Bill George, IE 1964, Honorary PhD 2008, professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his accomplishments in applying engineering principles in manufacturing to advance health care.

Election to NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.  Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature," and to the "pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."

George is the author of five best-selling books: 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis, True North: Discovering your Authentic Leadership, Finding Your True North (workbook), Authentic Leadership, and the recently released True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development. At Harvard, George teaches leadership and leadership development.

George is the former chairman and CEO of Medtronic and currently serves on the boards of ExxonMobil and Goldman Sachs. He is also a trustee of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the World Economic Forum USA. He has made frequent appearances on television and radio, and his articles have appeared in numerous publications. He has been named to the “Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years” by PBS.

George received his bachelor’s in industrial engineering with high honors from Georgia Tech, his MBA with high distinction from Harvard University, where he was a Baker Scholar, and honorary PhDs from Georgia Tech, St. Thomas University, and Bryant University.

In 1999, he and his wife Penny founded the George Family Foundation as a way to foster wholeness in mind, body, spirit, and community and to further the development of authentic leaders. Their interests include integrative medicine, leadership, spirituality, and community.

The Georges, who reside in Minneapolis, MN, also support academia at Georgia Tech through fellowships and an endowed chair in the area of health systems.

Click here for a full list of newly elected NAE members and foreign associates follows.