NSBE - Convention 2018 - 65

"I met Tom my first year after graduation, in
1989, at the Cincinnati NSBE (convention)."
- Mitzi Beebe, BP

here are some families who bond around sports, whereas others share a passion for the arts or, perhaps, travel.
For the Beebe family of Illinois, there's a mutual love of
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Indeed, you might say it was chemistry that brought Mitzi and
Tom Beebe together years ago at a National Society of Black
Engineers (NSBE) Annual Convention.
"I was a member of NSBE in college and found it to be great,"
says Mitzi Beebe, a Georgia native whose father was among the
early African-American engineers in the aerospace industry. The
discrimination of that era barred him from attending certain colleges, but his daughter earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
"I met Tom my first year after graduation, in 1989, at the
Cincinnati NSBE (convention)," says Mitzi. "He was representing
Amoco at the time. I came independently, and we met at one of
the professional conference events."
Tom, who also earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, from Valparaiso University, remembers the convention
atmosphere as conducive to professional networking and meeting
new people.
"I met Mitzi at one of the regional Alumni business meetings,"
says the Michigan native. "We ran into each other again at one of
the social events after the
main convention dinner. I
"I feel like engineering
had a list of jazz clubs in
Chicago, and she was new
is in my DNA."
to town. At some point, I
- Giselle Beebe,
asked her out to dinner."
NSBE, University of
The rest is history, as
they say. Now married for
Minnesota Twin Cities
25 years, the couple has
balanced family life and building successful careers in the corporate world. They're both employed by BP.

IMMERSED IN ENGINEERING
Mitzi serves as emergency services superintendent of the company's Health, Safety, Security and Environmental Department.
In that role, she is accountable for crisis and continuity management, emergency response and security at the Whiting Refinery
in Indiana.
Tom, whose educational background includes an M.B.A. from
the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, is employed
with BP Products' North America Strategy & Portfolio team. He
provides strategic leadership and project management support to
the Toledo Refinery, a 50/50 joint venture between BP and Husky
Energy, in Ohio. And he's actively engaged with various efforts to
encourage youth to pursue careers in the STEM fields.
The couple's own offspring have grown up immersed in engineering. And apparently, they've absorbed some of their parents'
STEM proficiency. Giselle Beebe is a fourth-year student majoring
in materials science and engineering at the University of Minnesota
Twin Cities. Her brother, William Beebe, a high school senior, is
part of NSBE's Pre-College Initiative Program, which supports
www.nsbe.org

K-12 students in STEM to move them toward engineering careers.

FOCUSED ON BLACK COMMUNITY
"I feel like engineering is in my DNA," says Giselle, who credits
her parents with nurturing her early interest in math and science.
"When I was younger, I'd go with them to 'Take Your Child to
Work' days. And I attended my first NSBE (convention) with my
father, who was there working. He let me go off by myself and
explore. I had fun."
Today, she's in her second year as president of her campus
NSBE chapter. Her leadership since 2016 has included facilitating
programming to support and retain African-American engineering
students.
"I know from my personal experience that college can be a
major adjustment," says Giselle, who's done a summer internship
with Land O'Lakes, Inc. and will intern with Procter & Gamble this
summer. She also studied in Italy and served as a mentor/instructor with NSBE's Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK)
program. Meanwhile, she and the members of her chapter are
fostering relationships with everyone from corporate sponsors to
the local African-American community.
"We've organized two STEM-related volunteer events per semester that were focused (on) the black community," she says. "And
we have sparked and nurtured interest in middle and high school
students who want to pursue STEM careers."

'YOUR NS-BAE'
Although Giselle is focused on academics, it's not all work and
no play. Just like her mom and dad at their fateful NSBE Annual
Convention, she's open to meeting someone special should the
opportunity arise.
"I know people in NSBE regions who are dating," she says. "We
call it your NS-Bae," she adds, laughingly using the pop culture
term "Bae," shorthand for "before anyone else." "So we'll see."
Giselle has good memories of attending past NSBE conventions
with her father, but her
brother William hasn't yet
"I'm eager for my son to
experienced one. However,
experience NSBE. This
the college and engineering experiences his sister
organization has been
has shared with him have
so important to us."
William excited about
- Tom Beebe, BP
attending the 44th Annual
Convention in Pittsburgh
this March, with the rest of his family. He'll be participating in the
event's Pre-College Initiative Conference.
"I'm eager for my son to experience NSBE," says Tom. "This
organization has been so important to us."
Mitzi agrees.
"With my father, myself and husband, and now our children
interested in the field, this is three generations of engineers. I'm
very proud." ■
Donna M. Owens is a national journalist based in Baltimore, Md.
* CAREER ENGINEER * CONVENTION 2018 * 65

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