ENDOWED BY NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION
Toni L. Doolen, Ph.D., F.SWE
Oregon State University
For exemplary leadership in higher education; for bringing exceptional energy and integrity to every new challenge; and for promoting diversity, inclusivity, and gender equality in STEM.
Toni L. Doolen, Ph.D., F.SWE, is dean of the Oregon State University (OSU) Honors College, a position she has held since 2012. She is also a professor of industrial engineering and a member of the university’s senior academic leadership team. Dr. Doolen completed a Ph.D. in industrial engineering at OSU and joined the university as an assistant professor in 2001. She was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2007 and to professor in 2011. Between 2010 and 2012, she served in many leadership roles, including as associate dean of the Honors College.
Under Dr. Doolen’s leadership, Honors College enrollment has more than doubled in just 10 years. Applying her expertise in management and engineering practices, she leads all college-level strategic and operational functions, including admissions, enrollment, curriculum, program development, and staffing, and manages a $7.5 million budget. Dr. Doolen oversees two university-wide functions: the Office of National and Global Scholarships Advising, and Design for Social Impact. She revitalized the college’s strategic advisory board and created vibrant alumni and student leadership circles within the Honors College. Annual philanthropic gifts to the Honors College have grown by 98% during Dr. Doolen’s deanship, enabling the college to dramatically increase its number of student scholarships.
From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Doolen served as Honors College dean and College of Education dean simultaneously. She managed the $7 million College of Education budget, created a five-year financial plan, identified opportunities for revenue growth, undertook restructuring to curb expenses, and expanded academic programs. In addition, she led hiring efforts to boost faculty expertise at the intersection of education and social justice, and laid the groundwork for new leadership.
Before joining Oregon State, Dr. Doolen spent 11 years at Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). In September 1990, she was awarded an HP fellowship to complete an M.S. in manufacturing systems engineering at Stanford University. After spending 18 months as a senior member of the technical staff of HP’s Ink Jet Business Unit, she received a promotion to engineering manager.
Dr. Doolen, a life member of the Society of Women Engineers, holds a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in materials science and engineering from Cornell University. She has received countless awards for leadership and technical achievements in SWE and in other organizations. Selected as a SWE Distinguished New Engineer in 1997, she was named a SWE Fellow in 2009, a fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers in 2013, and a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management in 2016.
Married for 36 years with three adult children, Dr. Doolen is an avid golfer and is active in many professional organizations.