Kelly Wilber of Charlotte, NC graduated from NC State in May of 2003 with BS degrees in Pulp and Paper and Chemical Engineering. While at NC State, she was heavily involved in the NC State Student Chapter of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI). Her work with TAPPI took her to San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Atlanta, Alabama and Cincinnati where she made business contacts throughout the paper industry. TAPPI also funded her senior year by awarding her various scholarships. Kelly spent a semester and summer at Bowater, Catawba as a co-op student and two summers in the R&D facilities of Kimberly-Clark in Neenah, Wisconsin.  These work experiences helped her pinpoint her career aspirations and she started her first full-time job soon after graduation with Georgia-Pacific in Big Island, VA working as a process engineer in the OCC/linerboard section of their mill.  After a year and a half there, she moved back to Charlotte to work for Bowater as a process engineer. She was promoted to superintendent of their thermomechanical pulp mill a year and a half later, a leadership role she continues to enjoy today.

Kelly cites the small class sizes and one-on-one interaction with professors as two reasons why the WPS program was so valuable to her. She also believes WPS helped her develop her ability to work with people and to think and manage under stress — contributing to her great career start.

Related Links

• WPS Internship/Co-ops
• WPS Careers & Opportunities
• NCSU Career Center
• Bowater Incorporated

Key Contacts