National Black engineer awards celebrate Sandia Labs scientists

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Three Sandia National Laboratories professionals recently received 2023 Black Engineer of the Year Awards. Danielle Stephenson was lauded as a Senior Technology Fellow, Coby Davis as a Science Spectrum Trailblazer and Ned Adams as a Modern-Day Technology Leader.

The recipients, all with advanced degrees or certificates, perform several roles at Sandia and with research and academic partners across the country, and have received numerous professional accolades.

In addition to their professional pursuits, each winner is active within their communities as STEM mentors and tutors for local underserved youth and hosts for local, regional and national STEM education and career events.

BEYA Senior Technology Fellow winner Danielle Stephenson is a principal research and development engineer for the surety engineering organization based in Kansas City, MO. Over the past four years, Stephenson has been the quality lead for a dynamic team of system surety engineers that supports cable qualification for multiple national security programs using engineering, tools and processes to prevent defects and reduce risk in all phases of product realization. She also serves as an instructor for the National Security Quality Training Program. Stephenson is a mentor to other engineers and new hires at Sandia, and has been deeply involved in her community, participating in events that increase interest in STEM education and careers for students in grade school and at the university level.

BEYA Science Spectrum Trailblazer Coby Davis is a mechanical engineer working in materials aging research and development. Davis joined Sandia in 2002 as a product design engineer. Since, he has worked as a principal investigator in surveillance and electromechanical components. He also has served as a team lead in product realization and as a manager in materials reliability. Outside of his work, Davis strives to better the education of our communities’ youth, particularly the underprivileged. He has tutored hundreds of students one-on-one and in small classes, focusing on those who do not have the resources to attend college without help.

BEYA Modern-Day Technology Leader Ned Adams is an information technology solutions architect in systems development. He designs information systems hardware, software, database, networking and security architectures across key Sandia centers, developing solutions to complex problems. Adams joined Sandia Labs more than 40 years ago in the microwave metrology lab where he learned instrument control language. Adams is a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion initiatives at Sandia and is a role model for aspiring minorities in STEM.

“Sandia Labs is proud of this year’s BEYA winners, not only for outstanding impact in their respective fields, but also their unwavering commitment to energizing underserved youth about the excitement and opportunities in STEM careers,” said Sandia Chief Diversity Officer Larry P. Thomas.

BEYA is a program of the national Career Communications Group, an advocate for corporate diversity, and is part of its STEM achievement program. The awards annually recognize the nation’s best and brightest engineers, scientists and technology experts. This year’s conference was held Feb. 9-11, when the awards were announced.