Michael Sears of Lake Forest, Ill., executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Boeing Co. and a University of Missouri-Rolla engineering management graduate, will receive the "Engineering Manager of the Year" award at the national conference of the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM), to be held Oct. 15-18 in St. Louis.

"The award recognizes high achievement and substantial contributions by individuals with engineering or scientific backgrounds," says Dr. Henry Wiebe, vice provost for UMR Global and conference general chair. "Mike, in his role as chief financial officer of The Boeing Co., has certainly met these requirements and demonstrated his ability in helping to lead his company through some tumultuous economic times."

Previous recipients of the award, established in 1986, have included John Sununu, White House chief of staff; John Mayo, president of AT&T Labs; and Phil Condit, president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Co.

The 24th annual conference, "Managing Technology in a Dynamic Word," is co-sponsored by UMR and the ASEM. "This conference is a mixture of academics — professors and students — and working engineers," says Dr. Hal Nystrom, associate professor of engineering management at UMR and technical program chair. "This is the best networking opportunity within the discipline of engineering management."

Approximately 130 research and practical training presentations will be made during the conference’s 39 technical sessions. "Nineteen presentations will be made by UMR students," adds Nystrom.

Featured keynote and luncheon speakers include retired Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard, president and chief executive officer of The Ravens Group, Washington, D.C.; Daniel Cole, president of Ameren/Energy Resources Company, Ameren Energy and AmerenEnergy Generating Co.; and Dr. Gregory A. Sedrick, president of The New Economy Institute.

Also at the meeting, attendees will tour the facilities of the Monsanto Co. and The Boeing Co.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit www.asem.org/natconf.html .

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www.asem.org/natconf.html