We recognize Distinguished Alumni annually to honor their substantial, life-long contributions to the field of aerospace engineering in a spirit of intellectual curiosity, exploration, integrity, and service.
2025 Distinguished Alum Gary Lai
Gary Lai (B.S. '99), who has redefined commercial spaceflight and now aims to harness lunar resources for humanity's future, is our 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
When Gary Lai arrived at the University of Washington in the late 1990s, his path to aerospace was anything but traditional. Born in Hong Kong and raised in New York City, Lai had a childhood fascination with space but lacked a clear path to pursue it. "I didn't know any engineers or even what engineering really was while I was growing up," Lai recalls. "It was never discussed as a choice in school, and no one I knew in my high school went into engineering."
Past awardees
2020s
Lt. Gen. John Shaw, 2024
Lt. Gen. John Shaw, U.S. Space Force, Retired (M.S. ‘91) is the 2024 A&A Distinguished Alum. His impressive career spans over three decades in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, where he emerged as a thought leader in national security and space policy.
Shaw rose through the ranks, ultimately serving as the Commander of 14th Air Force and the Combined Force Space Component Command at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Howard Hu, 2023
Howard Hu (BSAAE '91, MSAA '94) leads NASA's Orion Program. Previous to his current role, Hu served in a number of Orion leadership positions, including manager of avionics, power, and software, as well as deputy manager of the Vehicle Integration Office. Prior to joining the Orion Program, Hu held several technical and leadership positions in support of NASA human exploration initiatives, the International Space Station, and Space Shuttle Program.
Mike Taniguchi, 2022
Mike Taniguchi (BSAAE '71) worked continuously to advance transient modeling and analysis as an engineer and a first-line manager of a multi-disciplined engineering staff focused on liquid rocket engines from 1976 to his retirement in 2020. His efforts spanned four different corporate cultures which took over Rocketdyne as an aerospace division (Rockwell International, Boeing, United Technologies and General Corp). He is currently working remotely as a consultant/contractor for Blue Origin.
Anita Gale, 2021
Gale graduated in 1973, but stayed to get her masters due to the bottoming out of the aerospace industry. By 1974 and armed with a masters degree, the market was up again, and she entered the Space Shuttle Program with Rockwell International. Though she switched organizations a few times, she spent most of her career working on the Space Shuttle program, working on payload and cargo integration.
Kourosh Hadi, 2020
Kourosh Hadi (BS '82, MS '87) has been named the 2020 A&A Distinguished Alumnus. Hadi has made major contributions to the field of aeronautics through his many leadership roles at Boeing as well as his work with the A&A department, starting with his time as an undergraduate on the Kirsten Wind Tunnel crew to his current work as the department's Boeing executive focal.
2010s
Rao Varanasi, 2019
Dr. Rao Varanasi (A&A Ph.D. 1968) has been named the 2019 A&A Distinguished Alumnus.
Having worked over 45 years at The Boeing Company, Varanasi held various positions in the fields of research and development in structural engineering, computational mechanics, analytical modeling of engineering systems, and management of military and commercial airplanes.
Laura J. McGill, 2018
Laura J. McGill is Engineering vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS). Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Heather P. Ross, 2017
Heather P. Ross has sent her career in the aviation industry, as an engineer, military transport pilot, commercial airline pilot, customer demonstration pilot, engineering test pilot, speaker, mentor, and educator.
Dr. Leland Nicolai, 2016
Dr. Leland Nicolai (BS '57), renowned educator, author, and aircraft designer, has been selected as the department's 2016 Distinguished Alumnus. Dr. Nicolai was the keynote speaker at our graduation celebration on June 10, 2016, and he was honored there by our faculty, our students and their families and guests. Dr. Nicolai has spent more than five decades in service to his country as an educator, author and aircraft designer.
Gregory C. Johnson, 2015
After graduating from the UW, alumnus Gregory Johnson attended the Naval Aviation Officer Candidate Program, went on to graduate from the US Air Force Test Pilot School and later served as maintenance department head in an operational A-6 squadron at the Naval Air Station at Whidbey Island, Washington. In 1990, he accepted a position as an aerospace engineer and research pilot with NASA's Johnson Space Center Aircraft Operations, and in 1998 was selected to become an astronaut. Johnson was the pilot for the final space shuttle mission, STS-125, to the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009. The mission was accomplished in 12 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes and 09 seconds, traveling 5,276,000 miles in 197 Earth orbits.
Johnson is currently a management astronaut assigned as the Acting Chief, Aircraft Operations Division which manages 25 aircraft of five different types. During his illustrious career, Johnson has received many awards and honors, including the NASA James A. Korkowski Excellence in Achievement Award; Carrier Airwing Fourteen and Fifteen Top Ten Tailhook Pilot; three Navy Meritorious Service Medals; three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals; the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; and the Humanitarian Service Medal.
Dana Andrews, 2014
After graduating from the UW in 1966, Dana Andrews attended California Institute of Technology where he received an M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics. He later received a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. Andrews spent 34 years at The Boeing Company, serving on projects such as the X-33/RLV program, Boeing habitation module for the International Space Station and the aero-assisted orbital transfer vehicle. After retirement from Boeing, Andrews became the Chief Technology Officer for Andrews Space, Inc. He is an Affiliate Professor in our department and has led several prize-winning capstone project teams.
Kevin Fowler, 2013
Kevin Fowler is the Chief Architect of Processes and Tools for Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA). In this role, he is responsible for the process and tool architectural approach, the integrity of production solutions, and ensuring that there is a go-forward strategy that supports BCA business objectives. Prior to this assignment, he was Vice President of Processes and Tools for the 787 program, where he led development and implementation of the solutions for the 787 global production system, including new design, build, and support capabilities.
Ron Dittemore, 2012
Ron Dittemore is the former senior vice president and former president of ATK Launch Systems, a division of ATK with over 5,000 employees and $1.1 billion in revenue. Dittemore joined ATK in 2003 as assistant to the chief operating officer. From April 2004 through June 2008, Dittemore served as president of ATK Launch Systems. In this capacity he was responsible for the overall management of marketing, design, development, manufacturing and support operations of ATK's space and strategic propulsion business unit. Dittemore also served seven years as a Space Shuttle flight director at the Johnson Space Center with responsibility for the overall leadership, flight preparation, and direction of Space Shuttle missions from NASA's Mission Control Center.
Lars Q. Andersen, 2011
Lars Q. Andersen earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics & Astronautics from the University of Washington in 1968, where he also earned two varsity letters in rowing. He worked as a propulsion engineer at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Engines from 1969 to 1973, concurrently completing a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1972.
After thirty-four years of leadership at Boeing, culminating as Vice President/Program Manager with responsibility for all models of the 777 family of airplanes, Lars Andersen retired in 2007. Three years later, Boeing called him back to serve as Vice President of 777 Product Development for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He is responsible for planning the future of Boeing's twin-aisle airplanes.
Dennis A. Muilenburg, 2010
Dennis Muilenburg is the chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company. He joined Boeing in 1985 and held a progression of engineering, management and executive positions. He served as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, vice president of Programs & Engineering for Boeing Air Traffic Management, and director of Weapon Systems for the proposed Boeing Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. In addition, he held program management and engineering positions including work on the F-22, Airborne Laser, High Speed Civil Transport and the Condor reconnaissance aircraft.
Muilenburg serves as a member of the U.S.-China Business Council, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science & Technology), and as an executive committee member of the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies. He is a fellow of the AIAA, and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He received the 2018 UW College of Engineering Dean's Medal, and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering class of 2018.