ECE Alumni Association Board Profile

Mrs. Daryl Farley Varney
Past Board President 2001 - 2004

Daryl Farley

Daryl Farley Varney (BSEE '83, MSEE & MBA '85) is a Switching Systems Group R&D budget manager with Lucent Technologies in Naperville, IL. She is also president of the ECE Alumni Board -- the 20-person committee that represents the interests of the department's 4,700 Alumni Association members.

Varney has served on the Board beginning in 1989 as a member. In 1992 she became treasurer, and three years later she became midwest vice president. In 1997, Varney led the team that established the first-ever alumni-student mentor program, ECE Alumni Student Connections.

As board president, Varney is strengthening programs that are mutually beneficial to alumni and students. "I want to continue to place a strong emphasis on the Freshman Calling program and the Alumni-Student Connections mentor program," Varney said. "We started these programs to help the students gain insights into the professional world. These programs also enable the alumni to get involved in the department and make contributions without having to visit campus."

Additionally, Varney is working to improve industry input from the board members and officers. She views this as a key area to strengthen what is already one of the top ECE departments in the country.

The president of the ECE Alumni Association Board is responsible for conducting two meetings each year-a fall meeting on campus and a spring meeting in Chicago-hosting the annual fall alumni awards banquet on campus, and communicating regularly with alumni through a column in the ECE Alumni News.