Dr. Karan L. Watson, Regents and Senior Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, joined the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 1991 with a close mentor's encouragement.
Over 30 years later, Watson received the Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award for her decades of service, contributions and impact on the organization.
The Grinter Award is the highest honor ABET offers and recognizes individuals for their leadership capabilities and unwavering commitment to advancing technology and engineering education.
“It’s quite an honor to receive this award,” Watson said. “Being a part of ABET as an evaluator was really wonderful because it’s an opportunity for somebody in a faculty position to not get too siloed in their own institution. You gain perspective.
Watson was a volunteer evaluator for ABET from 1991-2014. As a volunteer, she traveled to different institutions and evaluated their engineering programs to ensure they met ABET criteria. After a few years, she served on the board of directors and ultimately became president from 2012-2013.
“During my presidency, and for two years beyond that, I helped them restructure their board of directors,” she said. “After you serve so long in an organization, you know how things operate. I had a wonderful staff who kept things running, and I got to do some initiatives to make us more efficient in how we ran ourselves and the organization as a whole. It was great fun.”
Now, she serves as the Secretary/Treasurer for the ABET Foundation Board of Directors. The board, also known as ABET Bridge, help new organizations desiring ABET accreditation to understand and prepare for documentation and visit requirements.
From volunteer evaluator to president, Watson is dedicated to ABET’s mission of excellence.
Watson will be honored at the 2024 ABET award ceremony on October 25 at the Marriott Owings Mills Metro Centre in Owings Mills, Maryland.