosophy. His academic career took him to the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he served from 2000 until his retirement in 2024. He taught courses in Ethics, Comparative Religion, Logic, Philosophy of Science, and various electives.
His research centers on engineering ethics, with a particular emphasis on ethics pedagogy. He has presented at numerous engineering and academic conferences on topics such as case study methodology and the professional obligations of engineers. He currently serves on the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Committee on Anticorruption and Ethical Practice (CACEP) and is an Adjunct Professor at the College of Policy, Ethics, Legal Studies, and Public Safety at St Petersburg College in Clearwater, Florida.
Dr. Bertha retired from the US Army Reserve in 2019 as a Colonel. He served a combat tour with the US Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan and was an instructor for the Command and General Staff Officers Course, focusing on organizational leadership, joint doctrine, and professional ethics.
Angela Bielefeldt (Board Member)
Angela Bielefeldt is a Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering. She is currently the Director of the Integrated Design Engineering Program, which houses an ABET EAC-accredited BS degree and the new Engineering Education PhD. Her research includes ethics and sustainability education in engineering, as well as the evolution of social responsibility attitudes.
Dr. Bielefeldt is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) where she has previously chaired the Community Engagement Division, Environmental Engineering Division, and Rocky Mountain Section. She has also been active in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Dr. Bielefeldt is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado. She earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington.
George Graham (Board Member)
Since 2020, George has led Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Customer Service, and Procurement at MFG Chemical, LLC, a specialty chemical manufacturer with eight locations across Dalton, GA; Chattanooga, TN; Chicago, IL; and Puslinch, ON, Canada.
Previously, he served as Director of Operations at WACKER Polysilicon North America, where he played a key leadership role in a $2.5 billion greenfield startup.
With over 35 years of experience, George has held executive and technical leadership roles across the chemical manufacturing, automotive, and construction industries.
He is a Licensed Professional Engineer, a Senior Member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He holds two U.S. patents and has authored 16 peer-reviewed publications.
George earned a Ph.D. in Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Joseph Herkert (Distinguished Life Member)
Joseph R. Herkert, D.Sc., is Associate Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology and Society (STS) at North Carolina State University. He worked for more than five years as a consultant in the electric power industry, during which time he became a registered Professional Engineer, and later taught engineering ethics and STS courses for more than thirty-five years.
Herkert is editor of two books and has published in engineering, law, social science, and applied ethics journals and edited volumes. He previously served as Editor of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine and an Associate Editor of Engineering Studies. Recent work includes ethics of autonomous vehicles, lessons learned from the Boeing 737 MAX crashes, and responsible innovation in biotechnology.
Herkert is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Life Senior Member of IEEE.
Justin Hess (Deputy Director for Research)
Dr. Justin L Hess is an assistant professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Dr. Hess’s research focuses on empathic and ethical formation in engineering education.
He received his PhD from Purdue University’s School of Engineering Education, as well as a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science from Purdue University’s School of Civil Engineering. He is the editorial board chair for the Online Ethics Center, deputy director for research for the National Institute of Engineering Ethics, and past-division chair for the ASEE Liberal Education/Engineering and Society division.
Brent Jesiek (Director)
Brent K. Jesiek is a Professor in the Schools of Engineering Education and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. He draws on expertise from engineering, computing, and the social sciences to advance understanding of geographic, disciplinary, historical, and other contextual variations in engineering education and practice. He is an IEEE Senior Member, serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of International Engineering Education (JIEE), is chair of the International Network for Engineering Studies (INES), and directs the National Institute for Engineering Ethics (NIEE).
Dr. Jesiek holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Tech and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Science and Technology Studies (STS) from Virginia Tech.
Heather Love (Participating Society Representative, IEEE)
Heather A. Love is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Waterloo, where she conducts interdisciplinary research and teaches courses on topics related to communication in STEM disciplines, literature and culture, technology and health, and engineering ethics education. This work has been funded by several Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada grants.
Love is author of Cybernetic Aesthetics: Modernist Networks of Information and Data (2023, Cambridge University Press), and her work has appeared or is forthcoming in both literary studies venues (Modernism/modernity, Journal of Modern Literature, Feminist Modernist Studies, New Literary History) and more tech- and education-focused publications (IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, The Routledge Handbook of Engineering Ethics Education).
Dr. Love earned her B.Mus. in Piano Performance (2005) and B.A. in Honours English (2006) from the University of Victoria, an M.A. in English (2007) from Queen’s University, and her Ph.D. (2015) in English from Indiana University. She is Member-at-Large on the Board of Governors for the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT), an IEEE TechEthics Ambassador, and Associate Editor for the IEEE Technology and Society Magazine (TSM).
Michael Loui (Distinguished Life Member)
Now retired, Michael C. Loui held the Dale and Suzi Gallagher Professorship in Engineering Education at Purdue University from 2014 to 2019. He was previously Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and University Distinguished Teacher-Scholar at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has conducted research in computational complexity theory, in professional ethics, and in engineering education.
Professor Loui is a Carnegie Scholar, a Fellow of the IEEE, and a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education. He was the editor of the Journal of Engineering Education from 2012 to 2017 and the executive editor of College Teaching from 2006 to 2012. He currently serves on Advisory Group for the Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science. He was Associate Dean of the Graduate College at Illinois from 1996 to 2000. He directed the theory of computing program at the National Science Foundation from 1990 to 1991.
Loui earned the Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980 and the B.S. at Yale University in 1975.
Joe Manous (Distinguished Life Member)
Joe Manous serves as Director of the Institute for Water Resources (IWR), US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In this role he oversees a multi-disciplinary Field Operating Agency that supports USACE’s Civil Works (water resources) missions through water resources planning, policy and decision-support model development; hydraulic and hydrological engineering; dam and levee safety; and training and national/international interface with academia, professional societies, and non-government organizations.
Prior to becoming IWR Director, Manous served as a Water Resources Engineer and Manager for International Activities at IWR, where he specialized in the areas of water resources and environmental security issues associated with water.
Dr Manous is a retired US Army Corps of Engineers officer and his last active-duty assignment was as Academy Professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he taught courses in environmental engineering, water resources, and environmental security. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Board Certified Water Resources Engineer.
Monte Phillips (Board Member)
Monte Phillips, PhD., PE is an Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of North Dakota. During his academic tenure, he served as an engineering consultant focusing on his geotechnical and structural specialty areas. He also taught at the University of Illinois and Ohio Northern University.
Phillips has served as National President of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE), and ABET. He is a Distinguished Member of ASCE, a Fellow of NSPE, a Fellow of NAFE, and served 25 years on the National Board of Governors of the Order of the Engineer including two years as Chair. He also served a five-year term on the Board of the National Institute of Building Sciences and a five-year term on the NSPE Board of Ethical Review.
He served a five-year term, including chair on the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, and has served on numerous National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) committees and task forces. He is an Emeritus Member of NCEES.
Phillips has served on numerous committees of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) including the Committee on Licensure and Ethics, BOK3 Task Committee, Task Committee on the Code of Ethics, and is currently on the Committee on Anticorruption and Ethical Practice.
Phillips holds BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of North Dakota, a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, and is a licensed professional engineer in North Dakota.
Travis Rhoades (Participating Society Representative, NSPE)
Mr. Rhoades is the Principal and Transportation Practice Lead for the Toledo office of CEC, bringing over 20 years of experience in transportation engineering. His expertise spans the planning, design, inspection, and analysis of highway structures and bridges. He has contributed to numerous infrastructure projects in Ohio and Michigan. He is particularly proud of leading the Ohio SR 64 Maumee River Crossing design in Waterville, OH. An advocate for the engineering profession, Mr. Rhoades is deeply committed to advancing ethics and the value of licensure. He serves on state and local boards within the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) federation and represents the Central Region on the NSPE Board of Ethical Review. He holds a Professional Engineer license and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of engineers while championing ethics and sustainability in engineering practice.
Mario Ricozzi (Board Member)
Mario Ricozzi, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE, is the Manager of Design for the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority in Connecticut. He oversees the capital program for the regional wastewater utility. He has 40 years of experience managing infrastructure in both the private and public sector. He is a member of the Board of the South-Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority which provides drinking water to the Region. As a past Board Member of ASCE, he has been active in ASCE’s strategic planning, organizational restructuring, and governance since the 1990s.
Larry Smith (Participating Society Representative, NCEES)
Robert “Larry” Smith is a 1966 graduate of CCNY where he earned a B.Eng (Civil) degree with honors. He received a ScM in Engineering from Brown University in 1968 and entered the work force as a consultant. He was president of Waterman Engineering Company, the oldest Civil Engineering and the oldest Surveying firms in Rhode Island. He sold the company after twenty five years and has been practicing as a forensic engineer on a part time basis since that time.
Smith has served as President of the Rhode Island Society of Professional Engineers (RISPE), the Rhode Island Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the Providence Engineering Society (PES). He also served as the NCEES Northeast Zone Vice President and as National Treasurer.
Smith serves on the North Providence Building Board of Review which he has chaired for thirty years. He is on the Civil Engineering Advisory Board for Civil Engineering at URI and chaired that group for an extended period of time. He serves on the Engineering Professional Advisory Board at Roger Williams University and served as that group’s vice-chair.
Andrew Taylor (Distinguished Life Member)
Andrew Taylor, P.E., serves as Senior Program Manager, Nuclear Regulatory Affairs, at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in Chattanooga TN. He is also president and owner of Horizon Consulting LLC, providing a variety of consulting services in the areas of nuclear power and engineering ethics.
During 2016‐2019, Taylor served as a senior manager in the Nuclear Power Group at Sargent & Lundy LLC. During 1986‐2016 at Entergy Nuclear, he served in engineering and management roles for each of Entergy’s ten nuclear sites including 12 license renewal projects. Andy serves as a Past Chair of the Executive Board at the National Institute for Engineering Ethics and as a past member of the ASME Board of Governors.
Taylor has provided over 100 seminars and workshops on engineering ethics for college students and practicing engineers, and a series of lectures & site assessments focused on long‐term operation of nuclear power plants in North & South America, Europe, and Asia. Andy holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an MS in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas, and completed nuclear power operations training & qualification in the U.S. Navy. He retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2011 with the rank of Captain, and was named an ASME Fellow in 2016. He is licensed as a professional engineer in five states.
Sara Wilson (Board Vice Chair and Participating Society Representative, ASME)
Dr. Sara Wilson is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kansas (KU). After 2 years in Orthopedics at the University of Virginia Medical Center as a researcher, she started in the faculty at KU in 2001. From 2010 to 2018, she served as the director of the Bioengineering Graduate Program at KU. Dr. Wilson teaches courses in responsible conduct of research in engineering and has been active in developing materials for teaching responsible conduct of research. Her research is focused on biomechanics and the development of medical devices.
Dr. Wilson received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1992. She received an MS in Mechanical Engineering (1994) and PhD in Medical Engineering/ Medical Physics (1999) from MIT. She is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.