Benjamin Smith

The Rose-Hulman Alumni Association will present Career Achievement Awards later this spring to 1997 graduates Benjamin S. Smith and Tiffany Trusty for making a difference in their communities, and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professions.

As a family physician, Smith provides primary health care for Breckinridge County, a medically underserved region in west-central Kentucky. He works at Breckinridge Health Inc. (Hardinsburg, Ky.) to provide inpatient, outpatient and nursing home care for local residents, serving on call 24 hours a day for two to three months at a time.

Smith completed a medical degree from Indiana University after earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rose-Hulman.

“I chose to work in a rural, underserved small community where one person and one family can really make a difference,” he says.

In the community, Smith has been president of the Breckinridge County Community Center, a nonprofit organization bringing recreation to local citizens, and is a worship/music leader at a community church. He also was recognized as the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Landowner of the Year in 2006 for his land and wildlife conservation efforts to preserve quail, songbird and bat populations in the region.

Tiffany Trusty

Trusty has a passion for technology and entrepreneurship, and inspiring more women to pursue careers in the tech sector. She was Rose-Hulman’s second female graduate (electrical engineering, 1997) after she earned an associate’s degree from Vincennes University. Her career has included working on software engineering projects for Motorola and REDUX, becoming a mentor and director of the apprentice program for the Eleven Fifty Academy, and now developing software for her own clients through her Trusty Applications enterprise. Along the way, she also earned a master’s degree in engineering management from Rose-Hulman in 2007.

Trusty supports Indiana and national efforts for the Women in STEM initiative, has been a longtime board member and communications officer for Indianapolis’ Women & Hi Tech group, is a member of the National Center for Women in IT Affinity Group Alliance, and has been a speaker at several events and conferences, including the 2016 Indiana Conference for Women, the Developer’s Workshop Conference, Conner Prairie’s Passport to Hi-Tech and Rose-Hulman’s Make It Happen Club.

“I love sharing my personal journey with young nerdy girls and professionals so that young and old alike can know what it’s like to be a woman in tech,” she says.

The CAA honors alumni on the 20-year anniversary of their graduation for their professional and community achievements. The award will be presented as part of the institute’s Honors & Awards Ceremony on May 6 in the Hatfield Hall Theater.