 I'm Lauren Heiss, a senior from Long Grove, Illinois studying industrial engineering with a management minor in certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation. I'm the co-founder and president or managing director of Boyermaker Consulting Group, BCG, created during the pandemic to provide experience and education in consulting careers to students who lost opportunities due to COVID-19, helping over 100 of our peers from diverse majors. My own internship canceled, BCG helped me land a full-time position in business solutions consulting after graduation in May. I'm also a peer success coach with the Purdue Academic Success Center, a communications committee member for Purdue Engineering Student Council, and a senior advisory council member for the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. My persistent pursuit of the next giant leap is continuous innovation that responds to a changing world with creativity and entrepreneurial leadership. It is my honor to introduce the 2021 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award recipients from the School of Industrial Engineering. First is Ricardo J. Echivarria, a growth-minded business leader transforming technology and integration on an international scale. In more than 22 years with Intel, he's led nearly every corner of the company from sales to client platforms to security. Echivarria was pivotal in the growth and development of the worldwide software developer ecosystem for Intel architecture-based hardware and software products. Currently, his responsibilities at Intel are more Olympic-sized. His role as the general manager of the Intel Olympic Program, IOC, focuses on establishing and accelerating technology solutions through exclusive and transformational integration of sales, marketing, media, athlete programs, and internal employee engagement, helping to reimagine and positively shape the future of the games. Echivarria's experience with the Olympics didn't stop with Intel. He helped launch the Ray Eery Sports Engineering Center, a research-based collaboration between the IOC and Purdue, named in honor of a Purdue engineer and Olympic track and field athlete with 10 gold medals by 1908. He has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in business by Hispanic Business Magazine and a 2020 power player for the Olympics by the Sports Business Journal. There is instrumental role in the growth and development of the worldwide software developer ecosystem in building a global professional services organization that enhances the prestige of the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturing company. The College of Engineering is proud to present the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award to Ricardo J. Echivarria. Our next honoree, Susan J. Ellsperman, is impacting higher education, public service, and economic development for the state of Indiana. Ellsperman's educational and workforce development experience is extensive. As Indiana's former Lieutenant Governor, she was Vice Chair of the Indiana Career Council and Chair of the Pathways Implementation Committee, organizations that aligned Indiana's education and workforce development system to meet the needs of employers. She also served on the State Workforce Investment Council, an organization charged with developing opportunities for Hoosiers to gain employment and earn competitive wages, as well as developing and implementing workforce solutions based on the input of representatives of local workforce and development boards. Passion about educational access, Ellsperman designed the Archways to Opportunity partnership with McDonald's, offering scholarships and training in more than 300 restaurants and 18 Ivy Tech campuses. Her impact on the future of the Indiana's workforce and economy will ripple for generations. For her groundbreaking role in becoming the first female president of the nation's largest singly accredited community college system, as well as her exceptional service to the state of Indiana through roles in economic and workforce development and public service, the College of Engineering is proud to present the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award to Susan J. Ellsperman. To learn more about how Purdue influenced these honorees, please click on their video link below. Boiler up and hail Purdue!