Al White and Judith Dietz of Austin have established the Judith Dietz and Al White '86 Scholarship with the Texas A&M Foundation. The endowment will create one or more scholarships for incoming Corps of Cadets students who have a financial need and are pursuing degrees in computer science or computer engineering from Texas A&M University.
Dietz graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science/mathematics in 1991, and White graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelor’s in computer science in 1986.
Both husband and wife are employed by Ticom Geomatics, Inc. White is a business area manager responsible for Signals Intelligence, Geolocation and Cyber systems supporting the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. Prior to this, he served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command as a command pilot. He was an assistant professor of computer science at the U.S. Air Force Academy where he helped establish an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research Group and taught computer programming and systems engineering. He is a recipient of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering’s 2014 Distinguished Former Student Award and also serves on the department's Advisory Council.
Dietz leads the Software Test Division and is the product release manager for Ticom Geomatics' global network of classified sensors that support the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. Dietz began her career at IBM in Raleigh, N.C., and relocated to Austin to work for Tivoli after it was acquired by IBM. She has also helped several Austin start-ups grow including Motive and Crossroads.
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering is one of 13 departments in the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M with 36 tenured/tenure-track faculty members and more than 1,200 students. The department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science and computer engineering and has an Industrial Affiliates Program, which helps the department better prepare students for real-world careers, assists the placement of students, and makes department/industry collaborations more likely.
The Texas A&M Foundation is a nonprofit organization that solicits and manages investments in academics and leadership programs to enhance Texas A&M’s capability to be among the best universities.