Thomas G. Habetler recently won two top IEEE honors–the IEEE Power Electronics Society Harry A. Owen Distinguished Service Award and the IEEE Industry Applications Society Gerald B. Kliman Innovator Award. Dr. Habetler was presented with both of these awards at the 2012 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Expo, held September 15-20 in Raleigh, N.C.

A professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech since 1989, Dr. Habetler has been an active IEEE volunteer for more than 20 years with both the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) and IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS).  He has served as an IEEE-PELS officer at the local Atlanta chapter level and advanced to top IEEE-PELS administrative officer roles as president, vice president, and secretary for the Society as a whole. He has also served as chair of major IEEE-PELS committees, including his current role as chair of the strategic planning committee With IEEE-IAS, Dr. Habetler has served as the chair of one of its technical committees and has won several IEEE-IAS best paper awards. He has also been involved as general chair and technical program chair for several IEEE-PELS and IAS conferences and workshops.

After being elected to the IEEE Board as Division II Director, Dr. Habetler became more involved with other areas of the Institute. He has served as IEEE member recruitment chair, a technical area representative on the Member and Geographic Activities Board, and is currently serving on the IEEE-USA Board of Directors.