SBSE
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
The SBSE Alumni spotlight recognizes
alumni who have distinguished themselves through exceptional advancement
and success in science and engineering education or careers, and/or
outstanding contributions to our community and society as a whole.
These individuals are only a sample of the countless alumni that demonstrate
the legacy, diversity of interests and experiences, and academic and
professional achievement that SBSE embodies. We hope that the backgrounds
of these individuals will give you a sense of community and fellowship
with the organization and its rich history.
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Thea Victoria Norment,
BS 03' MS 04'
Thea Victoria Norment has been a member of SBSE
since 1999, and has served on the E-Board three times. She is currently
a co-terminal student at Stanford, and plans to earn a Bachelor's
and Master's degree in Electrical Engineering (B.S. Signal Processing,
M.S. Computer Hardware) in Spring 2004.
Thea is also a cadet in Air Force ROTC
and plans to commission as a military officer immediately following
graduation. In the military, she plans to design electronic systems
for aircraft. While here at Stanford, Thea has participated in a number
of extracurricular activities including SBSE, SWE, and REU. Her ROTC
activities include Cessna airplane pilot training, Precision Drill
Unit, Field Training, and Aerospace special training. She has also
had internships at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Hitachi, and Apple Computer
Inc. In addition, beginning in Spring of her junior year, Thea participated
in the Stanford overseas program and spent six months attending classes
and working in Japan. Thea has had a very enriching experience while
here at Stanford and she recommends that everyone take advantage of
all of the valuable educational opportunities.
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|  William
E. Kennard, BA 78'
Mr. Kennard served as the first
African-American Chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
from November 1997 to January 2001. Mr. Kennard presided over the
FCC at an historic time. During his tenure, he implemented policies
that helped to create an explosion of new wireless phones, brought
the Internet to a majority of American households, and made digital
age technologies more available to schools, libraries, low-income
Americans and people with disabilities.
Mr. Kennard served as the FCC's general
counsel from December 1993 to November 1997. Before serving in government,
Mr. Kennard was a partner and member of the Board of Directors of
the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand. He
is a member of the boards of directors of Nextel Communications, The
New York Times Company and Handspring, Inc.
Mr. Kennard graduated phi beta kappa
from Stanford University and received his law degree from Yale Law
School. He has received honorary degrees from Howard University, Gallaudet
University and Long Island University.
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|  Omar
Wasow, BA 92'
Omar Wasow is the executive director
of BlackPlanet.com at Community Connect Inc., and is the Internet
analyst for New York's local NBC-TV affiliate, WNBC.
For nearly 20 years — beginning with his
first experiences programming at the age of 11 and later going online
at the age of 12 — Wasow has been passionate about the potential
for computers and networks to change people's lives. Under Wasow's
leadership, BlackPlanet.com was launched in September 1999 and has
grown at an exceptional pace to become a leading site for African
Americans and one of the 25 most popular sites on the Internet.
In addition to his work on BlackPlanet.com,
Wasow works to demystify technology issues in his role as an Internet
analyst for WNBC. Wasow tutored Oprah Winfrey in her first exploration
of the Internet in the 12-part television series "Oprah Goes
Online."
In 1993, Wasow founded New York Online and helped
companies as diverse as Consumer Reports, Samsung and The New Yorker
execute successful Internet strategies. He has since been described
by The New York Times as "Silicon Alley's Philosopher-Prince,"
and by Newsweek magazine as one of the "50 most influential people
to watch in cyberspace."
As a result of his active participation in a
number of social issues, particularly school reform, Wasow was selected
to be a fellow in the Rockefeller Foundation's Next Generation Leadership
program.
Wasow graduated from Stanford
University with a bachelor's degree in race and ethnic relations.
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|  Dr.
Mae C. Jemison, BS '77
Born in Decatur, Alabama, but raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mae C.
Jemison earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University
in 1977. She also fulfilled the requirements for the bachelor's degree
in African and Afro-American Studies. She earned her M.D. from Cornell
University in 1981.
Dr. Jemison was the first African-American
female in space. She served as a mission specialist on space shuttle
Endeavour in September 1992 where she and the crew conducted experiments
in life sciences and materials processing. Earlier, Jemison spent
several years as a Peace Corps physician in West Africa and opened
a private practice in Los Angeles. After her space flight, Jemison
took leave from NASA to lecture and teach at Dartmouth College, focusing
on space-age technology and developing nations. Jemison heads her
own firm, the Jemison Group, based in Houston, Texas. In 1999, Jemison
accepted appointment as the President's Council of Cornell Women Andrew
D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University.
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 Albert
E. Manley, PhD '46
Dr. Albert E. Manley was born
January 3, 1908 in Spanish Honduras. He moved to the United States
and began his education in Meadville, Virginia in 1919. He graduated
cum laude in Physics and Mathematics from Johnson C. Smith University
in 1930. In 1946 Dr. Albert E. Manly received his PhD in Education
at Stanford. He is believed to be the first African American to have
received a Doctoral degree in this department. Dr. Manley's dissertation
focused on the latest ideas in the measurement of student growth and
development. He was called to assume the presidency of Spelman College
in 1953. Dr. Albert E. Manley was the first male and the first African
American president of Spelman college. He was instrumental in improving
the academic standards of the college and increased its teaching faculty
as well as its administrative staff. Dr. Manley served as President
of Spelman College from 1953-1976.
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|  Ira
D. Hall, BS '67, MBA
'76
Ira
D. Hall received his B.S. in electrical engineering and a MBA from
Stanford and has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Utendahl
Capital Management, L.P. (UCM), a fixed investment management firm,
since November 2002. His responsibilities include overall executive
management of UCM and its investment performance, as well as leading
the firm’s overall corporate strategy and business development
efforts. Mr. Hall was formerly Treasurer and General Manager of Alliance
Management of Texaco Inc. and head of Texaco Inc.'s Finance Department
until his retirement from Texaco in 2001. Prior to joining Texaco
in June 1998, Mr. Hall held a series of positions of increasing responsibility
with IBM Corporation and was previously senior vice president of the
New York investment banking firm of L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin,
Inc.
Mr. Hall currently
serves on the Board of Directors of Reynolds & Reynolds Company,
TECO Energy Inc. and the Jackie Robinson Foundation. He is also Chairman
of the Board of the Executive Leadership Council. He has previously
served on the Board of Trustees of Stanford University, the Distribution
Committee of the San Francisco Foundation and the Dean's Advisory
Council of Stanford Graduate School of Business. Mr. Hall was also
a presidential appointee with United States Senate confirmation as
a governor of the United States Postal Service, where he chaired its
audit committee. Additionally, he served as Chairperson of the National
Advisory Board to the Thrift Depositor Protection Oversight Board,
which included the Secretary of the Treasury and the Chairman of the
Federal Reserve Board.
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Copyright 2003
Stanford University Society Of Black Scientists & Engineers
Telecommunications Chair: Aneto Okonkwo oaneto@stanford.edu
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