COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Dr. Theresa A. Maldonado, associate dean in the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University and assistant director of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, has been named to serve as a member of the National Academy of Engineering’s Committee on Diversity in the Engineering Workforce. The mission of the NAE diversity program is to increase the diversity of the United States’ engineering workforce by developing a strong domestic talent pool. In addressing this mission, the NAE convenes stakeholders to share knowledge, identify information and program needs, and initiate actions to address those needs. Maldonado joined the Texas A&M Engineering Program in September 2003. From 1981 to 1986, Maldonado was a member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories, working in fiber optic systems, fiber components and cable design. After completing her doctoral studies in 1990, she joined the University of Texas at Arlington as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. In 1999-2001 she was a program director at the National Science Foundation, where she managed Engineering Research Centers and served on a number of NSF-wide committees, including CAREER and Nanoscale Science and Engineering. She returned to UTA in 2001 as associate dean of engineering for research and graduate studies. In July 2002 she was appointed associate vice president for research and became director of the UTA Institute for Nanoscale Science and Engineering Research and Teaching. Maldonado was a 1991-96 NSF Presidential Young Investigator, and received the Halliburton Award for Teaching Excellence and the Halliburton Award for Outstanding Young Faculty from the UTA College of Engineering. In 1995 she was inducted into the inaugural Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni at Georgia Tech. At NSF, Maldonado was recognized with the 2001 Director’s Award for Program Management Excellence and the Director’s Award for Collaborative Integration for her services on the CAREER Coordinating Committee, and with a Certificate of Appreciation for Distinguished Service in the Development of the NSF Program, ADVANCE. A registered professional engineer in Texas, Maldonado is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of the Optical Society of America, the International Society for Optical Engineering, Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. She holds bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
