Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, has named Jill
S. Tietjen ’76 the 2004 Tau Beta Pi Distinguished Alumna.
The award is given to recognize alumni who demonstrate adherence
to the ideals of Tau Beta Pi (integrity, breadth of interest,
adaptability, and unselfish activity) and to fostering a spirit
of liberal culture on local, national, and international scales.
Tietjen is an independent consultant who for nearly 25 years
has worked as an engineer, mentor, author and speaker to passionately
encourage girls and women to pursue careers in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics and to promote recognition of
their accomplishments.
She graduated from the U.Va. Engineering School with a major
in applied mathematics and a minor in electrical engineering
and completed her M.B.A. at the University of North Carolina
at Charlotte while working as a planning engineer for Duke
Power Company. Prior to establishing her motivational speaking
firm, Technically Speaking, LLC, she was assistant VP with
Stone & Webster Management Consultants, managing its Denver
office. Previous employers include Mobile Oil Corporation
and Hagler Bailly Consulting.
Tietjen served as national president of the Society of Women
Engineers (SWE) 1991-1992 and received its distinguished service
award in 2002. She directed the Women in Engineering program
(WIEP) at the University of Colorado at Boulder (UCB) 1997-2000 and revolutionized its programming to include scholarships,
networking opportunities and engineering career days for
middle and high-school girls and women.
She also instituted science, technology, engineering, and
math badge days for Girl Scouts and serves on the board
of Girl Scouts Mile Hi Council, the Virginia Engineering
Foundation, IEEE (Spectrum editorial board), ABET, the Engineering
Advisory Council at UCB, and the Georgia Transmission Corporation
of Tucker, Ga. She was also a gubernatorial appointee to
the Colorado State Board of Registration for Professional
Engineers and Land Surveyors, where she served as chair,
and was also a member of the National Academy of Engineering’s
steering committee for the Celebration of Women in Engineering.
Her honors include a SWE fellowship in 1994, and the IEEE
Spectrum Advisor of the Year award in 2000.
