Mentors

People who change the course of a life with one insightful comment.
People who change your life by who they are - I am so lucky to have been associated with them.

In my life, there have been many people who have been generous with their time, sharing their experience, lifting me up, and helping me make decisions when I am at crossroads.

Fred Shair: Chemical Engineering is more versatile than other disciplines
Glen Cass: You will succeed in whatever you choose to do/set your mind to do.  (I took it as a compliment at the time, but realized the universal truth about being passionate later.)
Mark Zahniser: It is not what you work on, but whom you work with that matters.
Christian Seigneur: I work faster when I am stressed.  I write more proposals when the backlog shrinks.
Frances Arnold: Energy is the place to be.
Nikki Blane: I never lived beyond a Senior Engineer's salary, everything else I invested.

Greg McRae: Reinventing oneself and chasing challenges/interests.  If you are good enough, rules can be bent (true for Greg, at least).
Kate Baty: optimism, ability to thrive under extreme uncertainty.
Carleton Miyamoto: acceptance of people, their strength and their flaw.

Rick Flagan: If you don't do research, you will have to work with people.  (I believed him and reinforced my choice about grad school.  He was wrong.  You always have to work with people.)