GE's Dr. Colin Parris Named 2023 Black Engineer of the Year

BALTIMORE - Nov. 4, 2022 - PRLog -- The BEYA STEM Conference, hosted by Career Communications Group (CCG), has announced Dr. Colin Parris as this year's recipient of the Black Engineer of the Year Award. Dr. Parris, who currently serves as GE's Senior Vice President and GE Digital's Chief Technology Officer, is recognized for his exemplary achievements and contributions to STEM fields and his instrumental role in the digital transformation of many industries. The BEYA STEM Conference will be held February 9-11, 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., Chairman and CEO, GE and CEO, GE Aerospace said, "Colin's extensive knowledge across multiple industries—software, energy, aviation, healthcare, banking, and manufacturing—has been invaluable to GE. In addition to his many contributions to the industry, Colin is also a very committed mentor and sponsor of STEM talent, making him an ideal candidate for the Black Engineer of the Year Award."

Dr. Parris' 35+ year career has been centered on developing and enhancing digital transformation across multiple industries (telecommunications, banking, retail, aviation, energy, and more) in billion-dollar companies, as well as advocating and evangelizing STEM advancements.

Dr. Parris joined GE as Corporate Officer and Vice President of GE's Software and Analytics Research at the GE Research Center in Niskayuna, New York in 2014. In that role, he led the creation, development, and application of industrial analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and software systems research broadly across GE.

A central part of this portfolio is GE's industry-leading Digital Twin Initiative, which he created and still leads today. Digital Twin is a leading-edge engineering modeling and data analytics capability that allows the modeling and control of industrial assets to increase their availability and performance and to optimize their economic value. Dr. Parris has written over 300 articles on Digital Twin, industrial AI, artificial intelligence, power systems, and machine learning and has published multiple technical papers and holds several patents. He is committed to pushing the boundaries when it comes to modern-day innovation and leading the next generation of GE engineers in doing the same.

Prior to GE, Dr. Parris spent twenty years with IBM focused on the digital transformation of many industries as the internet era began. Before that, he worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories as a Member of Technical Staff, where he conducted research and advanced development in high-speed telephone switching systems and algorithms. Dr. Parris holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Howard University (1985) and both a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (1987) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (1994) from the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds a Master of Science in Management (Sloan Fellow) from Stanford University (1998).

"Dr. Parris is a great example of this year's conference theme - becoming everything you are," said CEO of CCG Dr. Tyrone Taborn. "The work he has done throughout his career shaped history, and his innovative mind and passion for finding solutions through technology allowed him to break barriers and improve industries. We are honored to recognize him with the Black Engineer of the Year Award."

About BEYA & CCG

The BEYA STEM Conference is produced by Career Communications Group, Inc. (CCG), the leader in workforce diversity, working with all types of companies to help support them in promoting multiculturalism and gender equity in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). For 37 years, the BEYA STEM Conference has been a leading event for professional development, networking, and providing a resource for minorities to feel empowered. For more information about the 2023 BEYA STEM Conference, visit www.beya.org