The opening plenary of the 2023 ABET Symposium will set the stage for discussions around the theme of resilience and what it will take to overcome today’s great challenges. Following a review of ABET’s impact over the past year and our future goals delivered by ABET President Dr. S. K. Ramesh, ABET CEO Dr. Michael Milligan will establish why the right combination of resilience, technical knowhow and our innate human need to progress and solve problems are grounds for future optimism. Our 2023 invited keynote speaker, Dr. Jenna Carpenter, Founding Dean of the Campbell University School of Engineering, will then present her views on resilience and specifically why she believes diversity and equality, especially for girls and women around the world, are absolutely critical to any kind of sustainable success.