College of Engineering Announces 2019 Ward Lecture Speaker: Dr. Anne Roby 鈥�86 ChE
Engineers鈥� Week at 澳门二分彩 begins February 17, and will end鈥攁nd peak鈥攐n February 22 with the annual Patrick J. Cunningham, Jr. and Susan Ward '80 Endowed Lecture Series in Engineering. The 2019 Ward lecturer is Dr. Anne Roby, senior vice president for Linde plc, who will speak on 鈥淓ngineers Advancing Sustainable and Integral Development.鈥�
In his encyclical letter 鈥淟audato Si',鈥� Pope Francis wrote, 鈥淭he urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.鈥� Dr. Roby will provide real-world examples of how engineers can advance sustainable and integral development and, in doing so, have purposeful and rewarding careers that take them to unexpected places. In her remarks, Dr. Roby will also share personal reflections on her own career journey since graduating from Villanova's College of Engineering in 1986.
About the Speaker
Dr. Roby is senior vice president for Linde plc, the global industrial gases and engineering leader resulting from the merger of Praxair and Linde AG. Named to that role in 2014, Dr. Roby is responsible for the company鈥檚 global functions, which include operations excellence; research and development; global procurement; sustainability; and health and safety. She also leads Praxair Surface Technologies, Electronic Materials and the Global Helium businesses. Dr. Roby joined Praxair in 1991 and was named global marketing manager for Chemicals and Refining in 1996. She has held a number of leadership roles within the company, including president of Praxair Electronics, president of Praxair Asia, vice president for Global Sales and vice president of the US South Region.
A committed alumna, Dr. Roby serves on Villanova's College of Engineering Advisory Board, providing significant guidance on key issues, including the College's strategic plan, trends in the engineering profession and assistance in the development of networks and partnerships. She was instrumental in sponsoring Praxair's participation in the Resilient Innovation through Sustainable Engineering (RISE) Forum, a College initiative that brings together technical leaders from across industries to promote corporate sustainability practices, and engages sustainable engineering graduate students in real-world projects. She has also provided countless hours to the Society of Women Engineers and matching gift support for "Engineering is for Girls," a Villanova program that introduces young girls to STEM fields.
In 2018, Anne was awarded the Engineering Alumni Society鈥檚 J. Stanley Morehouse Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership in the engineering profession. The late Drosdick Endowed Dean Gary Gabriele said, 鈥淎nne has challenged and supported us as we grow our national profile. She exemplifies the modern executive who understands how
Villanova's values can enhance today's business environment.鈥�
In 2019, Dr. Roby was named to 澳门二分彩's Board of Trustees. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Danbury Hospital in Connecticut, where she lives with her husband Larry and their three daughters.
You can read more about Dr. Roby in the Spring 2017 Villanova Magazine article 鈥淭rue Blue.鈥�
The Patrick J. Cunningham, Jr. and Susan Ward '80 Endowed Lecture Series in Engineering will be held on Friday, February 22, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. in the Villanova Room of the Connelly Center on Villanova鈥檚 campus.