Three engineering management professionals with ties to Missouri S&T were inducted into the Missouri S&T Academy of Engineering Management on Thursday, Oct. 3, at Sybill’s St. James.

The academy, established at Missouri S&T in 2004, is an advisory group to the university’s engineering management and systems engineering department. New members are selected based on input from department faculty and development officers and voted on by the academy membership. 

The 2019 inductees are:

— Curt D. Hertel of Marco Island, Florida, co-founder of Power Supply Industries in Fenton, Missouri, earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and a master of science degree in engineering management from Missouri S&T in 1970 and 1971, respectively. As a graduate student at S&T, Hertel taught computer aided design (CAD) for three years. After graduation, he joined Nooter Corp. in St. Louis as a design engineer. Five years later, he became a sales engineer with Machine Maintenance. In 1983, Hertel and 1970 S&T engineering management graduate Jack Bertelsmeyer co-founded Power Supply Industries and later founded affiliate companies, including Equipment Leasing Co., Bi-State Compressor Co., Process Air Solutions and T&C Properties. Hertel is a member of the Compressor Distributors Association and is a 10-year member of its Education and Machine Committee. A member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity’s board of directors, he serves as alumni recruitment chair and was instrumental in the fundraising efforts to renovate the fraternity’s house on Pine Street in Rolla.

— Dr. Suzanna Long, chair and professor of engineering management and systems engineering at Missouri S&T, earned a bachelor of arts degree in history and a bachelor of science degree in physics in 1984, and master of science and Ph.D. degrees in engineering management in 2004 and 2007, respectively, all from Missouri S&T. She also earned a master of arts degree in history from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1988. Before joining the S&T faculty in 2008, Long served as director of continuing education at Pittsburg State University and head of the transportation-logistics area of the Plaster School of Business at Missouri Southern State University. She is a past president of the Society for Engineering and Management Systems, a part of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, and 2018-19 president and Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management and a past board member. Long’s research interests include critical infrastructure systems, strategic management, supply chain and transportation, systems management, organizational behavior and sociotechnical systems analysis, for which she has received national and international recognition. Long was named Missouri S&T Woman of the Year in 2016 for her efforts to improve the campus environment for women and minorities.

— Michael L. Potter of Lake Saint Louis, Missouri, partner and former vice president of Traube Industrial Systems, earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering management from Missouri S&T in 1969. His employment history includes positions at Schlumberger Oil, Wagner Brake and Forgy-Gorman Valve Co. Potter moved to Lake Saint Louis in 1992 and served in a variety of positions in the Lake Saint Louis Community Association until 2001, when he was elected mayor of the community. Potter served as mayor for 12 years, then was elected to the city’s board of alderman, where he continues to serve. Potter is a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and he and his wife, Jackie, are members of the Order of the Golden Shillelagh at Missouri S&T.