Lee Lane, Ph.D., a 1976 graduate of the Department of Industrial Engineering, was recognized during halftime at the Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018.
Lane holds three degrees from the University of Arkansas ‐ a B.S. in Chemistry, a M.S. in Operations Research and a Ph.D. in Engineering. She was the first female to receive a doctoral degree from the College of Engineering.
Lee returned to the U of A after a 10‐year absence. During those 10 years, She worked for Dow Chemical as their first female research physical chemist in Midland, Michigan. Later, as a single mother of two, Lee was accepted into the Industrial Engineering graduate program. In just three‐and‐a‐half years, Lee was able to complete both a Master’s of Science in Operations Research and a Doctorate in Engineering.
She launched a successful career in the aerospace industry at Northrop Electronics and General Dynamics, climbing the corporate ladder and shattering the proverbial glass ceiling faced by women in that industry. The aerospace industry was on the cutting edge of technology and was where she wanted to be. Her timing was perfect, she worked on the Trident Submarine, M‐1 Abrams Tank, F‐16 Fighter, B‐1 Bomber, B‐2 Stealth Bomber, Phalanx Gun, Stinger Missile, Artificial Intelligence and other amazing programs. As her management responsibilities increased, she served as a role model, and utilized her position to identify and encourage other competent technically trained women to join the aerospace industry and personally helped to mentor their careers.
Lane also spent a brief part of her career as a professor at San Diego State University teaching systems analysis, programming and statistics where she fulfilled the important mission of educating other engineers.
Lane later married Sam McCutcheon, an electrical engineer, and together they founded Autek Systems, a company specializing in electronic, testing, measuring and support equipment used by the Department of Defense and many foreign military forces. Lane held many responsibilities within the company from the outset. She was key in the development of the company’s strategic plan, working with lawyers on IRS litigation, and was the interface for government litigation.
In addition to her professional achievements, lane is a tireless public servant. Although her contributions to the community are far too many to mention, a few highlights include serving on the boards of the Paris Boys & Girls Club, the Logan County Mercy Hospital and the Logan County Museum. In 1995, the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering inducted her into their group and in 2010, the College of Engineering recognized her with the College of Engineering Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award.
We are very proud of Lee as one of the Department of Industrial Engineering successful alumni and are happy to congratulate her on this very prestigious recognition!
