Fall 2017 Speaker: Andy PhelpsBuilding Big What does it mean to “build big”? Andy Phelps knows after more than 35 years in engineering, construction and facilities operations. He led the construction of 10 major projects in the Americas valued at $25 billion. He’s coordinated disaster relief and recovery efforts for the thousands of Bechtel employees in Chile after an earthquake and for Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. He helped Saudi Arabia clean up a massive oil spill in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War in the 1990s. He’s done “big.” And here’s why: “Why do we build a road? Why do we build a sewage treatment plant? Why do we build a copper smelter? It’s because … when you ask what [people] want out of life, go to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: they want safety and security. They want shelter, they want food, they want an opportunity to succeed and become educated, they want a chance to become someone better and stronger. That’s human nature. So what we do in civil engineering allows people to realize their full potential.” (Read his full bio.) |
Photos from the Event | Read a Recap of the Lecture | Phelps' Biography |
The Hyatt Distinguished Alumni Leadership Speaker Series taps the School's broad alumni base to bring a distinguished leader to campus each fall and spring who can share wisdom and insight with the School's students and the wider Georgia Tech community. It is made possible by the generous support of Kenneth Hyatt, BCE 1962, MSIM 1966.
HYATT LECTURES ARCHIVE
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Spring 2020 Speaker
Bill Higginbotham President and CEO, ET Environmental Corporation Engineering a Career in Small Business
February 6, 2020 Watch |
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Fall 2019 Speaker
John Huff Chairman, Oceaneering International Inc. Lessons in Leadership
October 3, 2019 Watch |
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Fall 2018 Speaker
Wassim A. Selman President, Infrastructure – North America, Arcadis Including People in All Equations
October 2, 2018 Watch |
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Spring 2018 Speaker
William "Bill" Calhoun Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President, Clark Construction Group Practical Advice on Leadership
February 15, 2018 Watch |
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Fall 2017 Speaker
Andy Phelps Retired Principal Vice President, Bechtel Corp. Building Big
October 3, 2017 Watch |
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Spring 2017 Speaker
Suzanne Shank Chairwoman, CEO and Co-Founder, Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co. Connections: The Characters and Context that Create Great Leaders
February 21, 2017 Watch |
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Fall 2016 Speaker
Emmy Montanye, P.E., LEED AP Senior Vice President, Kimley-Horn and Associates Engineering and Leadership: A Formula for Success and Satisfaction
September 20, 2016 Watch |
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Spring 2016 Speaker
Charles "Wick" Moorman Retired Chairman and CEO, Norfolk Southern A Helluva Way to Run a Railroad
March 9, 2016 Watch |
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Fall 2015 Speaker
Gen. Philip Breedlove NATO Supreme Allied Commander A Perspective on Leadership in the 21st Century
October 26, 2015 Watch |
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Inaugural Speaker
G. Wayne Clough, Ph.D., P.E. President Emeritus, Georgia Institute of Technology Secretary Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution
From the Eocene to the Anthropocene: An Engineer’s View of Climate Change
March 24, 2015 Watch |
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