The ISE Department welcomed its first class of Distinguished Alumni in 2006. Along with the 14th class of Distinguished Alumni (Stephanie Alexander, Rick Coffey, Misha Dawson, and Carlos Gonzalez-Miranda), the Department welcomed its second class of Outstanding Young Alumni (Charles “Link” Neal III) during the department’s Red and White Week Celebration.
View the photos from the Event
Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumnus Award is the highest honor that the department can give any graduate who has been out of school for 20 years or more. It’s awarded to alumni whose contributions to their profession, the community, and the department, college, and university are notable and deserve special recognition.
Stephanie Alexander

Prior to joining PeraHealth, Alexander was President of Performance Analytics and Decision Support Services at MedAssets. She also served nearly three decades building and leading Premier’s Healthcare Informatics business.
Alexander holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Rick Coffey

McCreary Modern is one of the largest privately and employee-owned upholstery companies in the world. McCreary Modern’s operations provide employment for over 1000 residents in six separate facilities. All products and raw materials are sourced locally and made in the USA. Coffey earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering with Furniture Manufacturing and Management from NC State University in 1978.
Misha Dawson

In this role, Dawson operates the engineering computing environment and technical software implementation for engineering employees across the US. Her team provides tool support, testing, and training for major business initiatives. They also provide supplier and vendor management, engineering solutions, and software solutions for businesses. She received her BSIe from NC State in 1995.
Carlos J. Gonzalez-Miranda

From 1994-99, Dr. Gonzalez was a tenure track faculty member of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. In 1999, he served as Dean of the College of Business at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. A year later in 2000, Dr. Gonzalez became the Dean of the College of Engineering.
His research and teaching interest are in the areas of facilities design, logistics, material handling automation, and computer simulation.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through professional practice and/or service and is for alumni who have been out of school for less than 20 years. This includes to the University, profession, or society at large. Ideal candidates will have made rapid advancement within their organization.
Charles “Link” Neal III

He graduated from NC State with his BSIE degree in 2001, which he used to get a job at IBM.
Photo Gallery
The ISE Department would like to welcome its newest members and wish them continued success in the future.
To see all Distinguished Alumni Award winners and learn how to nominate someone for this award, go to Alumni Hall of Fame.
To see all Outstanding Young Alumni Award winners and learn how to nominate someone for this award, go to Outstanding Young Alumni.