Alumni Spotlight

The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Tech Alum Bill Todd Names a ChBE Scholarship as Birthday Present

When pondering the perfect gift for a milestone birthday of his significant other, GT alum Bill Todd initially felt stymied, thinking of the cliché about what to buy the “woman who has everything.”

He decided that jewelry or other expensive gifts wouldn’t be as meaningful for either of them as starting a scholarship in her name for undergraduates in ChBE@GT. So, in early 2022, his gift created the Cheryl Johnson Weldon Scholarship Fund.

Weldon graduated with a chemical engineering degree from Georgia Tech in 1985, while Todd earned an industrial management degree in 1971.

“We’re both beneficiaries of a Georgia Tech education and share a desire to pay it forward, so I created a need-based scholarship,” Todd said.

“We want to find those bright, motivated people who deserve to be here, but might not be without some help.”

Of the birthday gift, Weldon said she knew Todd “had something up his sleeve,” before he presented her with the scholarship documentation at her birthday dinner. “I was so pleasantly surprised,” she said.

Todd said he is happy that some of his alumni friends are emulating this giving model of naming gifts honoring loved ones.

First Scholarship Recipient

Hannah Clay, a Georgia Tech cheerleader who is considering a career in renewable energy, said

“I absolutely love Georgia Tech, and I would love to give back to the school one day too.” - Weldon Scholarship recipient Hannah Clay she was shocked when she got the call from the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid informing her of the scholarship, which she hadn’t known existed.

She has received $5,000 of support from the scholarship for her sophomore and junior years. Having the Weldon scholarship helped ease the burden of living expenses and loans, she said.

Professional Journeys

After graduating from Tech, Weldon earned an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University in 1989. She was part of the founding management team of a medical device company, Novoste Corporation.

But she stepped away from

Novoste in 2001 after marriage, then enterered the world of fashion a few years later. Earlier this year, she launched a new business with Cabi, an innovative boutique fashion brand.

Weldon, who served on the ChBE External Advisory Board for many years, was inducted into the College of Engineering’s Council of Outstanding Young Alumni in 2002. She first met Todd around 2009 while the two served as board members of the Alumni Association. They began dating nine years ago.

Todd, a member of the College of Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni, began his career at Emory University hospitals, where he rose to the executive level during his two decades there.

His 40-year career in health care included eight years as president and CEO of the Georgia Cancer Coalition prior to joining Scheller College of Business as a professor of the practice in 2011.

In 1990, he became the founding president of the Georgia Research Alliance, which fosters advances in medicine. He also founded Encina Technology Ventures in 2000.

Since joining Scheller College, Todd has taught the Management in the Healthcare Sector seminar every semester, winning teaching awards from both the College and Institute.

“What I’m doing as a professor of the practice is giving my students very practical exposure to rich, rewarding careers,” Todd said.

GT-EQUAL Helps Underrepresented Students Pursue Graduate Studies

As the primary caregiver for his toddler-aged daughter, Andre Berry already had his hands full as he embarked on his graduate studies at ChBE@GT in fall 2022.

While he said the first year was definitely challenging (including initially traveling an hour each way to reach the daycare of Amara, now 3), he found support almost everywhere he turned as a student in the GT EQUAL (Graduate Training for Equality in Underrepresented Academic Leadership) program.

Established in 2019, the GTEQUAL Program is one of two sites at Georgia Tech for the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Bridge Program, which aims to increase the number of PhDs in the chemical sciences that are awarded to students from underrepresented groups.

The GT-EQUAL Bridge Site enrolls two Bridge Fellows annually who will earn a thesis MS in chemical engineering while receiving full funding, tailored support, mentoring, and training to prepare for success in a PhD program.

While the ACS funded the GTEQUAL during the first three years of its existence, ChBE@GT is now looking for additional means of support so the program can continue helping students like Berry succeed.

“So far, it’s been an amazing, outstanding experience,” he said.

Crossing the Bridge

Berry, who’d earned a BS in chemistry and a BS in chemical sciences at Kennesaw State University, finishing in 2021, found not having much of an engineering background was a significant bridge to cross during his first year.

“Most people understand the situation I’m in, and there has always been someone to help if I need something, especially academically,

- Andre Berry

from tutors to other Bridge students to the faculty,” Berry said.

Berry became interested in ChBE@GT when he learned of the research of Professor Corey Wilson, whose lab engineers his application for the PhD program was rejected.

However, Wilson advocated for him, and Berry was soon contacted by Professor Martha Grover, associate chair of graduate students and director of GT-EQUAL, as a strong candidate for the Bridge program.

“We are a leader in educating students from underrepresented groups,” said Grover. “Nationally the numbers are too small, and we are committed to doing more. But we’re very pleased to see many of our Bridge students progressing from the MS to the PhD program. That’s why we’re seeking more financial support to keep the program going and growing. We’ve been really grateful for help from 3M Corporation.”

Approaching the Finish Line

Alexa Dobbs, a member of the first cohort of Bridge students in 2019, is getting closer to reaching her goal of earning a PhD.

She first heard about the Bridge Program through a professor who novel synthetic biological systems. He traveled to campus to meet with Wilson, and the two hit it off, he said.

But Berry, who aims to work in counter bioterrorism for the nation’s defense after earning his doctorate, was disappointed when mentored her during her undergraduate studies as a chemistry major at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

“She knew I was Native American. We’re from the same tribe and had been in touch throughout the years.

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