Auburn professor presenting Apple CEO with IISE Captains of Industry Award

Published: April 27, 2021

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Apple CEO Tim Cook will accept the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers’, or IISE, Captains of Industry Award at the organization’s virtual annual conference on May 24. Cook, a 1982 Auburn graduate with a degree in industrial engineering, was nominated for the award by Alice Smith, an IISE fellow and the Joe W. Forehand/Accenture Distinguished professor of industrial and systems engineering with a joint appointment in computer science and software engineering at Auburn. The award is the institute’s highest honor that is bestowed solely on business, industry and government leaders.

“It’s an honor to receive this award from IISE, and I’m looking forward to joining many leaders, visionaries and friends at this year’s virtual conference,” Cook said. “My Auburn degree in industrial engineering helped to prepare me for everything my career had in store for me, and it is especially meaningful to be nominated by Auburn Professor Alice Smith.”

A distinguished alumnus of Auburn, Cook received the Auburn Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He is the founding chair of the Auburn University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering’s Alumni Council, founded the department’s Endowed Fund for Excellence and the Tim Cook Leadership Scholarship and established the Tim Cook Endowed Professorship. Cook was selected as the distinguished Auburn Engineer and Outstanding Industrial and Systems Engineering Alumnus in 2000.

Click here to read more about Tim Cook accepting the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers’ Captains of Industry Award.

Submitted by: Cassie Montgomery