2019 Mechanical Engineering: Distinguished Alumni Award Lisa Wight

Lisa Wight is currently a Production Manager at Harris Corporation in Melbourne, Florida. Lisa is a proud alumna of Florida A&M University, graduating in 1997 from the FAMU/FSU College of Engineering with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering. Lisa started her professional career as a Mechanical Engineer at Allied Signal in Kansas City, MO. She left Honeywell to begin her career at Harris Corporation in 2007. In her years at Harris, she has served as Mechanical Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Quality Engineer, and as Production Manager. Lisa is also a Six Sigma Black Belt and Certified Quality Engineer.

Lisa believes that it is her responsibility to continuously give back to the community in which she lives and works. She has logged hundreds of community service hours over the years, serving on various boards, including Community Assistance Council (Kansas City, MO), Habitat for Humanity (Kansas City, MO), Brevard Neighborhood Development Coalition (Melbourne, FL), and the Palm Bay City Council Youth Advisory Board (Palm Bay, FL.) Lisa is an active member of the Melbourne-Palm Bay Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Lisa returns to Tallahassee every year to participate in recruiting events on both college campuses and at the College of Engineering. “I am so proud to be on campus - working with students, helping them to secure internships and permanent positions. It makes me feel as if I’ve come full circle.”

Lisa and her fiancé, Michael Pittman, live in Palm Bay, Florida, and have 2 children – Patrick and Mikaylah.

“My last 2 years of school, I worked in the engineering library. Portia McQueen - “Ms. P” was the librarian and Dr. Buzyna was the Mechanical Engineering department chair and over the library at the time. The week before graduation, Dr. Buzyna took the 5 graduating seniors that worked in the library out to lunch. After years of school – late nights, all-nighters, study groups, senior design projects…that lunch was a turning point. We talked, laughed, and reminisced on our time at the engineering school. Everything that we worked so hard for was realized when Dr. Buzyna told us, “After graduation, you will no longer be my students. You will be my comrades.” Wow! Goal accomplished! That was my fondest memory of my time at the engineering school.”