The U.S. Senator DAVID PERDUE, IE 72, MS OR 76 Unlike many of his colleagues in the U.S. Senate, David Per-
due did not attend college with the intent of going into public service. He didn’t even want to major in political science or pre-law. Raised in Middle Georgia by two schoolteachers, Perdue primarily wanted a technical education to prepare him for a career in business. He worked his way through Georgia Tech by taking on construction and warehouse jobs. However, after using a Tech bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s in operations research to build a 40-year corporate resume that includes stints as CEO of the Reebok brand and Dollar General, Perdue’s concern over what
he saw as the government’s mounting debt crisis spurred him to run for U.S. Senate in 2014. Today, Sen. Perdue says that his years as a Tech engineering student prepared him just as well for his legislative role on Capitol Hill as if it had been a three-pronged doctoral study in governing. First, he says there was a focus on results. “In every class at Tech, you had to master the material,” Perdue says. “You had to get results.” For Perdue, that often meant persevering through subjects in which he was not naturally gifted. “I suffered through two years of calculus,” he says. “But you have to do the work.” Second, as competitive as the curriculum was at Tech, Perdue also remembers an atmosphere of collaboration in problem solving. At this institution, that meant working with some of the most brilliant young thinkers of the day—who eventually became today’s leaders. “At Tech you develop relationships with so many driven students,” he says. “I was at Tech with great leaders like Alan Lacy [IM 75, Sears], David Dorman, [IM 75, AT&T], and Mike Duke [IE 71, Hon Phd 11, Walmart]. Those are relationships you have for a lifetime.” Lastly, as an engineer, Perdue was well-drilled in the scientific method of problem solving. Tech taught him how to analyze a complex issue and break it down into more manageable components. “Sometimes there was no right or wrong answer,” Perdue says. “It was about how far you could take the issue. It often required a creative approach.” As a current member of the Senate Budget Committee, Perdue says those same three Tech tools have helped him tackle the debt— as well as other key issues. He can scientifically analyze the roots of the problems; he knows how to collaborate with his fellow lawmakers and his Tech connections in the corporate world to gather ideas; and, if he wants to keep his job, he knows he and his fellow legislators have to buckle down and get results. “There are not many in the Senate who have an engineering background,” he says. “I’m using that experience to help us focus on the problems we’re faced with and to work through to find solutions.” — TONY REHAGEN
Yellow Jackets Helping Shape the Future of Georgia’s Higher Education System Three Georgia Tech alumni, appointed by the governor to serve a seven-year term, currently sit on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. This appointment is a voluntary one without pay, and they donate their time and expertise to help govern the state’s 31 public colleges and universities.
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C. Dean Alford, EE 66, is presidentCEO of Allied Energy Services and is a former chair of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees. He has served several statewide education appointments and was a five-term member of the Georgia House of Representatives.
Sachin Shailendra, CE 01, is president of SG Contracting Inc., an Atlanta-based general construction company and contractor, and is chair of the University System of Georgia Foundation. He is also a board member of the Georgia REACH Foundation and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Sports Network.
Benjamin “Ben” J. Tarbutton III, Mat 94, is president of the Sandersville Railroad Company, where he oversees daily operations. He is a past chairman of Leadership Georgia and serves on the board for Oconee Fall Line Technical College and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.