Engineer Panhuise named an ASU trustee

Vicki Panhuise has been named to Arizona State University’s Board of Trustees.

Board members serve as advisors to ASU President Michael Crow and the ASU Foundation. The members invest time and resources in the university, and encourage others to do the same.

Panhuise brings 35 years of experience in aerospace manufacturing and engineering for commercial and defense markets to the advisory board.

In November, Panhuise became the President of Testing for National Technical Systems, Inc. (NTS), the leading independent provider of environmental simulation testing, inspection and certification solutions.

“We offer the largest network of test laboratories and engineering service centers in North America,” said Panhuise.

Headquartered in Calabasas, California, NTS enables customers, such as engineering design teams, to test their products in the specific environments for which they were designed. The products range from components used in space flight to wireless devices.

Panhuise said she developed her passion for mathematics and science early in life. As a child of the 1960s she was enamored by space flight and wanted to become an astronaut.

She first saw potential in pursuing engineering as a senior in high school, but decided to first obtain a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wells College in Aurora, New York.

“I finally found my way to engineering through a short course in radioactive isotopic procedures at Oak Ridge Associated Universities,” she said.

She went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia and began her engineering career with a position as a nondestructive test engineer for General Electric.

Panhuise later earned an MBA from the University of Arizona, which propelled her into senior management and leadership roles at companies such as AlliedSignal Aerospace and Honeywell Aerospace.

During 31 years at Honeywell Aerospace she served in multiple leadership roles in engineering, including program management, operations and business management, in which she was responsible for managing business with key customers such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics.

She also served as president of the Airborne Systems Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of high-performance personnel and cargo parachutes, and is certified in Six Sigma Black Belt Leadership.

While working in aerospace and defense industries for most of her career, Panhuise was able to mentor many engineers and leaders. But in 2004 she became interested in increasing diversity and the number of women and other minorities studying engineering.

In pursuit of that goal she and her husband established the Vicki and John Panhuise Engineering Award in 2003.

The award supports students in a variety of academic majors who are in need of financial assistance, including active participants in the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) student organization.

WISE works to gather, guide and advance women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, mathematics and management.

“I have a passion for helping women and other minorities to reach their dreams through engineering education,” Panhuise said.

She was awarded the Upward Mobility Award from the Society of Women Engineers in 2004 and the University of Missouri-Columbia Engineering Honor Award in 2013.

Panhuise said she is looking forward to interacting with the students, faculty and other trustees to help in the advancement of the vision of ASU as the New American University.

Media Contact
Rose Serago, [email protected]
Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering