Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Autumn 2013 | Page 26

Josh Dortzbach ’96, a third generation
Wheaton alumnus whose childhood in Kenya

Timothy Waldee ’88, general manager, global
product quality at GE Transportation, echoes

instilled a passion for cross-cultural connection, claims his time at
Wheaton and IIT yielded a call to pursue urban ministry through
the field of engineering.
“The Christian Service Council at Wheaton was where God
grabbed my heart for the city,” Josh says. Feeling called to live
among the urban poor, he and his family moved to the city 16
years ago. In addition to his commitment to urban community,
Josh describes his ultimate dual degree takeaway as technical and
professional excellence in the field of structural engineering and,
ultimately, the vision for business as mission.
Having participated in both innovative new construction and
challenging renovation projects, Josh launched his own company
six years ago. Forefront Structural Engineers, Inc., has a clear
purpose: to pursue excellence throughout the design process while
developing new, practical ideas.
Since the start, the company’s goal has been to invest 25 percent
of the profits each year into kingdom work in the city, partnering
with the By the Hand Club for Kids, Hope for Chicago, and
Young Life. “We’re still defining what ‘business as mission’ means,
and we’re gathering ideas about how we can contribute mind,
body, and soul,” he says, noting for instance, that they’ve talked
with Engineering Ministries International about possible
short-term ministry opportunities.
Josh describes the benefit of his unique academic experience:
“It was my IIT degree that got me my job. It’s my Wheaton
degree, and the critical thinking skills that come with a liberal arts
education, that help me excel at my job.”

Josh’s sentiment. “I needed a broad-based education from a Christian
liberal arts perspective,” Tim says. “I knew I was only at Wheaton
for three years, so I took the best (sometimes hardest) classes I could
find. Now I always say that the ‘3’ was for me, while the ‘2’ assured a
good engineering job.”
Tim finished his dual degree at Georgia Tech, and then earned a
master’s degree in manufacturing systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute. His fondest Wheaton memories include meeting his wife,
Candace Malone Waldee ’88, studying History of Philosophy with
Professor Arthur Holmes ’50, M.A. ’52, and gleaning C. S. Lewis’
perspective on science and technology directly from Lewis’ original
letters archived in the Marion E. Wade Center.
In his previous role as general manager for GE Energy’s Energy
Service & Controls manufacturing group, Tim oversaw operations
in 27 factories located in eight countries, with an annual production
output of $3.5 billion. “My Wheaton experience really shaped the
way I think about the world and interact with others in a corporate
setting,” Tim says.

Timothy Waldee ’88

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Paul St. Aubyn ’06

In a similar vein, Paul St. Aubyn ’06, a civil
engineer based in Chicago, describes the
first three years as a “grounding time” that instilled a “compelling
vision” of what it means to live and work as a Christian in the world.
Named a finalist in the New Faces of Engineering program by
the National Society of Professional Engineers, Paul has been involved
in the designing, planning, and building of water treatment plants
and potable water distribution systems for more than four years.