Rudy Herrmann – Marston Medal
Rudy Herrmann (’73 industrial engineering) is a transformative engineering business leader who has made an international impact in the manufacturing industry. Herrmann led highly diversified Dover Resources, Inc., as president and CEO with a strategic vision, doubling the company’s size during his tenure to more than $900 million in revenues through a combination of internal growth and acquisitions.
He joined Dover through its acquisition of Texas Hydraulics, where he was president. After becoming a part of Dover, he led the revitalization of Rotary Lift, a leading manufacturer of automotive lift equipment. Herrmann then supported the implementation of progressive manufacturing practices to solidify Dover Resources’ companies as industry leaders in efficiency and innovation. Herrmann, who also holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School, shaped the future of manufacturing critical products, including pumps, valves, compressors, fluid dispensing devices, factory automation equipment, and more.
After retiring in 2001, Herrmann has focused on advancing sustainability and engineering education. He has served as Board Chair of the Oklahoma Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Goodwill Industries of Tulsa, and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
Herrmann has also generously served Iowa State University in many ways. He has been a member of the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering industry advisory board, the Engineering College Industrial Advisory Council, the ISU Foundation Board of Directors, among others. His exceptional service and support of Iowa State have been recognized with the College of Engineering’s PACE Award, the ISU Alumni Association’s Alumni Medal, and the ISU Foundation’s Cardinal and Gold Award.
Herrmann and his wife, Deb, enjoy traveling, sailing, hiking, biking and are big ballet fans. They are members of the Marston Club, Order of the Knoll, Campanile Society, Society of the True and Valiant, and are life members of the ISU Alumni Association.
Scott Carver – PACE Award
Scott Carver (’98 PhD chemical engineering) is an innovative pharmaceutical manufacturer, producing live-saving biotech and healthcare discoveries. As senior vice president for manufacturing and process sciences at Regeneron, he has overseen the development of multiple FDA-approved antibody-based therapeutics and genetic medicines for diseases like cancer, age-related macular degeneration, atopic dermatitis and COVID-19.
Carver’s outstanding ability to lead rapid and efficient scale-up and production has played a significant role in Regeneron’s explosive growth. When Carver started in 1998 as a senior research engineer in the cell culture development group, Regeneron was a new player in the biotech field, valued at just under one billion dollars. Now, Regeneron is a $130 billion company with over 13,000 employees, and Carver oversaw approximately one-quarter of the company.
Carver’s expertise in overcoming the chemical engineering challenges associated with manufacturing biologics has been crucial to Regeneron’s ability to outpace competitors in securing FDA approvals. He’s a recognized expert in Good Manufacturing Practices and preserving protein activity in production scale-up.
Prior to taking on senior leadership roles at Regeneron, Carver made key R&D discoveries, securing eight patents advancing the use of chromatography to monitor biologic product manufacturing, with two more patents pending. His research work has also been published in top academic journals, including Nature Medicine.
In addition to his PhD from Iowa State, Scott earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Carver has been happily married to Dr. Claire Hamer (’95 DVM) for over 30 years. They have three daughters, Annie, Gigi, and Carmela, all college graduates and continuing to make their parents proud.
David Meline – PACE Award
David Meline (’80 mechanical engineering) is an outstanding finance and management leader who has shaped the success of global companies.
He started his career as a product development engineer at AT&T. Then, Meline spent more than 20 years at General Motors, rising through the ranks in finance to senior management roles before serving as chief financial officer at 3M from 2008-2014 and at Amgen from 2014-2020.
In 2020, Meline used his strategic acumen and financial stewardship to scale Moderna from a relatively small biotech firm to a household name and major player in the pharmaceutical industry – in the incredibly complex challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under Meline’s leadership, Moderna brought the innovative mRNA vaccine Spikevax to market, generating approximately $18 billion in sales and playing a pivotal role in public health efforts.
Meline’s expertise is sought after across many industries, and he now sits on the board of directors at HP, Pacific Biosciences, ABB Ltd., and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He also has stayed engaged with Iowa State University, advancing engineering education for the next generation of industry leaders.
In addition to his degree from Iowa State, Meline holds a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Meline’s success through the years was only possible with the support of his spouse, Barbara, along with their two sons, Ben and Mike.
Alan Naumann – PACE Award
Alan Naumann (’82 computer engineering) is an engineering entrepreneur, with a distinguished track record of building software and cybersecurity companies into industry leaders – and helping startup teams and their venture investors achieve strong financial exits via company acquisitions and IPOs.
Early in his career, Naumann put his engineering degree to use at Cadence Design Systems, a semiconductor and electronic system design tool company. He was promoted through the ranks, ultimately serving as business unit president, and helping the company scale from a $10-million startup to over $1 billion in annual revenues.
After Cadence Naumann served as CEO of 4 technology companies: Calico (IPO), CoWare (acquired by Synopsys), and 41st Parameter (acquired by Experian). Naumann was most recently both chairman and CEO of Contrast Security, where the company took a pioneering approach to securing software. The company grew 30X and achieved startup “unicorn status” during his 7-year tenure.
Currently, Naumann serves on the AI Advisory Board of Athos Therapeutics, which is developing an AI platform to accelerate the discovery and development of new auto-immune therapeutics. Naumann advises the company’s senior executives on AI, software platform development, and clinical trial cybersecurity.
Naumann is also committed to fostering innovation in tomorrow’s engineers. He serves on the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s Advisory Council, and he previously served on the entrepreneurship advisory board at Wake Forest and was part of the Duke University startup challenge.
Naumann and his wife, Masami, have four children: Stefanie, Michael, Bradley, and Gregory. Naumann also belongs to the Marston Club, and is active in other non-profit and service organizations.
Ann Gilman – Young Alumni Award
Ann (Gleason) Gilman (’11 chemical engineering) is a standout engineering researcher on the rise, bringing new household and industrial products at 3M as an advanced research specialist in the Corporate Research Process Laboratory.
In just 13 years, Gilman has had 16 patents granted, and her global commercialization efforts have resulted in the launch of eight new product families across various 3M business units. She played a pivotal role in developing the 3M Xtract™ sanding platform and Scotch-Brite® Stay Fresh Non-Scratch Scrub Dots Sponges. She received 3M’s Golden Step Award for her contributions to the Scotch-Brite® sponges.
A nine-time winner of the 3M Circle of Technical Excellence and Innovation award, Gilman is recognized among the top 3% of her peers, including receiving the Corporate Level award. Her leadership is recognized in cross-functional teams, where she’s known for her skill in initiating new equipment and processes in manufacturing settings.
In 2023, the Society of Women Engineers recognized the 3M Net Abrasive Team with the Global Leadership Team Award for their work in the 3M Xtract™ product, highlighting Gilman as one of 15 distinguished engineers on the team.
When Gilman was a student, she was the goalie on the Iowa State women’s soccer team – and an Academic All-American.
Gilman is married to Cole Gilman, and they have two children, Leo and Lincoln