The “American Dream” has always consisted of a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence. Each morning, a housewife gracefully waves goodbye to her husband as he backs out of the driveway on his way to work. She retreats into the house to cook and clean until she hears that familiar phrase, “Honey, I’m home.”

This scene contrasts with today’s picture of the modern career woman. The modern career woman is strong and powerful. She knows what she wants and doesn’t take no for an answer. Yet, at the end of a long day, she goes home to an empty apartment.

Can a woman find middle ground between these two extremes, or does she have to choose between a successful career and a wholesome family life?

“I think sometimes you wonder ‘Can you have a great family? Can you have a career? Can you have all the things that you’d like to have?’ and yes, you can,” said Gayle Roberts, president of Stanley Consultants. “Know that you can have it all as a female engineer, as a woman in your profession.”

Roberts has been selected to receive a Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering Award on Friday. The Citation recognizes alumni eminently known for their professional competence and creativity.

Perhaps more important than her success in her career is her success in creating a balanced life for herself. She lives at home with her Mr. Right and has two daughters and three stepsons.

“When I think about myself, I probably view myself more in the context of my family and my home life rather than as the president of Stanley Consultants,” Roberts said. “I’m more than just the president of Stanley Consultants. That’s just part of my role, even though that consumes most of my waking hours. A lot of hours I spend awake in the middle of the night as well, but I’ve got a great family. I’ve got a great husband. I have a strong faith.”

Roberts graduated from Iowa State in 1981 with a degree in chemical engineering.

“It’s pretty standard to honor our alumni, and Gayle is one of our most successful,” said Peter Reilly, member of the chemical and biological engineering departmental Honors and Awards Committee and distinguished professor in chemical and biological engineering.

The committee nominated Roberts for the Professional Achievement Citation Award because of her success in a male-dominated industry. Roberts is the only female president of a major international engineering firm in the United States.

Reilly knew Roberts as an ISU student 30 years ago.

“I didn’t have her in one of my classes, but I knew her pretty well,” Reilly said. “She was very mature and very on top of things. If you had to pick someone to succeed, she was the person.”

Roberts laughs as she reflects on her time at Iowa State. The ambition is still heard in her voice.

“When I was in engineering, I remember many times being the only female in the class. So you didn’t skip class, because the professors always knew your name. If they couldn’t think of anybody else to call on, they could always call on you,” Roberts said. “I enjoyed my time at Iowa State very much.”

Roberts came to Iowa State as a freshman in fall of 1976. She started out in the home economics college, because women in engineering in the late ’70s were almost unheard of.

“I started out in the home economics college rather than in engineering because I was not encouraged, really, to go into engineering, even though I had talked about it back when I was in high school,” Roberts said.

Eventually, a love for math and science drove her to switch to chemical engineering during her junior year.

“It took a little bit to get the confidence in my abilities to move to engineering, but I’m glad I made that move, made that leap. It would seem to others as kind of a big leap at the time,” Roberts said.

After Roberts graduated, in 1981, she took a position as a process engineer for Stanley Consultants. She worked her way through the ranks until she was elected president in 2007. Being president was never an ultimate goal for her. In fact, when she first took the job at Stanley Consultants she expected to be there three or four years before moving on to something different. However, as the years progressed she took advantage of opportunities, not because they advanced her career, but because they sounded fun, interesting and challenging.

Now Roberts spends most of her days working with business leaders and meeting with clients.

“I think what started out as a love for engineering and math has turned into a profession and an opportunity to make a difference in a lot of different aspects, just for the greater good,” Roberts said. “There’s a lot of days it would be fun just to go back and do some engineering, but I think it’s just been a progression. I enjoy the engineering part. I went into engineering because I liked math and science. It ended up being a degree and profession that really is more about making a difference.”

When it comes to women in engineering, Roberts has achieved the “American Dream” and proven that women can be happy with both their careers and home lives. She encourages female students in engineering to pursue their dreams as well.

“Raise your hand. Don’t wait for people to come ask you to do something. Have confidence in yourself and your abilities. Don’t make gender an issue. Just know you’re out there and you’ve got great talents to offer,” Roberts said. “I don’t believe there’s a glass ceiling.”