For one UF alumna, success seems to be never-ending.
Linda Parker Hudson, who graduated with honors in 1972 with a bachelor’s in systems engineering, was awarded an honorary doctorate in science from UF — the highest honor given by the university.
Hudson said she was honored to be recognized by the university for her career and her nonprofit work, which focused on helping promote women in engineering and advance STEM education.
More than 40 years later, she continues to give back to the UF and engineering communities.
“I started, like many people, at the bottom and worked my way up to what I have done and what I continue to do,” she said.
In 2007, Hudson became the first woman to lead a major aerospace and defense company as the president and CEO of BAE Systems Inc.
Today, she is the chairwoman and CEO of The Cardea Group, a consultant agency that focuses on change in leadership organizations.
Along with being named No. 34 in Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and one of Washingtonian Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, she also serves on the board of directors for Bank of America.
Lindsay Rorbeck, a UF mechanical and aerospace engineering junior, is constantly motivated by Hudson’s achievements.
Rorbeck, 20, said Hudson’s success shows women that it’s possible to succeed as an engineer, even in a male-dominated industry.
“It’s a known fact that there are more men than women in engineering,” she said. “By having her accomplishments shown to the public, we deal away with the stigma in society.”
Hudson said she keeps giving back because of students like Rorbeck.
“Anything I can do to help set the stage and help other people be successful and aspire to things in life that they never could’ve aspired to do is really important to me,” Hudson said.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 1/20/2015 under the headline “Alumna awarded UF’s highest honor"]
