About the Author
Pamela McCauley Bush, Ph.D., C.P.E.
Engineer, Educator, Leader & Entrepreneur
Dr. Pamela McCauley Bush is a nationally recognized speaker, entrepreneur, author and tenured Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems at the University of Central Florida where she leads the Human Factors in Disaster Management Research Team. Through incredible determination and vision, Dr. Bush overcame immense life hurdles to be hailed today as an award-winning innovational leader, respected engineering expert and a globally renowned motivational speaker in the Women’s Leadership and STEM Education communities.
She is the author of over 60 technical papers, book chapters and conference proceedings. Most recently, Dr. Bush authored Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation: Inspiration and Strategies for Women published by ELSEVIER Academic Press (2012), a practical yet research based approach on the growing need for leadership and innovation in America, particularly among women and STEM professionals. The book is useful for the individual, organization, community or academic program desiring to grow leadership and innovation capacity in order to produce more impactful leaders.
Dr. Bush has been described as an outstanding professor and teacher. Her teaching efforts have resulted in the receipt of both the College of Engineering Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Teaching Incentive Program Award (TIP). Her research focus includes human factors in disaster management, evaluation and development of artificial intelligence models using fuzzy set theory, human factors model development, human factors in chemical and biological weapon development and the human impact in information security. Dr. Bush has the distinction of being a 2012 U.S. Fulbright Scholar Specialist Program Awardee for her US-New Zealand Human Engineering and Mobile Technology in High Consequence Emergency Management program. Dr. Bush is also a highly sought Certified Professional Ergonomist (C.P.E.). and expert witness, due to her extensive expertise in biomechanics, human factors and ergonomic design.
Over the past twenty years, Dr. Bush has held various leadership positions and has received numerous awards in recognition of her commitment, professional accomplishments and community outreach efforts in the business, technology and education communities. One of her proudest moment was when she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Oklahoma. In 2007, she received the Engineer of the Year Award from the Florida Engineering Society and in 2006, was recognized by the Society of Women Engineers as Engineering Educator of the year. She also received the Woman of Distinction in Technology Award from the Central Florida Girl Scout Council in 2006. She has been recognized as one of the Ten Small Business Women of the Year in Central Florida; and the Millennium Woman of the Year 2001 by the Millennium Woman Foundation, Los Angeles California. Other honors include the Saturn/Glamour Magazine “Women Making a Difference Award” 2000 and the Outstanding Woman of Color in Technology Award for Educational Leadership in 1999.
She was elected member of the Board of Directors for the National Center for Simulation. In 2001, she was appointed to serve on the Florida Research Consortium, a position that she still holds today. Additionally, she served on the National Board of Directors for the Women in Engineering Program Advocates Network (WEPAN) from 1998-2000. She presently maintains board membership in a number of agencies including the Beta Parent Program, the University of Oklahoma Industrial Engineering Advisory Board and the University of Oklahoma, College of Engineering Minority Engineering Advisory Board.
In 2011, she authored the textbook and associated course materials in the area of applied ergonomics published by Taylor & Francis, titled Ergonomics: Foundational Principles, Application and Technologies. Dr. Bush served as a member of the editorial board for the journal of Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Sciences (TIES), Associate Editor of the Industrial Engineering Encyclopedia and referees technical research papers for IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, the International Journal of Industrial Hygienist, the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Conference Proceedings and Kluwer Academic Publishers. In 2006 her research group was awarded the Best Paper Award in Human Factors at the Annual Industrial Engineering Research Conference.
Dr. Bush also serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Bush Enterprises whose clients include the Department of Defense, NASA, the National Science Foundation, FAA and various corporate entities. She held the position of CEO of Tech Solutions, Inc., a former division of Bush Enterprises, which specialized in the areas of technical and analytic support, software product development, complex software development, human factors and industrial engineering. Tech Solutions had strategic partnerships with various private companies and provided technical and training services to the United States Air Force, United States Army and the Federal Aviation Administration. Additionally, TSI was a member of the Department of Defense Mentor Protégé program with Raytheon Company and the Sandia National Laboratories Mentor Protégé program.
A native of Oklahoma, Dr. Bush obtained her Bachelors, Masters, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. In 1993, Dr. Bush became the first African-American female to be granted a Ph.D. in the field of Engineering in the state of Oklahoma. In 2009, Dr. Bush was inducted into the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, Distinguished Graduate Society.
As a public speaker and lecturer, Dr. Bush travels around the country to give inspirational and informative lectures on women’s leadership issues, technology in America, and motivational topics. She often shares her challenges and triumphs in business, education and leadership as detailed in her book, “Winners Don’t Quit…Today they Call Me Doctor” and “The Winners Don’t Quit Kit”,an autobiographical novel and empowerment package that inspires academic, professional and personal success. Dr. Bush shares the benefits of determination, faith, and diligence in reaching for and achieving ones goals despite financial difficulties, disappointments, and her own experience as a teen mother on welfare. Her experiences have ignited in her a passion for encouraging everyone she meets and helping others realize their greatest dreams.
Dr. Bush’s varied activities have led to recognition in numerous national publications. She has also appeared on several television programs including CNBC’s The Big Idea Show with Donny Deutsch.
Dr. Bush is the wife of Michael A. Bush and together they have three daughters, Annette, Brandi and Brittany as well as a son-in-law, Jonathan. She is the daughter of Maurice Sr., and LaFrance McCauley, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.