Butler, Stutts and Washington receive Distinguished Engineering Alumnus award
Linda Butler, Carl Stutts Jr. and Gregory Washington received the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus award (DEA) from the College for 2020. The DEA award is the highest honor the College of Engineering bestows upon its graduates.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering in 1986, Butler earned a master’s in medical physics from the University of Florida and a medical degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. Since 2009, she has served as vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at UNC REX Healthcare in Raleigh, where she is responsible for quality and performance improvement, infection prevention, risk management, case management and medical staff affairs for a hospital with more than 7,400 staff members and multiple facilities.
Prior to this appointment, Butler specialized in pediatrics and served as a managing partner for Capitol Pediatric and Adolescent Center.
Butler has provided many significant contributions to the College through her interactions with COE leadership and as a mentor for its faculty members and students. She has organized visits to REX Hospital for current nuclear engineering students interested in pursuing a healthcare profession.
She currently serves on the NC State Engineering Foundation Board of Directors and was inducted into the Nuclear Engineering Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
Stutts retired as chairman and CEO of Cyanco, a leading global supplier of sodium cyanide for gold mining, and is focused on work with nonprofits.
The 1968 graduate began his career as a production engineer at Union Carbide and then worked at Tenneco, rising through management ranks to become a corporate vice president. Along the way, he received an MBA from the University of Houston. He transitioned to Columbine Venture Funds, where he became a general partner. He then served as president and CEO of Texas Petrochemical Holdings before joining Cyanco.
He serves on the Engineering Foundation board and was honored by the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) as a Distinguished Alumnus.
Stutts has been a very generous supporter of the College and CBE. He has funded scholarships for both the department and College. He has also donated to support the construction of Fitts-Woolard Hall and is an annual donor to the College of Engineering Director’s Fund.
Washington earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from NC State in 1989, 1991 and 1994, respectively.
An accomplished researcher and proven academic leader, he was appointed president of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., in 2020. His duties include providing visionary leadership, oversight and management of Virginia’s largest and most diverse university.
In 2011, Washington was appointed as the dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, becoming the first African American dean of engineering for a University of California engineering program.
Washington has been a mentor for faculty members and students and his prominent role as a higher-education leader has helped highlight the strength of NC State Engineering. He is also a member of the Engineering Foundation board and has assisted the College with a number of alumni and development events in the Southern California area. Washington is a member of the NC State Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Hall of Fame.
A fall 2020 awards dinner honoring the three recipients was postponed. The College hopes to recognize these three winners, along with 2021 honorees, during a live event in fall 2021.
Return to contents or download the Spring / Summer 2021 NC State Engineering magazine (PDF, 52.0 MB).
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