Academy of Distinguished Alumni

Dr. Radu Babiceanu earned his Ph.D. in ISE from Virginia Tech in 2005. Since January 2025, he has served as a Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Western Michigan University. This fall semester, he also began serving as the Interim Chair of the Computer Science Department at Western Michigan. Previously, he was on the faculty and served as Interim Chair of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. At Embry-Riddle, he also served as the Systems Engineering program lead, EECS doctoral program lead, Director of the Cybersecurity and Assured Systems Engineering Center and of the Cybersecurity Engineering Lab, and the lead of the NSA Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. 

Throughout his time in academia, Radu developed and taught a large number of fundamental and advanced engineering courses with an overarching aviation theme. He developed and delivered training courses for industry and government agencies in the areas of aircraft safety engineering and certification, and aviation cybersecurity. His main research interests are in the aviation and aerospace operational ecosystem, with a focus in cybersecurity and safety-critical systems assurance, cyber-, engineering-, operational-, and organizational-resilience, as well as AI/ML approaches to enhanced operations, including digital-twins, explainable and trustworthy AI, and agentic systems modeling.

His professional service includes serving as associate editor, guest editor, and editorial board member of well-known scientific journals, as a conference organizer and program chair, in leadership positions with ASEE and INCOSE, and as a panel reviewer for U.S. and European scholarly research and innovation competitions.

Dr. Terry Fairbanks earned his M.S. degree with a focus in Human Factors from the ISE department in 1995 and then went on to earn an MD from Virginia Commonwealth University. Terry is currently an emergency medicine physician and human factors engineer who currently serves as senior vice president and chief quality and safety officer at MedStar Health, and professor of emergency medicine at Georgetown University. Terry is responsible for clinical quality, patient safety, infection prevention, and health equity at MedStar Health, a 10-hospital healthcare system in the D.C. and Baltimore area. Prior to this role, he conducted research applying human factors and safety engineering in healthcare, while also caring for patients in the ER.

In 2010, Terry founded the National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, which has grown to one of the largest embedded healthcare human factors and safety science centers in the world, and has spawned similar operations in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. He has authored more than 200 publications and edited a book on human factors and healthcare safety. He is a Fellow in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, recipient of the prestigious Eisenberg Award, and a member of the National Academies Board of Human Systems Integration.

While at Virginia Tech, Terry volunteered as a paramedic for the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, and earned his pilot’s license at the Virginia Tech Airport. He reflects that it was his experience here, and the preparation from his Master’s degree, that has been the differentiator in his career.

Dr. Lisa Maillart is the Leighton E. Orr and Mary N. Orr Professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Her academic journey began at Virginia Tech, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in ISE in 1995 with a minor in Statistics. She remained in the department to earn her master’s degree in 1997, completing a research thesis under Joel Nachlas that proved pivotal in encouraging her to pursue a doctoral degree and an academic career. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and joined the faculty at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. In 2006, she transitioned to the IE faculty at Pitt, where she has flourished in research and teaching for nearly two decades. In 2022, she was appointed Chair—the first woman to lead an engineering department in the 175-year history of the Swanson School of Engineering at Pitt.

Lisa’s research expertise centers on sequential decision-making under uncertainty, with applications spanning healthcare operations, medical decision-making, and maintenance optimization. Supported primarily by the NSF, her research brings mathematical rigor to problems with real-world stakes—including, for example, mathematical programming models of donor human milk bank operations to improve production balance with reduced labor requirements while directly serving fragile infants in need.

Her reputation in the academic community is substantial: senior member of INFORMS, former President of the INFORMS Health Applications Society, past and present editorial board member for multiple journals, and 2017 Fulbright U.S. Scholar at the Technical University of Eindhoven. She was selected as a 2023 ELATES Executive Leadership Fellow and 2026 ACC Academic Leaders Network Program participant.

Lisa lives in Pittsburgh with her family of five. Beyond her university work, she finds joy in cooking for her family, spoiling their dog TIE, vinyl cutting projects with her Cricut machine, and hearing live music.

Brian Montgomery is the Chief Financial Officer of Hologic Inc., a global leader in medical technology and diagnostics focused on advancing Women’s Health. He oversees the company’s finance, supply chain, and global services organizations, supporting operations in more than 100 countries and a workforce of 8,000 employees.

Before joining Hologic, Brian served as Chief Financial Officer of Ansell, a publicly-listed leader in personal protection and safety solutions, where he led the finance, strategy, and supply chain functions.

Brian began his career at GE after graduating from Virginia Tech. He joined GE Aviation through the Operations Management Leadership Program and later advanced through roles of increasing responsibility within GE’s Corporate Audit Staff, supporting audits and consulting engagements across GE businesses worldwide.

In 2009, Brian moved to GE HealthCare’s Pharmaceutical Diagnostics business as Head of Financial Planning and Analysis. He was later appointed CFO of the Bioprocessing Division, based outside Stockholm, Sweden, a leading provider of products and solutions for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

After returning to the U.S., Brian relocated to Utah to serve as General Manager and Integration Leader for several acquired businesses within the Bioprocessing Division. He then moved to southern California to lead GE HealthCare’s Clarient Diagnostics business, where he executed a successful turnaround and managed a complex divestiture.

In 2016, Brian was named Senior Executive of Financial Planning and Analysis and CFO of GE’s Healthcare Systems segment. He later became GE HealthCare’s Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for accelerating enterprise strategic priorities and leading business development. In this role, he led the spin-off of GE HealthCare from GE — one of the largest medical technology separations in history — and oversaw nine acquisitions, more than a dozen venture investments, and over 20 strategic partnerships.

Brian earned his B.S. in ISE along with a minor in Business from Virginia Tech. During his time on campus, he served as President of the Student Government Association, Undergraduate Student Representative to the Board of Visitors, and a member of the GERMAN Club. He helped found several enduring Virginia Tech traditions, including The Big Event, Relay for Life, and the Orange and Maroon Effect.

The highlight of Brian’s Virginia Tech experience was meeting his wife of 22 years, Jessica, a two‑time Hokie with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. They have two sons: Brendan, a high‑school sophomore, and Will, a seventh grader.

Brian has remained closely connected to Virginia Tech, serving on the Board of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the Advisory Board for Student Affairs. He is also an active volunteer with Scouting in America, serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Northern Illinois Council.

Dr. James Moreland is the Principal Engineer of MEI Innovative Solutions Inc, where he serves as an independent consultant and advisor to industry, government, and academic organizations in the U.S. and internationally. He is a nationally-recognized leader and pioneer in Mission Engineering and Integration and has more than four decades of experience in engineering, executive leadership, defense acquisition, advanced technology, and national security. He currently serves as a member of the United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and has been elected to the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Throughout his career, he has focused on addressing complex mission and national security challenges that require the integration of technologies, systems, organizations, and capabilities.

Before establishing MEI Innovative Solutions Inc, Jim served for five years as a Vice President at Raytheon Technologies, first as Vice President of Strategy and Transformation and subsequently as Vice President of Air and Space Defense Systems until April 2025. Before joining industry, he completed a distinguished career in the Department of Defense Senior Executive Service, where his leadership positions included Executive Director for Mission Engineering and Integration, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Tactical Warfare Systems, and Executive Director for Naval Warfare, building upon his earlier technical leadership as Chief Engineer of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. His career has included leadership of major defense programs and modernization initiatives, development and integration of emerging technologies and mission capabilities, and advisory service to the National Science Board and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He received his master’s degree in Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1997 and currently serves as an Affiliate Faculty in the ISE Department and as an adjunct faculty member teaching our graduate course on Mission Engineering. He is the author of “Mission Engineering and Integration: Approach and Principles to Integrated Solutions.”

Jim’s distinguished professional honors include the Department of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Award, Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and Navy Superior Civilian Service Award, and many others, recognizing exceptional leadership and contributions to the Department of Defense and the United States Navy. His professional distinctions include AIAA Associate Fellow, Engineers Australia Fellow, INCOSE member, and IEEE Senior Member.

Dr. Christopher Saldaña is Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, where he leads a multi-billion dollar funding portfolio and several offices that are advancing technology innovation and commercialization for domestic supply chains of minerals, materials and products for energy. He also holds a faculty appointment as the Ring Family Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech, where he leads a research program focused on large-scale manufacturing systems and digital manufacturing. 

Throughout his career, Chris has held affiliations with M4 Sciences Corporation, Penn State University, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the Indian Institute of Science, Technische [TEHK-ni-shuh] Universität [oo-nee-ver-zee-TAYT] Dortmund [DORT-munt], Autodesk, and Sandia National Laboratories. He has been recognized with several major awards including an NSF CAREER award, the Golden Helix Innovation Award, the Robert J. Hocken SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, an R&D100 Technology Award, and the Tibbets award from the U.S. Small Business Administration. He has authored over 200 refereed technical publications and holds 3 U.S. patents in the area of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies. He received his BS degree in ISE from Virginia Tech, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.

Nene Spivy is a dedicated champion for education and is driven to ensure all youth have access and opportunities to succeed in a world that increasingly requires STEM skills and literacy in every job. Nene started her career in telecommunications in systems engineering and then marketing, launching new markets and products during a period of rapid growth and deregulation. Called to community service, she pivoted to the nonprofit sector, combining her technology and business expertise with nonprofit leadership skills gained as a leader and past president of the Junior League of Northern Virginia. 

Since 2010, Nene has been the chief executive of the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation and is among the founders of this nonprofit. Under Nene’s leadership, the organization experienced exponential growth serving over a half million students and families and developed a 120 million dollar public private partnership to create the Northern Virginia Science Center. The new world class science center is now under construction and planned for opening in mid-2027. 

Nene currently serves on the board and as treasurer of the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the Northern Virginia Technology Council Board, the Loudoun County School Business Partnership Executive Council, and the Loudoun Senior Executive Council. Nene is a past board member of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce and Discovery Creek Children’s Museum, a graduate of Leadership Fairfax, and a past Chair of Fairfax County’s Community Action Advisory Board. 

Nene holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Nene met her husband, Art, in Industrial Engineering classes at Virginia Tech. They live in Ashburn, Virginia and enjoy spending time outdoors with their three adult children, hiking, paddling and skiing.