At the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering’s annual awards celebration, Josh Bass, vice president of Data, Products and Analytics for J.M. Family Enterprises (JM&A) Inc., and Trey Lauderdale, founder and former CEO of Voalte Corp., were recognized for exemplary careers in ISE and sustaining engagements of the University and the department.

The UF ISE Alumni Leadership Awards program was initiated in 2009 with an inaugural class being inducted into the “Hall of Fame” at the department’s 75th Anniversary celebration. In each subsequent year, the department has inducted multiple alumni leaders for a total of 29 current members. The criteria for the award include professional work for 15 or more years after graduation; a requirement for application of ISE education through a breadth of career opportunities with exemplary outcomes; as well as notable service contributions to the engineering discipline or University. The process for selection involves nomination by either the ISE Advisory Board or faculty along with faculty review and a vote on candidates.

Josh Bass graduated with his bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering in 1997 and completed an MBA through UF’s Warrington College of Business Administration (WCBA) in 1999. Bass currently serves as the vice chair of the ISE Advisory Board. In his professional career, Bass began work with Arthur Andersen Business Consulting followed by OpenPeak and several leadership roles in technology and strategy with Florida Power and Light (NextEra Energy). Most recently, he served as vice president for Corporate Enterprise Strategy for JM&A, the largest Toyota distributor in North America, and he is currently responsible for the development of new products, actuarial science and applications, and data and analytics as a sustaining JM&A vice president. Bass served as the chair of the ISE Advisory Board Development and Research Committee for three years and has given multiple graduation addresses and speeches for department student programs. Beyond this service, Bass is a board member for the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Science and Discovery and volunteers for Feeding South Florida and Habitat for Humanity. Bass resides in South Florida with his wife, Andrea, and their three boys. They enjoy traveling and attending multiple Gator games each year.

Trey Lauderdale graduated with his bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering in 2004 and completed a master’s in entrepreneurship through UF WCBA in 2007. Lauderdale currently serves on UF’s National Foundation Board. He regularly volunteers his time to speak to ISE student organizations, including the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers as well as the Society for Health Systems, regarding career trajectories and critical decision-making. Lauderdale is currently an entrepreneur and venture capitalist in the area of digital health technology. He started his professional career by founding Voalte Corp. to develop smartphone technology to support secure caregiver communications both in and outside hospitals and to support data analytics on communications to improve healthcare organization operations. Voalte was acquired by Hillrom Corp. in 2019, and Lauderdale took a leadership role as general manager and vice president for Hillrom’s Care Communications business unit and was responsible for the digital growth strategy of the company. Hillrom was acquired by Baxter in December of 2021, and Lauderdale exited the company shortly after the acquisition. Lauderdale currently serves on the advisory boards for multiple digital health startup companies. In 2019, he endowed the Lauderdale Industrial & Systems Engineering Faculty Fellow. Since this time, the fellowship has been awarded to two faculty members conducting research in health systems engineering, including Drs. Xiang Zhong and Honcheng Liu. Lauderdale is an avid Gators fan and returns to campus whenever possible to catch a game and participate in university, college and department events.

ISE is proud of our outstanding alumni, including Bass and Lauderdale, who have transformed the world in different ways to make work and life better for society. The department is also appreciative of their exemplary commitments of knowledge and time to enhance our programs and operations for current students. The faculty and the ISE Advisory Board extend sincere congratulations to Bass and Lauderdale on being the newest members of the UF ISE Hall of Fame.