Scrugham Medal

James Graves Scrugham was a distinguished Nevadan who was the first Dean of the College of Engineering. He was also State Engineer, Governor of Nevada, a United States Representative in Congress, and a United States Senator. He served as a Lt. Colonel in World War I and was editor of the Nevada State Journal.

The James G. Scrugham Medal

The James G. Scrugham Medal is an award initiated by the college in 2006 to acknowledge successful alumni and James G. Scrugham. Alumni who have demonstrated success in their chosen profession are honored with this award - often receiving national recognition. Any alumna or alumnus of the College of Engineering is eligible.

2024 Recipient

Stephanie Peterson, ’01, Mechanical Engineering

Head shot of Stephanie Peterson

Stephanie Peterson, ’01, Mechanical Engineering is a senior director at Microsoft who has been recognized for her contributions to industry and community. She has been recognized by the Nevada Women’s Fund through its Nevada Women of Achievement program and by the Reno Tahoe Young Professionals Network through its Twenty Under 40 program, among others. She also has served on advisory boards for several organizations. 

Stephanie has over 25 years’ experience in the tech industry, having held key roles as Microsoft and Meta. Her expertise spans operations, software development, supply rain, risk and compliance management and artificial intelligence/machine learning management. She is a patent author. Raised in Reno, Stephanie participated in the University’s TRIO Upward Bound program, which inspired her advocacy for educational access. She also attributes her success to her stepfather, Ronald Lee and her mother, Selma Lee, both of whom worked in the University’s Teaching and Learning Technologies department.

Past recipients

Contacts

Jacqueline Maloney
Director of Development
jacqueline.maloney@unr.edu
(775) 682-7696

Indira Chatterjee
Acting Dean, College of Engineering
indira@unr.edu
(775) 784-6925