Missouri University of Science and Technology awarded 10 honorary professional degrees during commencement on Saturday, Dec. 18.

The professional degree recipients are:

Jeffrey Lee Feaster
Jeffrey Feaster, vice president of engineering at NCI Building Systems in Houston, earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1977. Feaster began his career in consulting engineering with Crane and Fleming in Hannibal, Mo., and then moved to Black & Veatch in Kansas City, Mo. in 1978. In 1983, Feaster joined Butler Manufacturing Co. as a project engineer. He became manager of custom buildings in 1986 and then engineering manager of the Northeast Region in 1988, when he was transferred to Hershey, Penn. In 2001, he was named director of builder services. Feaster left Butler in 2005 to join NCI Building Systems, which provides metal buildings and components throughout the U.S. and Canada. He is a member of S&T’s Academy of Civil Engineering and the Kappa Sigma fraternity.

Karen Squires Foelsch
Karen Squires Foelsch earned a bachelor of science degree in computer science from Missouri S&T in 1989. Foelsch is senior vice president of digital fulfillment services for the assessment and information group of Pearson, the global leader in education and education technology. Her work spans services for K-16 assessment planning, editorial support, digital content development and product requirements, and delivery management. Foelsch provides overall financial and business management of test, measurement and research services (TMRS) and brings more than 20 years of business management experience to a team of more than 500 people. She is responsible for the TMRS budget, organizational structure, staffing levels, recruitment and development of business processes. Foelsch, who is based in Iowa City, Iowa, is past president of S&T’s Academy of Computer Science.

Gregory L. Hempen
Gregory Hempen earned a Ph.D. in geological engineering from Missouri S&T in 1993 after earning a bachelor’s degree from St. Louis University and a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. Currently a part-time consultant for the St. Louis office of URS Corp., Hempen retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2006. He continues to conduct research in the areas of underwater blast mitigation and impacts from Central U.S. earthquakes. The probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of Wappapello Dam, which he led, was the first ever taken by the Corps. Hempen served on the board of Missouri’s Dam and Reservoir Safety Council from 1988-1993. He also served on the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission from 1994-2010 and was the commission’s first chairman. He is involved in the U.S. Geological Survey’s St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazard Mapping project and with several professional societies. Hempen has taught classes at S&T, Washington University, St. Louis University and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

Mark Paul Jordan
Mark Jordan is vice president and chief information officer for Furniture Brands in Clayton, Mo. Prior to joining Furniture Brands, Jordan was at Monsanto Co. from 1993 to September of 2010, most recently as vice president of business operations and information technology for the Global Vegetable Division. While at Monsanto, he served in roles of increasing responsibility, including associate vice president of enterprise applications, senior director of program services, IT director for Northern Europe and IT research and development lead for Europe-Africa. Jordan earned an MBA from Cranfield University School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Webster University. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Army with service in Germany, the U.S. and Southwest Asia during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Mary C. Lamie
Mary Lamie earned a master of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1998 after earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Lamie is deputy director of highways in region five for the Illinois Department of Transportation. Region five consists of 27 counties, 3,300 state highway miles and 1,700 bridges. Lamie is responsible for the development and implementation of the region’s $2 billion transportation program, including the new St. Louis Mississippi River Bridge, the 37-mile Gateway Connector and Interstate 57 reconstruction.

Ricky Lynn Martin
Ricky Martin earned a bachelor of science degree in metallurgical engineering from Missouri S&T in 1982 and a master of science degree in engineering management from S&T in 1984. Martin is the enterprise manager of Boeing’s multi-site metallic materials and processes technology team. He supervises a team of 90 technologists at Boeing’s major sites, while managing a $30 million portfolio of research and development projects. He is also Boeing’s functional manager for metallurgy, joining and metals assembly, responsible for staffing assignments and skills development for 250 employees. Prior Boeing positions included enterprise manager of the multi-site fabrication technology team; St. Louis department manager for materials, processes and physics engineering; and senior manager of metallic processes development in the Phantom Works division. He has also worked for McDonnell Douglas and United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney aircraft division. Martin holds nine U.S. patents. He is a member of the Beta Sigma Psi fraternity.

Stephen H. McVeigh
Stephen McVeigh earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1972. After 32 years of service, he retired from Shell Oil in 2004. From 2000 to 2004, McVeigh served as CEO for Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., an upstream joint venture in Russia. Prior to joining Sakhalin, he was vice president of production for Shell’s domestic oil and gas operations. He also served on the board of directors for Enterprise Products and Enventure Global Technologies. From 1996-98, McVeigh was chief operating officer of Altura Energy, a Shell-Amoco-BP upstream partnership. He currently serves on the advisory board of Celerant Consulting Co. At S&T, McVeigh was a four-year letterman on the varsity football team and served as Student Brigade Commander of the Army ROTC unit. He received the Alumni Achievement Award in 2000.

John Robert Miller
John Miller, chief operating officer of Juneau Exploration, earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees in geology and geophysics from Missouri S&T in 1982 and 1984, respectively. After college, Miller began his career in the oil and gas industry as a seismic interpreter for Tenneco Oil. While working for a number of small and mid-sized independent oil and gas companies, he generated prospects that resulted in the drilling of more than 100 wells in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore Texas. Two of Miller’s discoveries are among the largest found on the shelf of the Gulf of Mexico in the last 20 years. Oil and Gas Investor magazine named the Dutch and Mary Rose field its “Best Discovery of the Year” in 2007.

Michael Joseph Mohan
Michael Mohan earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering management from Missouri S&T in 1983. He also holds an MBA from Pepperdine University. Currently an independent technical consultant, Mohan was president, CEO and founder of Silicon MAGIKE, which was acquired by Silicon Labs Semiconductor in 2005. He previously worked for Motorola Superconductor and Maxim Integrated Products. Mohan is also a photographer and realtor. He has served on the Austin (Texas) Zoo Board of Directors for 10 years and was a member of the One World Theatre Board for five years.

Albert Bruce Neil
Bruce Neil is president and CEO of The Doe Run Co., a global provider of premium metals and services. Prior to becoming president and CEO in 2006, Neil was president of Doe Run Peru. He joined the parent company in 1998 as operations manager of the smelter in Glover, Mo., and later became general manager of the facility. Before coming to Doe Run, he held positions with ASARCO in Nebraska and Missouri, Timminco in Ontario, and Noranda Inc. in Quebec and New Brunswick. Neil earned a degree in metallurgical engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He has been a featured speaker at international trade conferences, recently presenting at the International Lead Conference in London and the Asian Lead and Zinc Conference in Shanghai.