PNC Appoints Dr. Tom Brady Engineering and Technology Dean

The Purdue University Board of Trustees has approved the appointment of Dr. Thomas F. Brady as Dean of the Purdue University North Central College of Engineering and Technology.

Brady has been a PNC faculty member since 1998. He served as the chair of the Engineering Technology Department for seven years and earned the academic rank of Professor of Industrial Engineering in 2010.

"Dr. Brady is an experienced educator with a vast background in higher education," said PNC Chancellor James B. Dworkin. "Through the years, Dr. Brady has demonstrated strong leadership skills that reflect a long commitment to academic excellence. On behalf of the students, faculty and staff of Purdue North Central, I welcome Dr. Brady as Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology."

Brady chaired the PNC Faculty Senate from 2002-2009 and has been a member of numerous PNC faculty and administrative committees. He earned the distinction of being named an Outstanding Faculty member three times and was named the Most Influential Instructor for the PNC MBA Program by the students of the MBA Program's first graduating class in 2007.

Brady has published and presented many scholarly works and has earned a number of prestigious grants for his research activities. He received the Senator Richard Lugar Energy Patriot Award in 2009 for sustained research efforts aimed at reducing United States dependence on foreign oil. He is currently working on a grant from the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute to study the feasibility of using a ferry to transport semi-trailers across Lake Michigan and on a grant from the Energy Center at Purdue University to investigate the Indiana Coal Corridor.

In the community, Brady continues to work with local junior high and high school students to encourage their interest in engineering and technology. He is active in the Purdue Technical Assistance Program, having led six projects, mainly in the logistics and health care fields.

He has a long-standing affiliation with Purdue University. He earned his bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees from the Purdue West Lafayette campus. His late father, Thomas Brady retired from PNC after serving as Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership and Supervision and as the Industrial Engineering Technology program coordinator. His late mother, Valerie, was the Student Services coordinator at PNC and an endowed scholarship has been created in her memory. His sister, Barbara Austin, was formerly Director of Academic Advising at PNC.

Dr. Larryl Matthews, the inaugural dean for the College of Engineering and Technology, will return to full-time teaching. Under his skilled leadership, two engineering degrees were introduced at PNC. In addition, he continued to build the strong reputation of the PNC College of Engineering and Technology in the community and worked to establish a vast network among industrial and business leaders in this region who provide career opportunities for PNC engineering and technology graduates. In honor of his founding leadership, the Larryl Matthews Society has been created.