Jane Chumley Ammons has stepped in as chair of the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, making her the first female school chair in the College of Engineering’s history.

Ammons is no stranger to shattering glass ceilings, as she became the first woman to earn a PhD from the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering in 1982 and went on to become the school’s first female faculty member.

Ammons previously served as associate dean for faculty affairs in the College of Engineering. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 refereed and technical publications and served as the National Science Foundation ADVANCE professor of engineering from 2002 to 2005.

Ammons is past president of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and has chaired the National Science Foundation Engineering Advisory Committee. At Tech, she has received eight faculty awards at the school and university levels.

The School of Industrial and Systems Engineering is the largest program of its kind in the world. The school was ranked as the top graduate program of its kind in the recently released 2012 U.S. News & World Report rankings. That marks the school’s 21st consecutive number one ranking.