José F. Valdez C.

José F. Valdez C. (SM' 69, F' 87, LF' 99) received the BS in electrical and mechanical engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (UNI), Lima, Peru in 1950.

Following graduation from UNI, Mr. Valdez worked for General Electric in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York, as Test Engineer, Applications and Sales. After returning to Peru, he worked with International Machinery Company (IMACO), an industrial machinery importer and GE distributor based in Lima. In 1960, with his colleague Walter Piazza-Tanguis, he founded Piazza y Valdez Ingenieros, which became known for designing and building electric power substations and transmission lines. The Company became COSAPI S.A., now one of Peru’s leading contractors. The Company has built more than 70% of the gas turbine plants in Peru and Peru's first steam electric-power-generating plant. Currently Mr. Valdez is Vice Chairman of the Board of Cosapi S. A. Ingeniería y Construccon, as well as Chairman of the Board of Cosapi Data S.A., an electronics data systems integrator and Cosapi Soft S.A. a software factory.

In 1967, he co-founded the IEEE Peru Section. He served as Chair in 1982 and 1983, established the first Student Branch, co-founded the Education, Engineering Management and Communications Chapters, and co-founded INTERCON, an IEEE Conference organized by Student Branches.

Through the years, Mr. Valdez has maintained a firm belief and a staunch dedication to the notion that engineers are vital to the welfare of all Peruvians and that education, particularly engineering education, is the key. Moreover, he was the first to recognize the need for an accreditation system to ensure high-quality educational programs. Thus, with ardent persuasiveness he convinced IEEE colleagues in Peru to support the creation of the "Instituto de la Calidad en la Accreditación de Carreras de Ingeniería y Tecnología (ICACIT)", an accreditation association modeled on best practices in accreditation throughout the world. He has served as ICACIT President since its founding. With unwavering energy and commitment to excellence, he has been the driving force in guiding the development of ICACIT. He is revered by the students, engineering faculty, and practicing engineers throughout the country for his experience, his leadership, and his constant steadfast commitment to the improvement of the quality of life for all Peruvians.