2023 Distinguished Alumnus Award Winner
Robert B Lewis III, a 1981 graduate of the Tickle College of Engineering, has spent a career impacting and improving some of the world’s most prominent companies while also keeping Rocky Top close to his heart. Lewis held key responsibilities at PepsiCo for packaging and processing, food service equipment, the Global Value Innovation Center, and product formulation and development before retiring in 2018. His professional influence spanned the global family of PepsiCo beverage brands and upstream beverage technology development and he ensured that research and development facilities were equipped to enable science and engineering driven innovation.
Having served at both PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble, Lewis is an accomplished research and development executive with over 35 years of experience in the packaged consumer goods space, with particular emphasis on packaging development, process development, product design, product formulation, package design, equipment and device development, and consumer research.
Having earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, Lewis currently serves as a member of the Tickle College of Engineering Board of Advisors. He draws on his industry experience to advise the dean and the college on various academic aspects and is an important asset to the dean’s board who presents helpful suggestions on the college’s many facets. Having supported the program for many years, Lewis is a faithful donor to the Engineering Diversity Program and includes the organization and university in his personal philanthropy. He served on the search committee for the Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position that was recently hired within the Tickle College of Engineering. Lewis has also mentored many underrepresented students pursuing engineering degrees.
Lewis is a proud UT alumnus, having served on the Alumni Board of Directors and as board president from 2017-2018. His leadership proved pivotal in establishing important decisions for UT alumni and the university as a whole.
Robert B Lewis III, a 1981 graduate of the Tickle College of Engineering, has spent a career impacting and improving some of the world’s most prominent companies while also keeping Rocky Top close to his heart. Lewis held key responsibilities at PepsiCo for packaging and processing, food service equipment, the Global Value Innovation Center, and product formulation and development before retiring in 2018. His professional influence spanned the global family of PepsiCo beverage brands and upstream beverage technology development and he ensured that research and development facilities were equipped to enable science and engineering driven innovation.
Having served at both PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble, Lewis is an accomplished research and development executive with over 35 years of experience in the packaged consumer goods space, with particular emphasis on packaging development, process development, product design, product formulation, package design, equipment and device development, and consumer research.
Having earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, Lewis currently serves as a member of the Tickle College of Engineering Board of Advisors. He draws on his industry experience to advise the dean and the college on various academic aspects and is an important asset to the dean’s board who presents helpful suggestions on the college’s many facets. Having supported the program for many years, Lewis is a faithful donor to the Engineering Diversity Program and includes the organization and university in his personal philanthropy. He served on the search committee for the Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position that was recently hired within the Tickle College of Engineering. Lewis has also mentored many underrepresented students pursuing engineering degrees.
Lewis is a proud UT alumnus, having served on the Alumni Board of Directors and as board president from 2017-2018. His leadership proved pivotal in establishing important decisions for UT alumni and the university as a whole.
