College of Engineering
Tennessee Tech strengthens its engineering advisory council with five women in STEM
The dean’s Advisory Council for Engineering recently welcomed five strong examples and advocates for women in STEM professions to its roster. Audrey Copeland, Christy Drewry, and Elizabeth Surface, along with Savannah Long and Jill Moffitt, who are representing their departmental advisory boards, join an already robust team of industry and government professionals advising the dean and the college.
Copeland was named vice president of the National Asphalt Pavement Association in 2012, and president and CEO in 2019, after serving six years as president of Engineering,
Research, and Technology. In that position, she secured $5 million in funding for
asphalt technology, research, and development. She also led a partnership between
NAPA and the 39 State Asphalt Pavement Associations, created through a $3 million
grant, to analyze the usage and life-cycle of asphalt. The group developed the PaveXpress
software used to design flexible and rigid pavements.
Copeland earned a bachelor’s degree from Tech in 1999, and a master’s degree in 2001, both in Civil Engineering. From 2001 to 2004, she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at Vanderbilt University and earned a doctorate in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt in 2007.
“I joined the Advisory Council for Engineering as a way to give back and further contribute to Tech,” said Copeland. “My time in college was part of the most formidable years of my life, in terms of gaining knowledge and learning the critical thinking skills that have led me to a fulfilling career, success, and the ability to have a comfortable life for my family. As a student, I didn’t understand the impact my education at Tech would have, but now I hope to support Tech’s impact and legacy in a small way.”
Drewry earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Tech in 2008. She is
the Lead Safety Basis Engineer for multiple complex hazardous nuclear facilities for
the National Nuclear Safety Administration’s (NNSA) Production Office Y-12 National Security Complex. In that position, she oversees the safe operating conditions for personnel, the
public, and the environment. She began her career as a maintenance engineer with NNSA
in 2009, and shortly after was named the Site Sustainability Program Manager, and
given responsibility for its Pantex Plant in Texas. Her work was honored in 2017,
with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Safety System Oversight Annual professional of
the year award. She is only the second woman to receive this award.
She has a passion for encouraging young women to choose careers in engineering or STEM-related fields. She is active at NNSA STEM events for high school-age girls, and for the past 10 years has been a counselor for a local chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. SWE recognized Drewry with its 2021 WE Local Engaged Advocate award, for her contributions to women in engineering in engineering and the sciences.
“I have seen the strength of a team improve through diverse thought,” said Drewry. “It has been my honor to speak at Tech’s Explorations in Engineering and Computing summer camps that introduce young women to STEM topics and the possibility of a career in engineering. I encourage others to get involved and give back.” Drewry earned Tech’s College of Engineering Young Alumna Achievement award in 2020 and is a founding member of the Young Alumni Council for Engineering at Tech.
Elizabeth Surface recently retired as president of Ross Bryan Associates, Inc. She joined the company in 1979 as an engineering intern and rose to principal and
treasurer in 2011 before she was named president in 2017. She has designed structures
in seven states, and signage projects for the Denver International Airport, Target
Field in Minneapolis, Marlins Park, Yankee Stadium, and Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Surface is a registered Professional Engineering in 20 states, including Tennessee
and the District of Columbia. She sits on the boards of the Tennessee and Middle Tennessee
chapters of the American Council of Engineering Companies, and served on the Metro-Nashville
Board of Zoning Appeals for 10 years, and chaired that board for three years. She
now serves on the external advisory committee for Vanderbilt University’s Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering where she earned a bachelor’s degree in 1978.
“I’m excited there is an engineering camp at Tech focused on young girls,” said Surface, who has volunteered for engineering and computing camps for rising seniors at Tech for several years. “We need gender and racial diversity in engineering and Tennessee Tech is leading the way to engage students in the possibilities of this great profession early.”
Jill Moffitt and Savannah Long have haven been named chair of their departmental advisory
boards and represent those boards on the dean’s council. Moffitt is chair of the advisory
board for Computer Science. She is a senior software engineering manager for International
Programs at the SAIC Cookeville, Tennessee site. She earned a bachelor’s degree from
the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business in 2002, and an MBA from
Western Illinois University in 2013. She is active with Tech’s Computer Science department,
giving students real-world experience.
“It is important to engage with the students early to help them develop relationships with industry leaders,” said Moffitt. “It helps them to realize that we are just people and they can relax during the employment interview process.”
Savannah Long is chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering advisory board.
Long earned a bachelor’s degree from Tech in 2015 in Electrical and Computer Engineering,
and a master’s in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama in 2020. She
works as an Electrical Engineer I, Section Manager for Dynetics.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to be a member of ACE, and I look forward to working with the others to continue to advocate for students and help inspire them to become the great engineers we know they will be.”
“The work of the council is very important to the future of the College of Engineering,” said Barry Beck, chair, “because the members help develop, shape and facilitate the initiatives of the dean with their time and resources to improve the student experience and better prepare them for entering the workforce. Having these women as members will broaden both the diversity and talent of the council.”
The Advisory Council for Engineering is comprised of leaders from engineering alumni, employers and friends of the college in state, national and global organizations and U.S. government entities. The group is currently led by chair Beck, vice president of I.C. Thomasson Associates, Inc., and vice-chair Robert (Bob) Alvey, owner of Alvey Consulting and former Global QA Manager for Proctor & Gamble.
For more information on the Advisory Council for Engineering, visit https://www.tntech.edu/engineering/about/leadership/ace.php
