Alumnus of the Year – Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy Jr., B.S.E. ’93, M.S.C.S. ’95

“Help people and fix things” has been a guiding motto for Major General Stephen Purdy. The phrase crystallizes his approach to servant leadership both within and beyond the roles he fills in the U.S. Space Force.

The philosophy is about “helping people as individuals, fixing things and processes that are broken, and stopping to address things that are just not working,” Purdy said.

The two-star general holds several titles. He is the military deputy for space acquisitions and engineering, where he oversees support for operations of the Space Force. Purdy also is serving as the acting assistant secretary of the Air Force while the position awaits a political appointment. He also oversees the development of future Space Force leaders in their early careers.

“A lot of the activity that I do wearing my different hats is about culture change,” Purdy said.

The commercial space environment in the United States is moving incredibly fast, he explained, with new companies forming new technologies every day. The military has the opportunity to leverage this quickly growing field and reimagine how new technologies are incorporated into the Space Force.

Purdy seeks to encourage innovation and foster new ways of thinking and operating, but he never loses sight of the people.

“It is all about realizing that you need to look at the people as individuals and help them through their dreams or concerns so they can be better at whatever the mission is,” Purdy said. “My philosophy is strongly based in people, and that comes, in part, out of my Baylor experience.”

Purdy fell in love with Baylor at his first campus visit. Coming from a military family, the value of an education that would prepare the way for service to his country was impressed upon him.

“Baylor brings a special something extra, and it’s a personal touch. You are not a number at Baylor. You are a person, and you’re treated as such.”

With the help of a Baylor AFROTC scholarship, he pursued an early interest in computer engineering. Purdy graduated in six years with a bachelor’s in engineering with a focus in computer engineering and a master’s in computer science.

His Baylor experience was foundational in several important ways.

“I learned a lot about prioritization, workload and balancing activities — that laid a foundation that I really didn’t appreciate and understand until later in life,” Purdy said. “Now I sit here today holding down three to four simultaneous jobs over the past several years, and my student experiences taught me how to balance that.”

Baylor also built an early foundation in community and faith.

One of the most significant things to happen during Purdy’s time as a student was meeting his wife, Wendy, B.A. ’93. The long-time Baylor couple now has two daughters, Taylor and Holly.

“Family is absolutely core. They are a true bedrock for me personally.”

Purdy’s career has taken him all over the world, but he has never lost that connection to Baylor. Purdy even selected the University of Texas at Austin in the Space Force’s University Partnership Program with the hopes of getting back to Baylor through geographic proximity.

When Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science Daniel Pack, Ph.D., reached out, Purdy was eager to return home to connect with engineering students and serve as a mentor for Baylor’s AFROTC.

“If I had to advise students and others, I would say think about where you came from, who you are and what you value,” Purdy said. “My version of that is ‘help people and fix things,’ which ties back to Baylor’s faith message and its mission to help its students, and also to serve the church, Texas and the world.”