Four Tickle College of Engineering alumni have been named to the 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 class. The annual honor recognizes alumni under age 40 who are excelling personally and professionally since completing their degree at UT.
With the awards program entering its fifth year, there are 160 past recipients—all embodying what it means to be a Volunteer through lasting impact in their chosen fields, communities, and society as a whole. This year’s class will be honored at an event to be held in Knoxville on February 28, 2025.
The four TCE alumni in this year’s class are:
Mitchell Shope (BS/ME, ’15)
Shope is an FBI unit chief and community advocate committed to public service and team empowerment. He holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from UT, a master’s in engineering from MIT, and an MBA from the University of Texas. Since 2021, Shope has served as a unit chief at the FBI, specializing in business intelligence data to inform decision-making. Previously, he worked as a professional structural engineer in Dallas, Texas, leading projects and teams. Outside of work, Shope, an Eagle Scout, is passionate about community service and has volunteered with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, ACE High School Program, and various mission trips.
Tiffany Sithiphone (BS/IE, ’15)
Sithiphone is the director of product analytics and experimentation at FanDuel in Atlanta, Georgia. The Nashville native previously worked at Warner Bros. Discovery, where she focused on sports fan engagement with Bleacher Report, NBA.com, the NBA App, and NBA League Pass. Beyond her professional career, Sithiphone is deeply committed to community service. She is a graduate of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2024 and will serve as President of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Atlanta in 2025. Sithiphone has also led philanthropic efforts through NAAAP’s Chopstix for Charity and remains active in the National Society of Black Engineers and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Sara Sultan (PhD/ESE, ’23)
Sultan is a program specialist for the California Energy Commission, overseeing the Building Envelope program. She earned her doctorate in energy science engineering from the Bredesen Center at UT with distinction and was honored as the 2023 Volunteer of Distinction. Sultan received a prestigious fellowship from the US Department of Energy to work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she led groundbreaking research on integrating thermal energy storage with heat pumps. Sultan founded SHEnergy LLC to empower future leaders, particularly women in STEM. She created “Coaching Alley” and authored an eBook for doctoral students. Her contributions extend to creative writing and community leadership, inspiring many through seminars, articles, and workshops on women’s empowerment and STEM career success.
Daniel Wells (BS/BME, ’08)
Wells is an accomplished physician and educator based in Memphis. He earned his bachelor’s in biomedical engineering from UT, followed by a Doctor of Medicine from UT Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine. After completing a combined internal medicine/pediatrics residency at UTHSC, where he served as chief resident and earned multiple teaching awards, Wells began his role as an academic hospitalist at Regional One Health and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. In 2019, he became the program director for the medicine/pediatrics residency program, where he has earned recognition for promoting diversity, resident wellness, and scholarship. Wells is also deeply involved in mentoring and has helped numerous medical students and residents achieve national recognition. He was named Graduate Medical Education Program Director of the Year in 2023.
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, [email protected])