1981 BSIE 

Vicki (McDonald) Aden is a native of Waterloo, Iowa, and graduated from the University of Iowa with a BSIE in 1981. She began her engineering career through the cooperative education program with John Deere in Waterloo during her time at Iowa, spending two semesters and three summers working in various engineering departments to augment her studies. She and her husband, Leon (BS80, MS82), moved to Kingsville, Texas, in 1982, and Vicki began working as an industrial engineer at the Corpus Christi Army Depot in Corpus Christi, Texas. CCAD repairs, overhauls, and remanufactures helicopters for the US Army. Vicki was project manager for implementing an automated storage and retrieval system at CCAD. After moving to Houston in 1992, Vicki went to work for Compaq Computer’s Services group, becoming the industrial engineering manager overseeing a team responsible for plant layout, process development, and process improvement for returns, repairs, and refurbishment of computer components. In 1998, Vicki began working as an industrial engineer at Banta (later acquired by RR Donnelley), a printing and logistics services company that had a supply chain management facility in Houston. Vicki was promoted to quality manager and then operations manager at the Houston site, having responsibility for all production, warehouse, and industrial engineering functions on the site. 

Vicki served on the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Advisory Board from 2011-2013. Vicki and Leon have contributed to the College of Engineering and have funded scholarships for women in engineering, as well as contributing to other University of Iowa programs. Vicki retired in 2012 and is currently an active member of the League of Women Voters of Johnson County.