College of Technology and Innovation appoints new chair of engineering

Ann McKenna, associate professor, has been appointed chair of the Engineering and Engineering Technology Departments at ASU’s College of Technology and Innovation (CTI).

“Ann will lead a growing department of faculty members with real-world experience who are committed to project-based learning, use-inspired research, deep engagement with industry and entrepreneurship,” said Mitzi Montoya, vice provost and dean of CTI. “She is an exemplar of CTI’s educational ideals and goals for the future.”

Prior to joining ASU, McKenna served as a program officer for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the Division of Undergraduate Education and on the faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.

Most recently, McKenna received an NSF grant for her collaboration on the “Deep Insights Anytime, Anywhere,” (DIA2) project that will help researchers and NSF program officers identify trends in publications and research funding, gaps in current research and funding, and potential collaborators in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. She is currently the lead guest editor for a special issue of the Journal of Engineering Education on the complexities of transforming engineering higher education, a topic that aligns with the CTI mission to support change and find new approaches to STEM education.

McKenna earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s in mechanical engineering from Drexel University and a doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley.