Dr. Olga Pierrakos is a nationally recognized higher education leader, engineer, and scholar who has spent more than two decades reimagining what engineering education can and should be. Her career is defined by a singular conviction — that the formation of great engineers is inseparable from the formation of great human beings — and by the rare courage to build that conviction into institutional reality.

A biomedical engineer by training, Dr. Pierrakos earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech, before going on to become one of the most influential voices in American engineering education (and higher education) on the question of how universities prepare graduates for leadership, responsibility, and societal impact.

As the Founding Leader of Wake Forest University's Department of Engineering, Dr. Pierrakos built a nationally recognized program from the ground up — arriving on site before furniture, curriculum, or budget existed — and grew it into the 14th-ranked undergraduate engineering program in the country (U.S. News & World Report, 2023) and the highest-ranked academic program at Wake Forest University. Under her leadership, the department became a national model for liberal arts engineering education, achieving unprecedented diversity of the student body and faculty body, 100% active and experiential learning, and ABET accreditation — all in under five years.

A twice-appointed Program Director at the National Science Foundation, Dr. Pierrakos has shaped the national STEM education landscape from the inside, managing portfolios exceeding $330 million annually, leading the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, building cross-agency partnerships, and championing broadening participation in STEM at every level. Her influence reaches hundreds of institutions and thousands of faculty across the United States.

Dr. Pierrakos holds leadership roles on the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) Leadership Council, and formerly served as ABET EAC Commissioner.

Throughout her career at James Madison University, Wake Forest University, and the National Science Foundation, she has mentored hundreds of students, faculty, and academic leaders.

Dr. Pierrakos believes that engineering education, at its best, must Educate the Whole Engineer — technically excellent, ethically grounded, and deeply human. That belief has shaped every institution she has touched.