IMSE to host Industrial Engineering Senior Leaders Panels

Luis Gonzalez, CEO and co-founder at Vidalink, Keith Heisler, manager of innovation & solutions at United Airlines, Neal Starkey, vice president of back-office systems and enterprise reporting at Xenial, and Tyler McCutchan, CEO of McCutchan's Heating and Cooling. 

The Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering at the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources recently launched a new Industrial Engineering Senior Leaders Panel series. 

Story by Brittany Furbee, Communications Specialist
Photos by Paige Nesbit, Director of Marketing

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

The event series was created to recognize alumni from the industrial engineering program who currently hold senior leadership roles at various companies and to enable meaningful opportunities for them to interact with students at the College.  

According to Ashish Nimbarte, chairperson, professor and graduate program coordinator for IMSE, the industrial engineering program at West Virginia University serves as an incubator for entrepreneurship and leadership development.  

“More than 20 percent of industrial engineering alumni from WVU with 20 or more years of experience have served in executive roles,” said Nimbarte. “Our goal with this panel series is to provide opportunities for experts and leaders to interact with students and educate them on various career opportunities related to industrial engineering. Most importantly, our senior leaders can provide inspiration and serve role models for our current students.”  

The series kicked off on February 15, with a Healthcare Management Virtual Panel Discussion. The event featured Mary Ackenhusen, president and CEO of Vancouver Coastal Health, Jacquelyn Garcia, a recent graduate and consultant at Booz Allen Hamiliton, John Jackson, former president of Richmond Memorial Hospital and Sandhills Region Medical Center, and Dave Pecoraro, former CEO of the University of Kentucky Medical Center.  

The next event, an Entrepreneurship Virtual Panel Discussion, will be hosted on March 23 at 7 p.m. Panelists will include Luis Gonzalez, CEO and co-founder at Vidalink, Keith Heisler, manager of innovation & solutions at United Airlines, Tyler McCutchan, CEO of McCutchan's Heating and Cooling and Neal Starkey, vice president of back-office systems and enterprise reporting at Xenial.  

Pre-registration for the event is not required. To join the event on Zoom, click here and log in with your WVU credentials.  

The department plans to feature new topics and panelists each month as part of the IMSE Senior Leaders Panel series. Information on upcoming events will be shared in the Statler College’s faculty and staff eNews.  

“These panels wouldn’t be possible without the support and guidance provided by Jack Byrd, professor emeritus and mentor for the College,” said Nimbarte. 

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