Class of 2018

A native of Egypt, Aicha Elshabini was on the faculty at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from 1979 through 1999, attaining the rank of Professor in 1988. She chaired the Electronics and Networks Committee from 1980 through 1999 and was Director of the Microelectronics Laboratories from 1990 to 1999.

Dr. Elshabini left Virginia Tech in 1999 to become Chair of the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Arkansas. She held this position until joining the University of Idaho in 2006. Dr. Elshabini served as Dean of the College of Engineering at U of I from July of 2006 through 2007, when she resigned due to health circumstances. She holds the rank of professor emeritus at the University of Idaho.

Dr. Elshabini is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and of the International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society (IMAPS). She was the founding editor of IMAPS’ International Journal of Microcircuits and Electronic Packaging from 1991-2001. She is the only woman to receive three prestigious awards through IMAPS. She also received three teaching awards at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and was listed in Outstanding Young Women of America in 1981 and 1983.

Dennis Keiser has over 40 years of experience in the energy sector, involving nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy options. Most of his experience is associated with the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, as a contributing engineer, research and development manager, and executive manager of the Science and Technology Department.

Research on renewable energy options – solar, geothermal, biofuels, wind and hydrogen – comprised a large part of the activities of the INL Science and Technology Department, which consisted of over 600 scientists, engineers and technicians. Dr. Keiser was responsible for annual budgets of more than $150 million and for operation of essentially all non-nuclear research and development facilities.

Dr. Keiser spent over 7 years as President and CEO of Intrepid Technology & Resources, Inc. The mission of this company was building facilities to convert animal waste into various forms of energy. More recently, Dr. Keiser has been employed with the University of Idaho in Idaho Falls as a faculty member and research professor teaching an engineering management course and working with the Center for Advanced Energy Studies in the realm of converting animal waste into energy. Dr. Keiser has participated in lifecycle analysis studies on processing of dairy manure into renewable energy and co-products.

Steve Miranda has served as the head of engineering at The Kraft Heinz Company for 2 1/2 years. He also serves as the Director of Engineering, a position he has held since 2014. Miranda worked previously as the leader of the Global Manufacturing Taskforce for the H.J. Heinz Company and was Group Leader for about two years.

The Kraft Heinz Company is the third-largest food and beverage company in North America and the fifth-largest food and beverage company in the world, with eight brands over $1 billion. The company's iconic brands include Kraft, Heinz, ABC, Capri Sun, Classico, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Maxwell House, Ore-Ida, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Planters, Plasmon, Quero, Weight Watchers Smart Ones and Velveeta. The Kraft Heinz Company is dedicated to the sustainable health of our people, our planet and our company.

Kirk Sullivan is the founder and partner at Veritas Advisors, a philanthropic fundraising and political consulting firm in Boise, Idaho. Sullivan retired from the Boise Cascade Company in 1998 after 27 years with the company. He was the vice president of governmental and environmental affairs worldwide.

Sullivan worked for the FMC Corporation for 13 years as an engineer, technical superintendent and marketing manager.

He has served with many organizations and boards. He is a former chairman of the Idaho Republican Party. He currently serves as the president of the Ore-Ida Council of the Boy Scouts of America; as a member of the board of trustees for the Public Employees Retirement System of Idaho; on the board of trustees for Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center; and on the Governors State Science and Technology advisory council.

The Saint Alphonsus Foundation recognized Sullivan with its 2007 Distinguished Citizen Award. He previously served U of I on the Foundation, College of Engineering Advisory Board, the Ag Biotech Committee, and as chair of the universities’ centennial campaign. He received an honorary degree in 1990 and a Service Award in 1999.

Kirk retired in 1994 from his post as Vice President of Governmental and Environmental Affairs at Boise Cascade Company. He is considered to have been among the leading timber lobbyists in Congress and a powerful figure in Idaho resource issues. Prior to his retirement, Sullivan was positioning himself for the presidency at the U of I. He was a finalist in the U of I presidential search that hired Bob Hoover.

Bob White spent most of his childhood in the forests and lakes of North Idaho. He graduated from Clark Fork High School in 1977 and immediately enrolled at the University of Idaho. White earned a bachelor’s in computer science from the College of Engineering with an emphasis in data processing. During those early years, a computer science degree at U of I covered a wide variety of topics, including accounting, business, economics, mathematics, engineering and all the programming the college could offer.

After graduation, White worked for Encoder Products Company (EPC) in Sandpoint, Idaho, what is now the largest privately owned encoder manufacturer in North America.

For White, much of the 80s at EPC was spent in the materials resource planning world, moving all manual data and activities onto computer systems and making sure the user base was always involved and well-trained. During this part of his career, White saw that a company would only be able to benefit from its data systems if those systems delivered the right information at the right time and to the right place. White followed a less traditional approach by building data systems based on software that would work together and were seamless from the users’ perspective.

In the 90s, it became evident that EPC needed a system that would transfer a highly technical product with precise engineering specifications to a format that order entry personnel would be able to configure, price and place orders in real time. While there was not a good solution at the time, White tracked down a European company that had developed a product configurator that would seamlessly integrate into a material requirements planning system. He would eventually combine the two systems at EPC to reduce overall order entry operator training time from 12 to less than two months and decrease overall order entry mistakes by 50 percent. The foundation of that same platform is still being used at the company today.

Fast forward to 2000, when White recognized EPC needed a customer relationship management system that would deliver a high level of support. Again, White worked through a variety of companies to incorporate multiple software systems. Those systems seamlessly integrate deliver a cutting edge platform that EPC still uses to meet customer inquiries, sales orders and an array of other customer facing contacts.

White has written code for early customer relationship management systems, developed various databases, designed numerous critical outputs for EPC and lately data mining is high on his radar. Through strategic deployment of effective software, White enabled EPC to take the built/ship process from 4 to 6 weeks down to 3 to 4 business days.

White started with EPC as a programmer and IT manager, and has worn several hats through the years. He has been a Material Acquisition Process team member, Americas Division team member, a Corporate Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Currently, White spends time implementing a Quality Management System, Business Process Management System and developing a Strategic Planning Process. High on his list of priorities is making sure that the next generations of leaders at EPC are being adequately prepared to step up to the challenges that lie ahead. In January of 2018, White celebrated 36 years of continuous employment with EPC.