Javelina Engineering Hall of Fame Honorees – 2021
The Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering Dean’s Leadership Board is proud to announce its 2021 Javelina Engineering Hall of Fame honorees.
About the honorees:
Iris J. “Chip” Berthelot II, P.E.
(BS, Natural Gas Engineering, 1982)
President, Azure Midstream
A proven entrepreneur, Berthelot has been President of Azure Midstream since July 2012. Prior to Azure Midstream, he founded Laser Midstream Company, which focused on natural gas gathering and processing in Texas and Louisiana. Additional experience includes serving as President of a privately owned midstream company (2002 – 2004) and Chief Operating Officer, Executive VP, and a member of the Board of Directors at MidCoast Energy Resources, Inc. (1991-2001). Berthelot has served various officer positions within the Corpus Christi Gas Measurement Society and Gas Processor Association. Berthelot is a generous donor to Texas A&M-Kingsville and recognized in the university’s Legacy Society. His gifts have supported university initiatives such as the President’s Circle, the Steve and Karen Tallant Presidential Scholarship Endowment, the Bruce M. Withers Jr. Endowed Scholarship Fund in Natural Gas Engineering and the College of Engineering Annual Fund. Berthelot serves on the Texas A&M-Kingsville Foundation Board of Trustees and previously served both the Javelina Alumni Association and Texas A&I Alumni Association as a board member. He also currently serves on the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering Natural Gas Engineering Advisory Board.
While an undergraduate, Berthelot was initiated into Kappa Sig and is still active with his Kappa Sig alumni brothers.
Jeff Ko, Ph.D.
(B.S. Chemical Engineering, 1995)
Vice President, Global Manufacturing Science and Technology, AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical LP
In his role as Vice President and Global Head of Manufacturing Science and Technology at AstraZeneca, Ko is responsible for technical support of all synthetic molecules commercial product portfolio and leads in development and introduction of innovative manufacturing strategy and product robustness center of excellence. Ko has more than 23 years of experience in the Biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to AstraZeneca, he served as the Vice President of Vaccines Value Chain Management organization within the manufacturing division of Merck & Co, Inc. He spent 20+ years with Merck/ MSD across areas in Pharmaceutical R&D, Global Technical Operations, manufacturing operations and supply chain. Ko has additional global professional experiences in Italy, the U.S., and Singapore and manufacturing experiences in API, vaccines, solid dosage forms, LOC and sterile pharmaceuticals manufacturing and packaging. He received the Excellence in Leadership Award from the Hangzhou Provincial government in 2015 and Merck Divisional Awards as a key contributor to JANUMET product development and launch and for contribution in global Merck Consumer Business divesture. He is passionate about talent management and organization capability build and has a deep appreciation for cultural diversity and change management. He has experience in management of organization of 1000+ staff supporting more than $8B revenue and responsible for more than $300 million USD in operational budget and more than $250 million USD in capital management. Ko has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and is a certified Executive Belt in Merck Six Sigma.
Fred M. Ramirez, CISSP
(B.S., Electrical Engineering, 1980)
Founder & Principal, CNF Technologies
As a son of migrant farm workers from San Benito, Texas, Ramirez developed a strong work ethic early. His parents always advocated for education and taught him that if he wanted a life beyond the fields, he would need a college degree. Ramirez accomplished his dream of attending and graduating from Texas A&I and started his career at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. In 1990, Ramirez was a founding member of the Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team (AFCERT), one of the first incident response centers in the country and the first ever for the Department of Defense. In 2005, Ramirez founded CNF Technologies in San Antonio with a focus on providing system engineering services in cyber security. Today, CNF is a highly recognized leading cybersecurity provider in developing, testing, fielding, sustaining, and employing cyber weapon systems and technologies for Offensive and Defensive Cyber Operations, Cybersecurity Risk Management, and support to Law Enforcement and Counterintelligence operations. Under Ramirez’s leadership, CNF was named #2 on San Antonio Business Journal’s Fast Track Awards and achieved national recognition, for the second year in a row, ranking on Inc. Magazine’s list of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies. In 2018, Ramirez was inducted into the Texas Cyber Hall of Honor, a unique and prestigious organization recognizing those who understood, accepted, and overcame risks and challenges by innovatively forging new technological paths. Passion projects remain creating future cyber leaders by providing STEM internships and opportunities in partnership with University of Texas at San Antonio, Alamo Colleges, and local high schools.
The honorees will be inducted into the Javelina Engineering Hall of Fame at a private lunch on campus at the end of National Engineers Week.
Learn more about the Javelina Engineering Hall of Fame past honorees.