AUBURN - Key Persons


Allan David

Allan David has been named as the Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering's acting associate dean for research.

Amanda Hanks

Job Titles:
  • Administrator II, Academic Programs

Andy Weldon

Job Titles:
  • Lab Supervisor

Anwar Ahmed

Job Titles:
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Professor

Apryl Mullins

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Director, Corporate Relations
In July 2018, Apryl joined the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering in its endeavor to create an Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations (CDCR) to serve Auburn engineering students. Apryl leads the CDCR's efforts to establish and deepen relationships with employers. Her goal is educate students about the world of work and connect them with a broad range of industry opportunities. While Apryl joined the CDCR in 2018, this is not her first introduction to the College of Engineering. She has more than 20 years of experience at Auburn University where she has served in a variety of roles within the Office of Development and Office of Alumni Affairs. She spent the majority of that time in the College of Engineering and refers to it as her second home! Education: Auburn University, B.A. in Corporate Journalism Auburn University, M.Ed. in Administration of Higher Education

Bethany Beets

Job Titles:
  • Accounting Manager
  • Dean

Billie Carole McMillan

Job Titles:
  • Professor and Chair of Auburn University 's Department of Chemical Engineering

Blake Melnick

Job Titles:
  • Senior Lecturer
  • Aerospace Engineering

Brian Thurow

Job Titles:
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Department Chair

Butch Foster

Job Titles:
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Professor Emeritus

Charles Gavin

Job Titles:
  • Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Faculty Development
  • Distinguished Professor

Christian Brodbeck

Job Titles:
  • Director Engineering Research Operations / Dean

Daniel Tauritz

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor
  • Interim Director and Chief Cyber AI Strategist, Auburn Cyber Research Center Director for National Laboratory Relationships / Dean

David Cicci

Job Titles:
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Professor Emeritus

David E Scarborough

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor
  • Aerospace Engineering

David Hennessey

Job Titles:
  • Director, Administration / Dean

Davide Guzzetti

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering
Davide Guzzetti, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has earned a NASA Early Career Faculty award to research how to remediate the accumulation of smaller pieces of orbital debris that are hard to track due to their size.

Davis Hall

Davis Hall serves as the home to the Department of Aerospace Engineering.

Dean Jeffrey Fergus

Job Titles:
  • Associate
  • Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Program Assessment / Dean
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Professor
Associate Dean Jeffrey Fergus earned the fellow designation "for leadership ensuring high-quality training of program evaluators and team chairs, a smooth transition to the new engineering criteria and laying the foundation for virtual visits within the EAC (Engineering Accreditation Commission)," according to ABET.

DR. MARIA L. AUAD

Job Titles:
  • Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Faculty Development
  • Department of Chemical Engineering / Center for Polymers and Advanced Composites
  • Distinguished Professor
  • Two Auburn Engineering Professors
Two Auburn Engineering professors, Maria Auad and Mark Barnett, are preparing to take part in an academic exchange exploring Israel's history, politics, culture and economy as part of the Jewish National Fund-USA's 2022 Summer May-Faculty Fellowship Program. Maria L. Auad has been awarded the W. Allen and Martha Reed Endowed Professorship in Auburn University's Department of Chemical Engineering.

Ed Lewis

Job Titles:
  • Dean
  • Senior Advisor

Ehsan Taheri

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor
  • Aerospace Engineering
Ehsan Taheri, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, has been invited to serve as an associate editor of the Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications. The journal covers the general field of optimization and aerospace engineering, focusing on the mathematical optimization techniques and their applications to science and engineering.

Eldon Triggs

Job Titles:
  • Senior Lecturer
  • Aerospace Engineering

Emily Kaplowitz

Job Titles:
  • Corporate Relations Coordinator / Career Development and Corporate
Emily joined the CDCR in March of 2022 as a Corporate Relations Coordinator to assist with employer communications and planning and promotion of on campus recruiting events. One of her favorite parts of corporate relations is helping both employers and students streamline their search processes and develop creative solutions to roadblocks in their recruiting paths. Prior to moving to Auburn, she worked in a variety of project management roles in software development and residential real estate, mostly in Nashville and Chicago. Education: Vanderbilt University, B.A. in Psychology

Emily Maddox

Job Titles:
  • Manager of Salesforce and Data Administration

Emmanuel Winful

Job Titles:
  • Engineering Safety Manager / Dean

Frederick Fornis

Job Titles:
  • Accountant III

Greg Konietzky

Job Titles:
  • Administrator III, Academic Programs

Hannah Tarwater

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Assistant, Cooperative Education and Internships / Career Development and Corporate
Hannah earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from Auburn University in May 2022 and is now pursuing a master's degree in the same field. She joined the Career Development and Corporate Relations Office as a graduate assistant in August 2023. In her role, she engages with students, coaching them individually to enhance their career-related skills. Hannah's passion for education and heart for people drives her to support students in achieving their academic and vocational goals. She finds joy in contributing to the growth of the student community and in being part of the dedicated CDCR team. Education: Auburn University, B.S. in Elementary Education

Heather Conner

Job Titles:
  • Executive Coordinator, Academics / Dean

Heather Rush

Heather joined the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering in summer 2021. She serves as a Career Coach and helps students with their overall career exploration and development. She believes everyone has their own unique story and enjoys helping students tell that story to employers, whether it is through a resume, cover letter, interview, or networking with employers. Heather brings close to 20 years of experience in higher education in various roles. Her passion is helping students find their path as they discover and achieve their career goals. She enjoys creating opportunities for students to explore their interests and challenge them to see what they can accomplish. Heather is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). Education: The University of Georgia, M.Ed. in College Student Affairs Administration Georgia Southern University, B.S. in Business Administration - Marketing

Imon Chakraborty

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Assistant Aerospace Engineering Professor
Assistant aerospace engineering professor Imon Chakraborty is partnering with several small businesses to advance technology for the development of advanced air mobility vehicles utilizing six Air Force Agility Prime awards.

Jeremiah Cronin

Job Titles:
  • Contracts and Grants Specialist

Jerry Van Tuyl

Job Titles:
  • Administrative Assistant / Career Development and Corporate
Jerry joined the Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations in Fall 2019 upon the opening of the CDCR space in the Brown-Kopel Student Center. Jerry is often the first face students and employers see at the CDCR. He always greets visitors with a smile and a warm welcome. Jerry also supports the operations of the office by assisting employers upon check-in for their on-campus interviews and directing visitors to resources. Prior to his role in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Jerry served for 38 years in training and management roles in the quick service industry including his role as Director of Training and Recruitment for Chick-Fil-A on Magnolia Avenue. He was most drawn to the CDCR based on his past experience training and developing college-aged employees in the service industry. Education: Iowa Wesleyan University, B.A. in History and Political Science

Jessica Bowers

Job Titles:
  • Manager, Career Development Content and Strategy / Career Development and Corporate
In August 2018, Jessica moved to Alabama and joined the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering in its endeavor to launch an Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations (CDCR). She provided leadership and strategic direction for the establishment of CDCR student career development and coaching services. Jessica now leads the CDCR's efforts to curate, integrate, and scale career development materials and approaches at strategic intervals within the engineering student experience. Jessica is passionate about supporting college students in the discovery, realization, and achievement of their personal, academic, and career goals. She also relishes the use of design and technology solutions to convey career stories and make career development content and approaches accessible to all students. After the completion of her undergraduate degree, Jessica worked for a civil engineering consulting firm in Charlotte, North Carolina before entering graduate school. Since then, she served in a variety of roles in academic and career advising at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville and the University of Virginia. Education: University of Tennessee - Knoxville, M.S. in College Student Personnel University of North Carolina at Charlotte, B.A. in Organizational Communications and Psychology

John Cochran

Job Titles:
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Professor Emeritus

John W. Brown

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor
  • Acting Associate Dean for Research
  • Acting Associate Dean for Research / Dean

Joseph Majdalani

Job Titles:
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Professor and Chair of Excellence in Aerospace Engineering, Teamed With Author Frank White for the Textbook 's Updated Edition
  • Professor and Francis Chair of Excellence
Joe Majdalani, professor and Francis Chair of Excellence in aerospace engineering, relished the opportunity to co-author the popular McGraw-Hill textbook "Viscous Fluid Flow." On April 13, he was recognized for his efforts. Joseph Majdalani, professor and Chair of Excellence in aerospace engineering, teamed with author Frank White for the textbook's updated edition. Majdalani receives international Atwood educator award

Joy Chen

Job Titles:
  • Contracts and Grants Specialist

Katie Hardy

Job Titles:
  • Manager Student Achievement Center / Dean

Katy Crider

Job Titles:
  • Coordinator III, Student Services

Kelley Terry

Job Titles:
  • Director, Research Program Development and Grants

Kimberly Unick

Job Titles:
  • Contracts and Grants Specialist

Lauren Faulkner

Job Titles:
  • Academic Program Administrator / Dean

Leah Blair

Job Titles:
  • Manager, Corporate Relations / Career Development and Corporate
Leah joined the CDCR in August of 2023 as Corporate Relations Manager to steer employer communications and planning and promotion of on campus recruiting events. Prior to joining the CDCR team, she pursued a career path into public relations and integrated marketing that includes real estate development, community engagement in healthcare, small business ownership, and fast-casual food and beverage branding. Most recently she served as Brand Marketing Manager for Chicken Salad Chick, a national restaurant franchise that got its start in Auburn by an Auburn University graduate. Leah is passionate about helping students find their place at Auburn and engaging with all the resources available to help with their college and career journey. As a first-generation college graduate, she has a deep love for the University and understands the value of plugging in and exploring every avenue of personal growth and development that this Lovely Village has to offer. Education: Auburn University, B.A. in Public Relations

Loeda Francis

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of Excellence

Mario Eden

Job Titles:
  • Dean
  • Chemical Engineering Department Chair
Chemical engineering department chair Mario Eden has been recognized as the author of one of the top 1% most cited articles by Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, a prominent chemical engineering journal.

Marissa Miller

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Director, Career Coaching & Programs
Marissa joined the Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations in December 2019 as a career counselor and currently serves as the Assistant Director of Career Coaching & Programs, bringing 7+ years of career counseling and coaching experience. She most enjoys working individually and in group settings with students and supporting them in their career exploration journey, along with ensuring she can assist in finding resources and opportunities as students seek rewarding ways to pursue their interests and design their careers. As a member of the Career Coaching & Programs team, Marissa has the rewarding opportunity of developing program content for career development workshops, including events with Engineering young alumni and industry professionals, along with the implementation of group career coaching sessions to serve Engineering students as they embark on their individualized career development process and seek experiential learning opportunities within industry. Education: Auburn University, M.Ed. in Administration of Higher Education University of Florida, B.S. in Sport Management

Nan Li

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor
  • Aerospace Engineering

Nathaniel Reed

Job Titles:
  • Aerospace Engineering Student
Aerospace engineering student Nathaniel Reed has won a $3,000 Vertical Flight Foundation scholarship from the American Helicopter Society

Nek Sharan

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor

Norm Speakman

Job Titles:
  • Professor
Norm Speakman, professor of aerospace engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, was recently named the Konrad Dannenberg Educator of the Year by the Greater Huntsville Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Norman Speakman

Job Titles:
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Visiting Lecturer

Ramsay Hall

Ramsay Hall includes Auburn Engineering's online and continuing education programs, and classrooms.

Ramsis Farag

Job Titles:
  • Research Fellow II

Ross Hall

Ross Hall is the home of the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Roy Hartfield

Job Titles:
  • Fellow
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Professor of Aerospace Engineering
  • Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Is Dedicated to Making an Impact on Industry and Students
Roy Hartfield, Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor of Aerospace Engineering, is dedicated to making an impact on industry and students. Roy Hartfield, the Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor of aerospace engineering, was recently named a fellow by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Russell Mailen

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor

Samantha Allbrook

Job Titles:
  • Program Administrator

Samuel Ginn

Job Titles:
  • Outstanding Engineering Student
  • Pacific Telephone in 1978 As Vice President
Samuel Ginn, a native of Anniston, Alabama, is a 1959 graduate of Auburn University's College of Engineering, and was awarded the institution's honorary doctorate in 1998. He was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 1992. Ginn also served on the university's board of trustees from 2005-2013. Ginn has more than four decades of experience in the telecommunications industry. Following his service with the Army Signal Corps, he built a 27 year career with AT&T beginning as a student engineer in 1960. He rose through the ranks in management and operations, and in 1977 was appointed vice president of network operations for AT&T Long Lines. After the Bell Systems breakup, Ginn joined Pacific Telephone in 1978 as vice president-Los Angeles, going on to serve as chairman and CEO of Pacific Telesis from 1988 until 1994. When he resigned, Ginn launched AirTouch, an early pioneer in the cellular industry that went public in 1994 with an IPO of $10 billion. In 1999, the company was sold for $65 billion to Vodafone where Ginn assumed the position of chairman in the United Kingdom. During his tenure, Vodafone merged with Verizon to create Verizon Wireless, the largest wireless telecommunications network in the U.S. Ginn retired from Vodafone in 2000. Ginn serves on the boards of the Franklin Templeton Fund and ICO Global Communications. His past corporate board memberships have included CH2M Hill, First Interstate Bank, Pacific Telesis Group, Safeway, Transamerica Corporation, Vodafone, AirTouch Communications, Chevron Corporation, Hewlett-Packard and the Fremont Group. He has also served as chairman of the California Business-Higher Education Forum, the California Business Roundtable and the Committee on Jobs, and is an overseer at the Hoover Institute in Palo Alto, as well as a Sloan fellow at Stanford University's School of Business. An investor and advisor to several start-up companies in telecommunications, Ginn is the namesake for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University. He has served as the impetus behind the wireless engineering degree program at Auburn and continues his involvement with the institution through its wireless advisory board. As part of its philanthropic activities, the Ginn Family Foundation supports merit scholarships within the college. Married to Ann Vance Ginn, they have three children and six grandchildren.

Stephanie Solomon

Job Titles:
  • Academic Program Administrator / Dean

Suhasini Gururaja

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor

Susan Hatcher

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Assistant, Career Development and Coaching / Career Development and Corporate
Susan joined the Career Development and Corporate Relations Office in June 2022 after completing her Bachelor's degree in Psychology the previous spring. Currently, she is a Master's student in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Prior to her role in the CDCR, Susan's experience includes serving in various recruiting roles, most recently in international development. Her passion is helping students find, evolve, and apply their professional development skills in and outside the classroom. Education: Auburn University, B.A. in Psychology

Teresa Jernigan

Job Titles:
  • Academic Programs Coordinator, Cooperative Education and Internships / Career Development and Corporate
Teresa has been a member of the Cooperative Education team since Spring 2013. She functions as the central processing unit for the Auburn University Co-op Program, ensuring that student records for work and school rotations are accurate each semester. She is also responsible for most of the behind-the-scenes work associated with our main co-op recruiting event, Co-op Interview Day. Teresa brings 24 years of experience as an Accounts Payable Clerk for Flower's Foods (Sunbeam Bread) in Opelika. She enjoys watching students develop as they come through the co-op program and presenting them with the highly coveted co-op t-shirt at the successful completion of each work term.

Terri Carson

Job Titles:
  • Civil Engineer
  • Dean

Victoria Hughes

Job Titles:
  • Campus & Community Events Coordinator / Dean

Vikas Bhargav

Job Titles:
  • Fellow

Vinamra Agrawal

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering
Vinamra Agrawal, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, is studying stable nanocrystalline alloys and their performance in harsh environments - typical of space missions - to determine whether they are viable candidates for materials for structural components.

Vini Nathan

Job Titles:
  • Provost
Auburn University Provost Vini Nathan recently announced the names of faculty awarded promotion, tenure or both for 2024, including 19 faculty in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Virginia Woltosz

Job Titles:
  • Fellow
  • Professor of Aerospace Engineering
  • Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Is Dedicated to Making an Impact on Industry and Students

Vrishank Raghav

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Assistant Aerospace Engineering Professor
  • Assistant Professor in Auburn University 's Department of Aerospace Engineering
  • Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering
  • Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering
Assistant aerospace engineering professor Vrishank Raghav will study the physics involved in droplet dispersal during coughing, sneezing or speech to understand how infectious diseases spread. Vrishank Raghav, assistant professor in Auburn University's Department of Aerospace Engineering, was recently awarded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Trailblazer R21 award for a project designed to help doctors identify and treat patients who have a particular lung disease known as Expiratory Central Airway Collapse (ECAC). Vrishank Raghav, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, is among 185 researchers nationwide who have been awarded a Department of Defense grant under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). Vrishank Raghav, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has been awarded a grant by the Army Research Office to help the military branch better understand dynamic stall that severely limits the performance envelope of current generation helicopters.

W. ALLEN AND MARTHA REED

Job Titles:
  • ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DIRECTOR of the CENTER for POLYMERS and ADVANCED COMPOSITES

Wiggins Hall

Wiggins Hall is the home of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Will Rankin

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Director, Fiscal Administration / Dean