Academy of Distinguished Alumni

Thomas (Tom) Anderson has spent his career guiding companies—and people—through high‑stakes transformations with a steady, diplomatic hand.

Tom is co‑founder of Beckway Group, one of North America’s largest operating partners to private‑equity firms. Each year Beckway works with roughly 50 private equity sponsors and more than 100 portfolio companies, helping create hundreds of millions of dollars in new enterprise value while improving thousands of careers.

He previously served as Chair of eight industry‑leading businesses, a partner in a multibillion‑dollar private‑equity firm, and a senior practitioner at a global turnaround and restructuring firm. In 2020 he distilled this experience into Restructuring the Hold , a book published by Wiley, on optimizing private equity partnerships through character, capability, and collaboration.

Tom began his professional journey as an industrial engineer after earning his B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Virginia Tech in 1988. He later completed graduate degrees at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Georgetown University.

Tom’s Hokie legacy runs deep — his grandfather graduated in 1929, his father in 1960, Tom in 1988, and now his son Sam is planning to pursue ISE as a member of the class of 2028.

Tom lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife Jean. They’ve been married for over 30 years and have raised five children.

Dr. Rahul Basole bridges cutting‑edge research and real‑world impact at the highest levels of industry and academia.

Rahul is Managing Director in Accenture’s Data & AI group and Global Lead for Visualization, Interaction Science, and Engineering. He advises Fortune 500 executives on how data, design, and artificial intelligence can solve complex business challenges and drive growth.

Previously, Rahul spent more than a decade at Georgia Tech, where he was a tenured Professor in the College of Computing, a founding faculty member of the VIS Lab, and a scholar at the GVU Institute. He has also served as a visiting scholar at Stanford University.

His colleagues call him balanced - a leader who pairs deep technical skill with strategic vision. That balance is reflected in his record: more than 7,000 citations, three consecutive years on Stanford’s list of the Top 2 percent of scientists worldwide, and editorial leadership roles including Editor‑in‑Chief of the Journal of Enterprise Transformation and Department Editor for IEEE Computer Graphics & Applications. He is a Senior Member of ACM and IEEE.

Rahul traces this path back to Virginia Tech, where he earned his B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering in 1998. He went on to receive an M.S. from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech, and he continues to mentor the next generation of engineers and data scientists.

Carolyn Bucklen built a distinguished career in national‑security engineering and now channels that expertise—and her values—into the next generation of engineers.

For 17 years, Carolyn worked in GE manufacturing before joining Sandia National Laboratories in 1994. As a systems‑integration engineer in the nuclear‑weapons program, she drove quality and reliability across complex projects. In 2007 the National Nuclear Security Administration ranked the quality plan she authored among the Top 20 Accomplishments within the entire nuclear‑weapons complex.

Her colleagues describe her as someone defined by integrity — a quality evident throughout her work and her enduring commitment to the engineering profession.

Carolyn always knew she would attend Virginia Tech. Her father returned to Tech as a faculty member in 1962, and she spent much of her childhood on campus. For her, Virginia Tech wasn’t just a university — it was the “family school,” and from her first day as a student, she knew she was home.

She entered engineering at a time when few women were encouraged to do so, and her decision to pursue ISE was driven by a desire for a career that demanded creativity, problem-solving, and constant learning.

Today, she continues to invest in the future of the engineering profession. Carolyn is helping the department and college grow our outreach efforts — particularly to inspire young women from Appalachia to pursue engineering. She has also given generously to expand mental health resources on campus, in honor of her late son.

Scott French leads mission‑critical communications that public‑safety agencies rely on every day.

Since 2017 Scott has been President of Zetron, the public‑safety communications division of Codan. He guides strategy, product development, and global operations that connect first responders when seconds count.

Scott brings more than 30 years to this field. He began as an industrial engineer with the U.S. Army, improving depot efficiency. Inspired by a Baltimore high‑rise rescue enabled by radio dispatch, he joined Motorola, spending 15 years advancing public‑safety technology and rising through a series of leadership roles. In 2009 he became Vice President, Public Sector at Panasonic, where he steered a shift from hardware sales to full solution offerings.

He has also represented the industry nationally as Vice Chair of TechAmerica and Chair of the State & Local Government Executive Council of the IT Alliance for Public Sector.

Scott earned his B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and completed MBA coursework in leadership at Loyola University Maryland.

Colleagues describe him as a leader whose authenticity and accountability set the tone for his teams. A lifelong baseball player and coach, he often reminds colleagues that “a bad throw is one that isn’t caught,” underscoring shared responsibility for every outcome.

Scott was born in the U.K. and now calls the Pacific Northwest home. He remains an avid supporter of the Virginia Tech Hokies, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Ravens.

Rina Hurst is a retail innovator with a record of turning data, technology, and teamwork into growth.

As Vice President of Digital Merchandising for Sam’s Club, she directs strategy for assortment, pricing, personalization, and new‑idea testing - shaping the digital shopping experience for millions of members.
Before this role, Rina launched and scaled Walmart GoLocal, the company’s same‑day delivery platform for Sam’s Club and external retailers nationwide. Earlier, as Chief Business Officer at Shipt, she expanded last‑mile partnerships with hundreds of merchants, following a decade in merchandising and partnership roles at Target and an early career in management consulting.

Colleagues call Rina people‑led: she builds collaborative teams, empowers rising talent, and creates spaces where diverse perspectives thrive.

A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Rina later earned an MBA from Georgetown University. In 2022 she was named one of Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Grocery. Beyond work, she serves on the board of the Women’s Foundation of Alabama, advancing economic opportunity and gender equity, and mentors women pursuing leadership in technology and retail.

Rina, her husband Martin, and their children Abby and Miles live in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Our next inductee is Dr. Jonathan Kies, Senior Director of User Experience at Qualcomm in San Diego.

For the past 25 years Jon has led a global team of human‑factors and UX professionals, turning cutting‑edge ideas into everyday tools. His colleagues describe him as curious - an instinct that has produced more than 45 U.S. patents, one of which was featured in the U.S. Patent Office’s patent museum.

Early in his Qualcomm tenure, Jon helped pioneer technologies now taken for granted: the first wave of smartphones, one of the earliest U.S. text‑messaging deployments, fingerprint sensing, smartwatches, and app‑store design. His recent work centers on virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and next‑generation automotive interfaces.

Jon earned his M.S. in 1994 and Ph.D. in 1997 in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech, conducting human‑computer‑interaction research supported by NIOSH, the NSF, and NYNEX. He credits his advisor, the late Dr. Bob Williges, for instilling both rigor and optimism - qualities that continue to guide his work.

Jon lives in Encinitas, California, with two sons: Ethan, a 2024 Virginia Tech graduate, and Ryan, an engineering student at the University of Colorado.

Charneta Samms is Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), guiding a multi‑billion‑dollar science‑and‑technology portfolio that will shape future Army operations. Her 28‑year civil‑service career includes leading plans and programs at the Army Research Laboratory and developing the Army’s human‑performance modeling tool, IMPRINT.

Charneta does not shy away from sharing her expertise with a broad range of audiences – for instance, she has delivered hundreds of briefings to senior defense leaders and has an extensive record of publications in human‑performance modeling and simulation. That expertise has earned her the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, the Civilian Service Achievement Medal, and a Women of Color STEM Technology All‑Star honor. She is also an ARL Emeritus Fellow and an Army Mad Scientist.

A 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech’s master’s program in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Samms is a lifetime member of the National Society of Black Engineers and an active mentor to rising engineers.

Outside the lab, she is a certified firearms instructor and multi‑gun competitor who teaches marksmanship and firearm safety.

Dale Sisson directs one of the Navy’s largest research centers with focus and forward momentum.

As Technical Director of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, he is the senior civilian leader for a 5,200‑person workforce and oversees a $2.6B portfolio of research, development, test, and engineering for complex naval‑weapons systems. A member of the Senior Executive Service since 2018, Dale became Technical Director in 2021 after serving as Deputy Technical Director, the Navy’s Chief Systems Engineer at the Pentagon, and executive for weapons and explosives safety.

Colleagues describe him as driven - a trait evident across 28 years of civil‑service innovation, two Superior Civilian Service medals, and earlier industry experience in manufacturing and machine design.

A native of King George, Virginia, Dale applies the same energy to his community: three terms on the King George County Board of Supervisors, leadership roles with regional organizations, youth‑sports coaching, and service as a deacon and discipleship leader at Round Hill Baptist Church.

He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (1992) and an M.S. in Systems Engineering (2003) from Virginia Tech, is a licensed Professional Engineer, and a former member of the ISE Department Advisory Board.

Dale and his wife Tina raised three children who know by heart that orange‑and‑maroon belong together—and blue‑and‑orange definitely do not.