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Katsouleas Highlights the Humanity of Engineering in Duke Chapel Leadership Conversation

In a lunchtime conversation Tuesday about leadership, Pratt School dean Tom Katsouleas said he aims to lead with a combination of compassion, persuasion and foresight.

Katsouleas cited his former thesis adviser's dictum of "management by humanity," which he said follows the principle that "what's best for the people on the team is best for the institution."

 Katsouleas' remarks April 27 to an audience of about 40 at the Schiciano Auditorium were part of Duke Chapel's Deans' Dialogue series, in which chapel dean Sam Wells interviews fellow deans about broad topics related to the common good.

Two other aspects of leadership Katsouleas said he admires are the ability to tell a compelling story and the vision to pursue a cause greater than an institution's own interests.

"Barak Obama does this very well," he said about the latter. "Rather than advancing the U.S.'s position in the international sphere, he's thinking how can we make this world better.

"If it's Duke Engineering -- rather than moving [the School of] Engineering ahead within engineering ranks of other engineering schools, how can engineering schools as a whole advance the profession of engineering?" Katsouleas said. "And how can the profession of engineering improve society?"

In response to a question from Wells about the leadership role engineers can play in addressing social problems, Katsouleas said the definition of leadership in the field is broadening as the scope of problems engineers seek to solve expands.

"The great achievements [of the 20th century] were airplanes, cars, PET scanners -- they were devices -- and if you look at where the profession is going, the grand challenges are in sustainability, security, health and joy of living."