Eugene V. Abraham

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Sargent & Lundy, LLC, Chicago, IL

• BS, Mechanical Engineering, 1960, University of Illinois

Gene Abraham has spent his entire career at Sargent & Lundy, rising from mechanical engineer in the project management and engineering division to chairman and CEO. For more than 34 years, he has focused his engineering and management expertise on providing important design, engineering, and process solutions in support of the power industry. With his guidance, Sargent & Lundy is now a major force in the power market throughout the world. He was involved with engineering, design, start-up, and operating support of more than 20 generating units. In overseeing power plant design, he consistently included utility participation in the design process to ensure that reliability, availability, and maintainability issues were addressed. One specific area that stands out is the attention of fuel flexibility to minimize dependence on single suppliers or carriers. Under his watchful oversight, Sargent & Lundy initiated the integration of its computer-aided engineering tools and computer-aided design and drafting system. These became the foundation for its fully integrated three-dimensional plant design system used today. At his direction, Sargent & Lundy has forged alliances with industrial research and development institutions and has continued its support of more than 35 professional conferences dedicated to disseminating advancements of technology to all power industry participants. It is Gene Abraham’s leadership that has been particularly effective at encouraging employee participation in professional societies and code committees. Gene Abraham has dedicated considerable personal time to support in the industry’s numerous societies and professional organizations. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an active member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, Western Society of Engineers, Construction Industry Presidents Forum, and American Nuclear Society. He is a participating member of the board of directors of the Nuclear Energy Institute and is serving on the executive committee. His extensive and continuing involvement in industry codes and standards committees and professional engineering organizations is tangible evidence of his support of the advancement of the power industry. He is a long-standing member of the board of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and currently sits on the College of Engineering Advisory Board. In 1987, the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering recognized his extensive contributions by honoring him with their Distinguished Alumnus Award. Throughout the years, he has also worked closely with the Illinois Institute of Technology. His continued service in support of local universities, sponsorship of faculty engineering conferences, and advisory positions on both university boards and conference committees demonstrate his belief that industry is best served by developing its future resources-young engineers. Current as of 1995.