Fourteen people with ties to the University of Missouri-Rolla will be honored during the MSM-UMR Alumni Association’s Awards Banquet Saturday, Oct. 21, at UMR.
The awards banquet is held in conjunction with UMR’s Homecoming celebration. Award recipients include:
Alumni Achievement Award – Daniel Cole of St. Louis is a senior vice president with Ameren Corp. Cole earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from UMR in 1975 and a master’s degree in engineering management from UMR in 1976. He directs a range of key business and corporate services for Ameren, including information technology, purchasing, and environmental and safety services. Cole joined Union Electric, now known as AmerenUE, in 1976 as an engineer at the Callaway Nuclear Plant.
Alumni Achievement Award – James Lucas of Shawnee Mission, Kan., is president and chief executive officer of Luman Consultants International Inc. Lucas graduated from UMR with a bachelor’s degree in engineering management in 1972. A recognized authority on leadership and organizational development, Lucas is an experienced consultant and public speaker. He founded Luman Consultants in 1983. The company is dedicated to developing high-performance leaders, teams and organizations.
Alumni Achievement Award – Peter Sauer of Urbana, Ill., is the Grainger Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois. Sauer earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UMR in 1969. He also holds a professional degree from UMR. Sauer teaches courses and directs research on power systems and electric machines at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he co-founded the Power Systems Engineering Research Center. He joined the University of Illinois faculty in 1977.
Alumni Merit Award – Russell Flye of Pasco, Wash., is Fluor Corp.’s deputy engineering manager for the K-Basin Closure Project at Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Richland, Wash. Flye earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UMR in 1971. He serves as national committee chair and university chapter advisor to the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He also mentors African American students in middle school and high school.
Alumni Merit Award – Rollie Johnson of Chesterfield, Mo., is founder, president and retired chief executive officer of Rollie Johnson Inc. Johnson, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at UMR in 1962, excelled as a manufacturing representative of commercial heating and air-conditioning systems. With his sons, who are all UMR graduates, Johnson founded Systems Enhancement Corp. to provide software for uninterruptible computer power supplies and Electronic Support Products to distribute the related hardware. Johnson is active with Pi Kappa Alpha.
Alumni Merit Award – Philip Jozwiak of St. Louis is vice president of transportation and infrastructure for Geotechnology Inc. Jozwiak earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UMR in 1966. Geotechnology Inc. is a geotechnical and environmental engineering consulting firm. Jozwiak is responsible for the overall direction and completion of the firm’s large-scale projects, including airports, military bases and treatment plants. Jozwiak was awarded a professional degree by UMR in 2000.
Robert V. Wolf Alumni Service Award – J. Richard Hunt of Carbondale, Colo., is the retired founder of J. Richard Hunt and Associates, a worldwide geophysical consulting business serving the petroleum industry. Hunt earned a mining engineering degree from UMR in 1950. He began his career at Stanolind Oil and Gas Co. Then he helped form Empire Geophysical, which eventually merged into Teledyne Exploration. Hunt served as vice president at Teledyne. Later, he formed J. Richard Hunt and Associates. He volunteers in professional, community and UMR-based organizations.
Distinguished Young Alumnus Award – Michael Fox of St. Louis is a partner with Accenture, a global management consulting, technology and outsourcing company. Fox, who earned a chemical engineering degree from UMR in 1990, leads Accenture’s products group in St. Louis. He supports UMR through the School of Management and Information Systems advisory board and the Corporate Development Council.
Distinguished Young Alumnus Award – Jeffrey Seaman of Brownstown, Mich., is a lead calibration engineer with Ford Motor Co. Seaman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UMR in 2000, is responsible for delivering a unique engine calibration that allows 2007 Ford trucks (F250 and F350) to meet federal emissions requirements, customer fuel economy targets and vehicle performance objectives. Seaman actively supports the alumni association at UMR.
Frank Mackaman Volunteer Service Award – H. Pat Duvall of Seattle, now retired, was director of certification at Boeing, where he specialized in fire protection systems and supervised groups responsible for airplane cargo and interior furnishings, among other things. He was also a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. Duvall, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UMR in 1962, has long been active in the UMR-MSM Alumni Association.
Outstanding Student Advisor Award – Dr. Diana Ahmad is an associate professor of history and political science at UMR. Ahmad teaches courses on the history of the American West, the age of Jefferson and Jackson, the Pacific Islands and modern East Asia. In addition, she is the MSM-UMR archivist and serves as advisor to nearly half of her department’s students. She also advises the History Club, Phi Alpha Theta and a UMR martial arts club.
Outstanding Student Advisor Award – Dr. Ronald Frank is an associate professor of biological sciences at UMR. Frank teaches evolution, general genetics and molecular genetics courses. He is the primary freshman advisor to biological sciences and biology/education majors. Frank also advises upperclassmen who plan to pursue graduate studies in molecular genetics.
Outstanding Student Advisor Award – Jacques Pierre Fransaw is the coordinator of UMR’s Minority Engineering and Science Program. Fransaw, who earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from UMR in 2004, has revamped the MEP website and merged the MEP Summer Enrichment Program with the Hit the Ground Running Program, creating one pre-college experience.
Outstanding Student Advisor Award – Matt Johnson is the faculty advisor to the Kappa Alpha Order at UMR. Johnson, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science at UMR, has advised the Beta Alpha chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order since 2004. He earned a master’s degree in computer science at UMR in 2000.
Additional awards are yet to be announced. The general public is invited to the banquet, which is hosted by the MSM-UMR Alumni Association. Tickets are required for the banquet, which includes dinner. For more information, contact the MSM-UMR Alumni Association at 573-341-4145.