Twelve professionals with ties to Missouri University of Science and Technology were inducted into the Missouri S&T Academy of Civil Engineers during the academy’s induction ceremony, which was Thursday, April 19, at Hasselmann Alumni House.

The academy recognizes outstanding alumni for their professional achievement and success, and it provides support and experience to help the civil, architectural and environmental engineering department at Missouri S&T to reach its collective mission and vision.

New members are:

Dr. Joel Burken of Rolla, Missouri, Curators’ Distinguished Professor and chair of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri S&T. Burken earned bachelor of science, master of science and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Iowa. He joined S&T as an assistant professor in 1997. He has served as coordinator of the environmental engineering program, which became an undergraduate degree in the department, and was director of the Environmental Research Center. His numerous national awards include the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) Science Award 2017, being named Fellow in the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), and twice receiving the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Rudolph Hering Medal for most valuable research contribution in environmental engineering. He is the recipient of seven Faculty Excellence Awards at S&T, the Miner Alumni Association’s Alumni Merit Award and the Academy’s Joe Senne Award for Outstanding Professor. He served as president of the AEESP board of directors and is currently on the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board.

Dr. Norm Dennis of Fayetteville, Arkansas, senior associate dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas, earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees from Missouri S&T in 1971 and 1973, respectively. He also holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. An ROTC student at S&T, Norm was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army and retired 24 years later as academy professor and director of civil engineering design for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He had assignments and built facilities in 23 foreign countries and on every continent except Antarctica. After retirement, he joined the University of Arkansas as a professor of civil engineering. In 2015, he moved to the College of Engineering dean’s office, where he serves as senior associate dean of engineering. A Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers and ASEE, he is a past president of the Society of Military Engineers and has served as a Chi Epsilon faculty advisor for 18 years. A member of the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering, Norm is the recipient of the Chi Epsilon James Robbins Award for Teaching, ASEE’s George Wadlin Award for Service ASCE’s Excellence in Education Award, and the Army Engineer Association’s DeFleury Medal.

Dr. John E. Finke of St. Louis, manager of the structures department for Jacobs Engineering Group, earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1989 and a doctor of engineering degree in 2016, both from Missouri S&T. He also holds a master of science degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Finke started his career with Missouri Department of Transportation in the St. Louis construction office, then moved to the bridge office in Jefferson City. He was involved with the construction of the Route 370 Discovery Bridge over the Missouri River. In 1995, he joined Booker Associates as a structural engineer, where he continued to be involved in the design of numerous bridges for MoDOT. Finke joined Jacobs Engineering Group in St. Louis in 2000 as a structural engineer in the bridge department. He has held his current position since 2006. Finke is a member or past chair of numerous technical and professional societies, including the ASCE Structures and Earthquake groups, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the Structural Engineers Association of Kansas and Missouri. In 2008, he was named ASCE St. Louis Chapter Engineer of the Year. He has also taught evening engineering classes at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Marsia Geldert-Murphey of Belleville, Illinois, chief operating officer of W. James Taylor Inc., earned a bachelor of science degree from South Dakota State University in 1992 and a master of science degree from Missouri S&T in 1997, both in civil engineering. She started her career with the Illinois Department of Transportation in Collinsville, Illinois, focused on construction and geotechnical engineering. She served on the field team that supervised the construction of the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Alton. Geldert-Murphey then entered private practice and rose to the level vice president at SCI Engineering Inc., then co-founded the 100 percent women-owned Kaskaskia Engineering Group, which grew from two employees to 45 in five years. She is an advisory board member at the South Dakota State University civil engineering department and St. Louis University’s Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology. She is the current Region 7 director of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a member of ASCE’s board of directors. She holds NEPA and Transportation Decision making Process Certification and Context Sensitive Solutions Certification and has received the 2016 ASCE Edmund Friedman Professional Recognition Award, the 2010 St. Louis Most Influential Business Woman Award, the 2010 Smart Women, Smart Money — Women on the Rise Award and the 1997 ASCE St. Louis Section Young Engineer of the Year Award.

Stephanie Hall of St. Louis, program director for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s N2W Project, earned bachelor of science degrees in economics and civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1990 and 1997, respectively. During her 20-plus-year career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, she has risen to program manager of the new $1 billion western regional headquarters proposed for construction in north St. Louis. The N2W Project is the responsibility of the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hall is responsible for planning, design, procurement and construction oversight, and contract management. Prior to the NGA project, Hall held positions with several Corps districts, in Germany supporting U.S. European Commands, in Afghanistan as deputy chief of engineering and construction, and the Corps’ Hurricane Protection Office in New Orleans. She has received the Superior Civilian Service Award, the Bronze Order of the DeFleury Medal and the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service.

Jeffrey Martin of Kansas City, the city engineer for Kansas City, earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1996. Martin began his career in the public works department for the city of Kansas City and has worked his way through various positions of increasing responsibility. He was named city engineer in 2015. A member and past president of the Kappa Alpha Order, Martin is a member of the American Public Works Association, Standards and Specifications Committee, the FHWA Infrastructure Committee of Missouri Coalition of Roadway Safety, the Missouri Department of Transportation Local Public Agency Committee and has been a presenter at the American Public Works Association National Congress. He is an Eagle Scout and is involved in the Boy Scouts of America Pack 214, is a Liberty Parks and Recreation assistant youth baseball coach, a member of the St. James Catholic School Dad’s Committee and the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce Planning and Development Committee.

Dale Merrell of Hillsboro, Oregon, senior civil engineer for CIDA Inc., earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1967. After graduation, he worked for the state of Washington Department of Transportation, then moved to Alaska for 21 years to work on the North Slope for British Petroleum, as manager and chief engineer for the city of Anchorage’s water and wastewater utility, and as a partner in a consulting engineering firm. Merrell moved back to Washington to serve as manager for an electric utility company, then served as senior civil engineer with a consulting engineering firm. He has taught an advanced placement engineering high school class in Beaverton, Oregon, for many years, serving as a teacher and mentor to 254 high school students, encouraging them to pursue a career in engineering.

Dr. Chris Pantelides of Salt Lake City, Utah, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Utah, earned master of science and Ph.D. degrees from Missouri S&T in 1983 and 1987, respectively. Pantelides started his academic career as assistant professor of civil engineering at Missouri S&T then became assistant professor at the University of Utah where he was promoted to professor in 2002. He has supervised 14 Ph.D. and 34 master’s students and has published 115 articles in professional journals, 69 technical reports and 170 conference proceedings publications. He holds four patents. Pantelides received over 10 honors or awards including Engineering Educator of the Year from the Consulting Engineers Council of Utah in 1988 and 1989. An ACI Fellow, he has been active in several professional and technical organizations such as a voting member of the ACI Committee on Performance Based Seismic Design of Concrete Buildings, the Joint ACI ASCE Committee on Joints and Connections in Monolithic Concrete Structures, and the Committee on Seismic Design and Performance of Bridges. He also serves as editor of the international journal Construction and Building Materials.

Brian Satterthwaite of St. Louis, president of Brinkmann Constructors, earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1989. He joined Brinkmann Constructors as a project engineer in 1994 and moved through the ranks to become president in 2010. He leads all day-to-day business operations and corporate strategic planning. With more than 28 years of experience in the construction industry, Satterthwaite has directed and managed construction projects across the country, ranging from large-scale retail and healthcare projects to luxury living and industrial projects. In addition to his work at Brinkmann, he actively participates in Young Presidents Organization, Junior Achievement, and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Professionally, he is active in the Associated General Contractors of Missouri as a member of its Education Foundation Board. In 2015, he was named Outstanding Professional Engineer in Construction by the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers.

Dr. William Schonberg of Rolla, honorary member, professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Princeton University and master of science and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from Northwestern University in 1983 and 1986, respectively. Schonberg joined the S&T faculty as chair of civil, architectural and environmental engineering in 1999 and held that position until 2015. Today he is professor and assistant chair for distance education and remote programs. During his 16 years as chair, the department grew from 353 to 542 students, alumni phonathon support increased from about $33,000 to $120,000 per year, undergraduate scholarships from 39 to 77, full-time faculty grew from 16 to 25. He also spent a year as interim dean, overseeing S&T’s administrative change that eliminated the dean structure. Schonberg’s research focuses on micrometeoroid and orbital debris damage response and protection … in other words, knowing the position of space junk and protecting against it. He received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Hypervelocity Impact Society and two Honor Awards from NASA’s Engineering and Safety Center. He is a Fellow in both ASCE and ASME. In 2007, he received the Manuel Pacheco Academic Leadership Award from the University of Missouri System, which honors an academic administrator who exemplifies outstanding academic leadership. He has authored numerous refereed journal publications, conference presentations and technical committee reports.

Raymond Webb of Kansas City, Missouri, head of the Operation Green Light for Mid-America Regional. Council, earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering at Missouri S&T in 1989 and began his career with the Missouri Department of Transportation. Webb progressed through various engineering assignments with MoDOT to become the KC scout director, supervising 42 people with varying backgrounds. A highlight of his career was the successful implementation of the KC Scout Freeway Management System, the largest first-time freeway system deployment in the country. Webb worked on the design and construction of the project and went on to be the director to launch the operations. He is currently the head of the Operation Green Light for Mid America Regional Council. As the traffic operations manager for the Mid-America Regional Council, Webb led the Operation Green Light program into the operations phase of real-time operations of over 700 traffic signals in the Kansas City Metropolitan region.

Dale Williams of Overland Park, Kansas, vice president and project director for Black & Veatch’s oil and gas business, earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1972 and 1973, respectively. Williams retired from Black & Veatch as vice president and project director after a 42-year career that included successfully managing EPC international and domestic projects up to $500 million in the oil and gas industry, including the $6 billion LNG facility. He served as both active and reserve officer in the U.S. Army and attained the rank of first lieutenant. After a few years as a field cost and progress engineer for Brown and Root, he joined The Pritchard Corp. in Kansas City as an estimator and cost engineer. He then transitioned into project management for Pritchard/Black & Veatch where he managed domestic EPC projects in the range of $20 to $60 million. Then Williams was appointed vice president and manager of Black & Veatch Oil and Gas Project Controls for both domestic and international projects, then moved back to project management and into the role of vice president and project director.