ETM Distinguished Graduates

Headshot of Adham Barghouti.

Adham Barghouti is the 2025 ETM Outstanding Graduate

The Engineering and Technology Management Program is proud to announce Adham Barghouti as the recipient of ETM’s Outstanding Graduate Award for the 2024/25 academic year.

After earning a degree in Computer Engineering from Princess Sumaya University for Technology in Jordan, Adham, driven by a passion for solving problems using technology, pursued a career in strategy and quality management, focusing on Digital Transformation efforts for the public sector in the United Arab Emirates. Post-COVID, he returned to the US to pursue a more tech-focused career and is now a Senior Technical Product Manager at T-Mobile, leading various Data Privacy products.

The ETM program opens one’s eyes to a new way of thinking, critically analyzing problems beyond the technical challenges. The learning from the program comes from beyond the textbooks and teaches how problems can be solved with technical and non-technical solutions. The program has taught me to not just think outside the box but to break out of the box and eliminate it entirely. Connecting topics such as system engineering management with product management, leadership, and quality improvement tools provide an endless combination of tools at your disposal to lead yourself and your career towards your goals.”

Adham Barghouti

Vixen Cope is the 2024 ETM Outstanding Graduate

Vixen Cope.

The Engineering and Technology Management Program is proud to announce Vixen Cope as the recipient of ETM’s Outstanding Graduate Award for the 2023/24 academic year.

After completing a degree in chemistry at Western Washington University, Vixen decided to pursue a career in pharmacy driven by her passion to help others live healthier lives. Vixen ultimately chose Washington State University for her PharmD because of its interdisciplinary approach ingrained in the campus and program. 

My experience with the program was very involved and utilized active learning to make every lecture more personalized to the students’ interests. Since the ETM students all had a variety of career goals and backgrounds, we all learned from each other, and the professors were able to adapt lectures and projects to benefit everyone’s interests. The many team projects and tools kept me engaged with the material and how to actively apply them in a team setting with goals, which built hard and soft skills that I can utilize in the real world. Some of the most interesting topics I learned were about constraint analysis, innovation management, lean management and Kaizen methods.

Vixen Cope, METM ’24

Bowie Daniel Hall is the 2023 ETM Outstanding Graduate

The Engineering and Technology Management Program is Proud to announce Bowie Daniel Hall as the recipient of ETM’s Outstanding Graduate Award for the 2022/23 academic year.

Headshot of Bowie Daniel Hall.

Bowie Daniel (“Danny”) Hall is an Economic Opportunity Specialist for the Montana World Trade Center, an office of the University of Montana (USA). His current role includes welcoming diplomats and international business leaders to the State of Montana, with a focus on promoting science and technology-based foreign direct investment. As a civilian, he previously worked in international finance and economic development for Citibank, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and Westminster Economic Development. He also served as a Global Health Corps Fellow for a United States Agency for International Development project in Uganda. As a member of the United States Army Reserve, he served in military diplomacy positions as part of conflicts in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. He holds graduate degrees in international law, industrial engineering management, and general medicine and has been to over 100 countries on every traditional continent including Antarctica.

Michael Harrold-Panell is the 2022 ETM Outstanding Graduate

Headshot of Michael Harrold-Panell.

The Engineering and Technology Management (ETM) online master’s degree program at Washington State University is proud to announce Michael Harrold-Panell as the recipient of ETM’s Outstanding Graduate Award for the 2021/22 academic year.

Mr. Parnell was an exceptional student earning fifty-seven credits in a program that only requires thirty to graduate. Michael earned every certificate the ETM program offers including Project Management, Constraints Management, Six Sigma, Logistics and Supply Chain, Industrial Leadership, and Systems Engineering. Mr. Parnell set the record for most classes taken and certificates earned, and he went above and beyond in each class. He demonstrated mastery of each topic and was consistently looking for ways to apply what he was learning to his job.

“Working for a small organization, gaining knowledge and experience can be difficult. There is no one in our organization with a background in engineering management or quality management so finding mentors and gaining experience in my field is not easy. Without the ETM program, I would be at a disadvantage competing for jobs and promotions with candidates from larger organizations and demonstrating knowledge and experience outside the scope of my current position would be all but impossible. The ETM program has allowed me to compete with my peers from other organizations on a more level footing and allowed me to interact with people in other industries and with other experience despite having minimal exposure within the confines of our organization.”

 -Michael Harrold-Panell, METM ’22

Deepika Menon is 2021 ETM Outstanding Graduate

Headshot of Deepika Menon.

The Engineering and Technology Management (ETM) online master’s degree program at Washington State University is proud to announce Deepika Menon as the recipient of ETM’s Outstanding Graduate Award for the 2020/21 academic year.

Deepika stood out as an engaged, deeply curious learner who consistently sought out opportunities to broaden her academic experience by pursuing and successfully mastering challenging topics.  Her academic success was demonstrated not only through her high-quality academic performance but also through her thoughtful responses in her academic work, her support of team members, and the high level of energy she brought to in-class discussions.

She completed her METM studies with an emphasis in project management in just over 2 years.

“It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to successfully finish what we start. However, it should not stop us from setting a new goal and starting another project in life.”  

-Deepika Menon, METM ’21

2020 ETM Outstanding Graduates

Headshot of Dan McDonald.

The Engineering and Technology Management (ETM) online master’s degree program at Washington State University is proud to announce it had a tie for the Outstanding Graduate Award for the 2019/20 academic year.

Dan McDonald is the Tank Waste Disposal Project Manager in the Nuclear Waste Program at the Washington State Department of Ecology. He completed his METM studies with an emphasis in systems engineering in just over 2 years. “Dan was an outstanding student in all respects.  In addition to his superior accomplishment of ETM coursework, he was always prepared and organized in contributing to online class discussions.  His involvement and collaboration in student team assignments demonstrated his exceptional leadership qualities and his ability to inspire others.  His ability as a dynamic communicator was demonstrated in personal contacts with his instructors and in ETM receptions.  As a charismatic and enthusiastic student, Dan represents the very best of graduating ETM students,” said Dan’s advisor, Dr. Bill Gray.

“My experiences in the ETM program have been profound! I have benefited from challenging coursework, excellent instructors, and presentation formats that were thorough. My depth and breadth of knowledge have expanded significantly, and I am better positioned to engage in the workplace with engineers and technology professionals.”

Dan McDonald, METM ’20
Headshot of Dylan Henderson and his family.

Dylan Henderson is a Mechanical Design Engineer in the Technology Research and Development Department at ArcBest Technologies in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Dylan completed his degree with a focus on quality management in just under 2 years. “Dylan was a truly outstanding student in the ETM program because of his seemingly effortless ability to quickly understand complicated concepts.  Dylan was then able to apply the theory in his course work as well as to his current job to make an immediate impact. It has truly been a pleasure to have a student of Dylan’s caliber in the ETM program,” said Dr. David Paulus, Dylan’s advisor.

“As a mechanical engineer, I applied for WSU’s METM program looking for a practical mix of both technical and business-focused studies. I felt that all of my instructors were incredibly authentic and genuinely wanted me to succeed – they helped me find just that.”

Dylan Henderson, METM ’20

2019 ETM Outstanding Graduate

Brian Watson standing in their graduation cap and gown, standing beside their children.

In 2019, Brian Watson was recognized as ETM’s Outstanding Graduate Student for 2018/19 academic year during ETM’s Handshake Reception in Tri-Cities, WA. The faculty was unanimous in the choice for Brian Watson! Each one had testimonies of his commitment, creativity, aptitude, and leadership in the classroom and even beyond the classroom. Brian has presented in the Theory of Constraint professional organization (TOCICO) events, and guest lectured in various ETM courses. His EM701 project, Bullfrog Spas: Throughput Analysis and Improvements, was exceptional and showed the breadth and depth of what can be achieved at ETM. He has been with Adobe for more than 8 years. Currently, the Adobe Global Search Manager. During his tenure, Brian has achieved annual double-digit global search traffic growth. He has worked with international teams in Europe, Australia, and Japan to develop successful search strategies, integrating many ETM concepts he has learned. And in the spirit of going beyond the classroom, he has even implemented a kanban system for the inventory of his home pantry, showing that good ideas can be applied anywhere. He resides in Utah with his wife and seven kids, all of who attended his graduation in Pullman.