Dr. G. Kemble Bennett was named director of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station on March 26 by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. He was selected as sole finalist for the position at a telephonic Board of Regents meeting in February. Bennett, who served as director of TEES from 2002-2007, also is vice chancellor of engineering for the Texas A&M System and dean of the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. "In this transition I want to thank Dr. Lee Peddicord for his leadership at TEES, and I understand his interest in returning fulltime to his professional passion, nuclear engineering," said Dr. Michael D. McKinney, chancellor of the A&M System. A professor in Texas A&M’s Department of Nuclear Engineering, Peddicord continues to serve as director of the Nuclear Power Institute, a statewide partnership led by TEES and headquartered at Texas A&M. "I’m also pleased to have Dr. Bennett back as director of TEES," said McKinney. "Kem has been a key player in establishing the Texas A&M System’s reputation for producing high-caliber engineers and engineering research, and I know he will expand on that tradition as director." Bennett joined the Texas A&M engineering program in 1986 and has held several leadership positions, including professor and head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, associate dean of research, director and CEO of TEES, and director and CEO of the Texas Engineering Extension Service. As vice chancellor, Bennett oversees coordination and collaboration among the engineering, academic and research programs at universities throughout the Texas A&M System and leads the research programs and extension services of three state agencies: TEES, TEEX and the Texas Transportation Institute. As dean of the Dwight Look College of Engineering, he heads one of the largest and highest-ranked engineering colleges in the nation. "Over the past several years, we have significantly increased the number of engineering faculty and enhanced key strengths in research areas such as energy, health care, homeland security, materials, space and nanotechnology," said Bennett. "With the tremendous opportunities shaping up, both at the state and federal level, TEES is poised to reach new levels of research excellence. This is an exciting time to lead an outstanding organization with so much potential." Bennett is the founding chairman of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium under the U. S. Department of Homeland Security where he currently serves as executive director of one of their national training centers, the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center. He is the founder of the state and national Urban Search & Rescue Team, Texas Task Force I, and served as chairman of their advisory board for several years. In 2007, he was appointed and named chair of the National Advisory Council for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Created by the Post-Katrina Act, the council advises the administrator of FEMA on all aspects of preparedness and emergency management. Bennett is an elected Fellow of both the Society of Logistics Engineers and the Institute of Industrial Engineers, where he has been recognized for his professional and academic contributions through the awarding of the Eccles Medal and the Albert G. Holzman Award. In July 2008, Bennett was appointed by Gov. Perry to chair the Texas Board of Professional Engineers. Bennett holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, a master’s degree from San Jose State University and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Texas Tech University. About the A&M System The A&M System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $3.04 billion. Through a statewide network of nine universities, seven state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the A&M System educates more than 109,000 students and makes more than 15 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. Externally funded research brings in almost $676 million every year and helps drive the state’s economy.
