Seven engineering management professionals were honored by the University of Missouri-Rolla when they were inducted into UMR’s Academy of Engineering Management Thursday, Sept. 29.

The academy is composed of UMR engineering management graduates who have distinguished themselves in their career, profession or through public service. The inductees were selected based on input from the engineering management and systems engineering department and a recommendation of the academy membership committee.

“We wanted our members to be strongly committed to the department and good representatives of the type of people we want in our academy,” says Dr. William Daughton, chair of the engineering management department at UMR.

Inducted were:

— Daniel F. Cole of St. Louis, senior vice president of Ameren Corp. Cole earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering management from UMR in 1975 and 1976, respectively. Cole joined AmerenUE as an engineer after graduating from UMR and has held several positions with the company over the years. A registered professional engineer in Missouri and Illinois, Cole accepted his current position in 1999.

— Jeffery L. Cook of Webster Groves, Mo., cofounder and chief executive officer of ARCO Construction Co. Cook earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1983 and a master’s degree in engineering management from UMR in 1994. He started his career as a field construction engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation. From 1985 to 1992, he worked for R.W. Murray Co. as estimator to the vice president. Cook and fellow UMR graduate Dick Arnoldy then co-founded several companies, including the ARCO Construction Co. in 1992, ARCO Design/Build Construction Co. in 1996, ARCO Beverage Group in 1997 and ARCO National Construction Co. in 2000.

— Madison Daily of Rolla, Mo., emeritus professor at UMR. Daily earned a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1954 and a master’s degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1958. He served 25 years in the Air Force before retiring as a colonel in 1979. He received his doctoral degree in engineering management from UMR in 1984 and joined the university’s faculty that same year, retiring as an emeritus professor in 1999.

— Helene Hardy Pierce of Newton, N.J., director of contractor services for GAF Materials Corp. Pierce earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from UMR in 1983. She worked for Tamko Roofing Products for 19 years, starting as a co-op engineer as a student. Pierce accepted her current position in 2000.

— James R. Lucas of Shawnee Mission, Kan., president and chief executive officer for Luman Consultants International. Lucas earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from UMR in 1972. The author of 13 books, Lucas founded his consulting firm in 1983. He has served as a professor in the School of Professional Studies at Rockhurst University and is a senior faculty member of the American Management Association.

— Geoffrey J. Steinhart of St. Louis, vice president of engineering for brewing operations and technology at Anheuser-Busch. Steinhart earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from UMR in 1979 and a master of business administration from Southern Illinois University in 1982. He started with Anheuser-Busch in 1982 and has a broad background in engineering in the development and installation of new and existing technologies.

— Ken Williams of West Bloomfield, Mich., manufacturing director of automatic transmission operations for Ford Motor Co. Williams received a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from UMR in 1971. With more than 34 years in the automotive industry, Williams has managed operations in Canada, Europe and the United States. He has hands-on expertise in vehicle assembly, engine manufacturing and transmission manufacturing.