4/18/2023 Maddie Yang
Written by Maddie Yang
Alumnus Steve Vavrik (BSME 1990, MSME 1991) was recently honored as one of the 2023 MechSE Distinguished Alumni.
The departmental honor has been awarded since 1968 to alumni who have established careers and have served in a professional and technical capacity to honor the department and the university.
As an undergraduate, Vavrik was active in Engineering Council, Pi Tau Sigma, and was elected as a Knight of St. Patrick. He also participated in undergraduate research, working with Professor Emeritus Herman Krier as a research assistant. This ultimately led to his master’s degree studying supersonic combustion.
After graduating from Illinois, Vavrik earned a master’s degree in public policy from Princeton and a J.D. from Yale Law School as part of a joint program. He began his professional career with General Electric in their GE Capital division where he financed power and energy projects. He later pursued power plant development with Enron and Dynegy.
In 2004, he combined his professional and environmental interests by working at PPM Energy (now called Iberdrola Renewables Inc.) developing wind projects in the U.S. Since then, he has continued to pursue renewable power and the energy transition with jobs at First Wind, SunPower, and Apex Clean Energy. In 2019, he co-founded Broad Reach Power, an independent power producer, to develop utility-scale battery storage projects, where he currently serves as an advisor.
Vavrik was recognized at the MechSE Awards Banquet last month.
“I focused my professional career in renewable energy and the energy-in-transition, and it’s been really rewarding. It has been a great combination of all my academic training and my personal passions. Engineers make the world better, and so I encourage you to think about how you want to make the world better,” said Vavrik in his remarks to students at the banquet. He also thanked a few professors who had a significant impact on him during his time at UIUC, including Quinn Brewster, Clark Bullard, Pratap Vanka and, in particular, Ty Newell and Herman Krier.
John Skimkus (BSME 1982) was also a winner of the 2023 MechSE Distinguished Alumni Award.