Auburn Alumni Engineering Council honors 7 with college’s highest awards for 2026

Six outstanding engineering alumni and one longtime faculty member of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering were honored by the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council during a ceremony Friday, Sept. 25, for their distinguished professional careers and service to the college. These alumni include four who were recognized as Distinguished Auburn Engineers, two as an Outstanding Young Auburn Engineer and the longest-serving faculty member in university history for Superior Service.

Distinguished Auburn Engineers
Steve Cates, ’85 Civil Engineering
Steve Cates is a 1985 graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He currently serves as president of Cates Builders, a Nashville-based construction company specializing in high-value residential construction, including homes valued at up to $11 million. He is also co-owner of Cates-Kottas Development, which has developed and engineered communities representing thousands of homes across Middle Tennessee over the past four decades.

Cates began his career as a design engineer with Smith Seckman Reid in Nashville, and later served in leadership roles at Gresham, Smith and Partners, where he managed the firm’s civil engineering and surveying departments. Throughout his career, he has been a leader in the homebuilding and development industry, earning numerous professional and industry awards while serving the Home Builders Association at both the state and national levels. During his career, Cates’ leadership expanded into state government when he was appointed commissioner of general services by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. In that role, he oversaw the state’s real estate portfolio, as well as its procurement and construction operations. He led the state’s largest outsourcing initiative for real estate services, generating more than $150 million in savings. He also established a new procurement division that streamlined the state’s RFP and competitive bidding processes, ultimately contributing to approximately $1 billion in savings.

Among his most significant responsibilities during his career was overseeing the renovation of the Tennessee State Capitol, one of the oldest continuously operating state capitol buildings in the United States, dating back to 1859. The project represented both a major preservation effort and an opportunity to protect one of Tennessee’s most important historic landmarks for future generations.

At the heart of his career has been a deep commitment to education, opportunity and community development. Whether leading elementary school construction projects, supporting engineering scholarships at Auburn University, teaching students the process of building and selling a home through House for Hope, constructing homes for charity through the Affordable Housing Showcase, developing educational programming with Junior Achievement, or helping secure land for Habitat for Humanity, Cates has consistently used his experience and resources to create opportunities for others. Across four decades in engineering, construction, real estate development, government and philanthropy, he has built a career defined by leadership, service, innovation and a commitment to strengthening the communities he calls home.


George Edward (Edd) Gibson Jr., ’80 and ’90 Civil Engineering
Edd Gibson Jr. is a 1980 graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He also earned an MBA of engineering management in 1987 from the University of Dallas and then came home to Auburn to earn his doctorate in civil engineering in 1990. He currently serves as president and CEO of the National Academy of Construction.

Gibson spent four years as a military officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, four years at Texas Instruments and one year at North Carolina State University. Gibson, who has held chair positions at the University of Texas, the University of Alabama and Arizona State University (ASU), is a prolific author and has supervised more than 100 master’s and doctoral students. He is the recipient of numerous research, teaching and service awards.

Gibson is a professor emeritus in construction management and engineering in the Del E. Webb School of Construction at ASU, having retired from academia in 2022. From 2010 to 2018, he served as director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at ASU. He has made significant technical contributions in earned value management, front-end planning, risk management and dispute resolution. Gibson has received the Outstanding Researcher Award twice, the Instructor of the Year Award twice and the Distinguished Professor Award from the Construction Industry Institute.

Gibson served as president of the Architectural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers and was elected Distinguished Member of ASCE in 2020. He also served as a Fulbright Fellow in Norway in 2004 and as a Visiting Academic Fellow at Cambridge University in spring 2019. He was elected into the National Academy of Construction in 2005. In 2016, he was awarded the ASCE Peurifoy Award for Outstanding Research and was awarded the National Academy of Construction’s Richard L. Tucker Service Award in 2020. In 2022, he was awarded the Richard L. Tucker Leadership and Service Award from the Construction Industry Institute for his work with the organization from 1988 to 2019. A committed alumnus of Auburn University, he and his wife, Gail, established the G. Edward Gibson Jr. Endowed Scholarship in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the George E. Gibson Sr. Endowed Scholarship in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences in honor of his late father, a 1953 Auburn graduate.


Jim Heilbron, ’94 and ‘96’ Civil Engineering
Jim Heilbron earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Auburn University in 1994 and 1996, respectively. He also earned an MBA from Emory University in 2001. He currently serves as senior vice president of the technical shared services business unit at Southern Company. He oversees a technical organization of more than 2,000 professionals who provide expertise and capabilities that support the safe, reliable and cost-effective delivery of energy infrastructure. The teams under his leadership provide engineering, construction, project management, field services and asset monitoring across the Southern Company system.

Heilbron joined Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, in 1998 as a plant engineer and was named plant manager at Georgia Power’s Plant Wansley in 2006. He previously served as plant manager of Southern Power’s Plant Franklin and worked at multiple facilities in various roles, including maintenance, operations and large project management. Before joining the Southern Company system, Heilbron worked for Milliken & Company as a production manager.

Prior to his current role, Heilbron served as senior production officer of Southern Company’s West Production Group, where he oversaw the electric power generation of 14.5 gigawatts from facilities located in Mississippi and Alabama. He also served as senior vice president and senior production officer for Alabama Power, where he led the company’s system planning and generation functions, including 24 fossil and hydro units totaling about 12.3 gigawatts of electric power generation. Heilbron also served as senior vice president and senior production officer for Southern Power. In this position, he oversaw the operations of more than 8 gigawatts of electric power, with facilities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas.

In addition to serving on the leadership boards for the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies and Magic Moments, Heilbron is a member of Auburn’s McCrary Institute board and the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, and he serves as a member of the Industry Advisory Board for Uptime AI. A committed supporter of his alma mater, he and his wife have established several scholarships, including the Markell and Jim Heilbron Ever Auburn Scholarship in the college.


Karen Rowell, ’79 Chemical Engineering
Karen Rowell graduated from Auburn University in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. She currently serves as a principal consultant with 8X Consulting, where her practice area focuses on organizational performance and improvement.

She spent 31 years of her career with Eastman Chemical Company and last served as director of operations support services and the global quality division. During her tenure at Eastman, Rowell managed more than 350 employees in the acetate fibers manufacturing division. She oversaw major improvements in automation, and in safety and environmental compliance. Under her leadership, Eastman’s flagship location in Kingsport, Tennessee, saw numerous improvements in all areas of safety and environmental compliance, including a 70% reduction in OSHA recordable injuries, zero lost workdays over a three-year period and meeting or exceeding all environmental requirements and regulations. Rowell’s business leadership focused on building operational excellence into every process. She led a six-sigma black-belt team, which focused on implementing innovative and cost-effective manufacturing improvements. She was noted for her leadership and recognized numerous times for her efforts to enhance and upgrade the hiring training systems for the 4,000-person advanced manufacturing workforce in Kingsport. 

She went on to be the chief improvement officer at Hoston Medical Group, a multi-specialty physician owned practice group, where she was responsible for leadership development, quality improvement and organizational development. 

Rowell has been a committed supporter of Auburn University her entire career, becoming one of the first women to serve on both the Chemical Engineering Advisory Board and the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, and she was a founding member of the college’s 100+ Women Strong program. She has supported the Department of Chemical Engineering, 100+ Women Strong, the university president’s office and established the Bill Rowell Endowed Scholarship in the college.


Outstanding Young Auburn Engineer
Jager Livingston, ’10 Chemical Engineering
Jager Livingston graduated from Auburn University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He currently serves as the process engineering department head for ExxonMobil’s Beaumont Complex outside of Houston, where he leads a team of 55 engineers responsible for the monitoring and improvement of one of the largest refining and chemical sites in the United States.

Livingston began his career at ExxonMobil as a process contact engineer and has since served in 11 roles across manufacturing, business optimization, major projects planning, and energy and greenhouse gas, as well as leadership roles in engineering, maintenance, operations and supply chain. He has recruited for ExxonMobil at Auburn University for the past 12 years, helping students improve résumés and interview skills through the college’s Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations.

For his professional achievements, Livingston was recognized with the ExxonMobil Global Excellence award in 2023 for helping to deliver record energy efficiency performance across ExxonMobil’s seven North American refineries. 

Five years after graduating from Auburn, Livingston set a shining example for all young alumni by establishing the Charles and Rosemary Jager Endowed Scholarship. Several years later, he established an Ever Auburn Scholarship as a continued legacy to the Livingston family. In 2024, Livingston joined the Chemical Engineering Alumni Advisory Board, furthering his desire to help Auburn Engineers.


Jordan Ross, ’09 and ’12 Civil Engineering
Jordan Ross earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Auburn University in 2009 and 2012, respectively. He currently serves as a preconstruction executive for Hoar Construction. In this role, he is responsible for identifying and securing new project opportunities through proactive client acquisition, relationship development and pursuit strategies. He leads and guides preconstruction teams in developing winning proposals by aligning scope, cost, schedule and risk, while setting strategic direction to position the firm competitively.

Ross began his career with Hoar upon graduating from Auburn, serving as a project engineer in Birmingham. Two years later, he moved to the company’s office in Orlando to serve as a VDC estimator, and later as a preconstruction manager and then as a senior preconstruction manager prior to his current role.

Through his professional experience, Ross has proven to be an expert in overseeing the full preconstruction lifecycle — from early concept through buyout and mobilization — across hospitality and attractions, healthcare, commercial office, higher education and multifamily unit sectors, with more than $800 million in projects executed.

A committed member of the Auburn family, Ross was an early member of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s Young Alumni Council, where he served as chair in his final two years of eligible service and helped found the student mock interview event. He is also a member of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Advisory Board and has financially supported both the Young Alumni Council and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.


Superior Service
David Dyer, Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering
Perhaps no one personifies superior service more than David Dyer, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering who served 59 years as a faculty member — the longest-serving tenure in Auburn University history.

Dyer earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee, followed by a master’s and doctorate from Georgia Tech. He began his 59-year career at Auburn University in 1965 as an assistant professor, followed by his promotion to associate professor in 1969 and then professor in 1977. He served as department chair of mechanical engineering from 1995 to 2008 and was ultimately honored with the title of professor emeritus upon his retirement in 2024.

While at Auburn, Dyer held several prestigious external roles, including serving as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Imperial College London from 1966 to 1967 and as a liaison scientist for the Office of Naval Research in London from 1972 to 1973. Additionally, his commitment to industrial application is reflected in his role as co-founder and consultant for the Boiler Efficiency Institute, a position he held since 1972.

Dyer contributions in the thermal sciences, most notably through his pioneering heat and mass transfer research in the mid-1960s and 1970s, helped support the fortification of Army and Navy assets against nuclear blasts. Beginning in 1972, he developed nationally recognized methods for boiler efficiency and energy conservation, providing industrial power plants with advanced systems to optimize fuel consumption and minimize waste. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he was instrumental in creating the Auburn Engineering Technical Assistance Program and the Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education, which established significant new methods for experiential learning and the application of real-world multimedia case studies in the mechanical engineering curriculum.

The Auburn Alumni Engineering Council (AAEC) was formed in 1966 as a group of Auburn Engineering alumni who work together to support the vision and goals of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The council meets twice annually to assist and advise the college, and its members serve on a variety of committees geared to the mission and operation of the college. Council members are an active and valued component of the College of Engineering family. They demonstrate a continuing commitment to move the college to new levels of excellence and take its place among the nation’s premier engineering institutions. The council provides leadership and participation in areas such as academics, development, governmental affairs, public relations, research and the student experience.