2026 AOY Honoree, W. A. Franke Honors College - Class of 1996
Benjamin Driggs is the chief commercial and strategy officer for Phoenix-based Honeywell Aerospace. He oversees enterprise strategy, mergers and acquisitions, venture investments, and commercial functions, including sales excellence, marketing, pricing and innovation. Throughout his 20-year Honeywell career, Ben has been recognized for transformational growth leadership, launching new technologies and forging strategic partnerships across the aviation, energy, logistics and smart infrastructure sectors. He has held executive roles on four continents, including serving as president and CEO of Honeywell’s high growth regions and president of the Connected Aircraft and Aerospace Americas businesses.
Before joining Honeywell, Ben was an associate principal at McKinsey & Company, advising global industrial clients on strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and operational transformation.
Ben earned his bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree from Oxford University, where he was a Swanson Scholar. At Arizona, he served as student body president and received the Nugent Medal, the university’s highest undergraduate honor. In 2014, he received the Spirit of Inquiry Award.
Deeply committed to education and community impact, Ben supports scholarships for first-generation college students and former foster youth. He also mentors in career advancement programs with Honeywell and the Flinn Foundation, and in 2025 he and his wife established the Ben and Andrea Driggs Honors Travel Quest Endowment to expand research travel opportunities for W.A. Franke Honors College students.
For his professional achievements and dedication to service, the University of Arizona is proud to name Benjamin Driggs the 2026 Alumnus of the Year for the W.A. Franke Honors College.
Meet the 2026 Alumni of the Year
Every year, the University of Arizona salutes a group of alumni for their achievements, public service, advocacy for education, volunteerism and service to students, the colleges and the university. Meet this year's award winners!