When Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Board of Trustees convenes in St. Louis later this week, the meeting will be called to order and presided over by its new president, Steven Wunning, a retired Caterpillar executive who was appointed to the position in April.

The board is comprised of Missouri S&T alumni and friends whose accomplishments, experiences, and interests help guide the future of the school. The board’s three-part mission entails counseling and advising the chancellor on means to enhance the university’s stature, interpreting the university’s goals and programs to its various constituents, and identifying and securing financial support.

“Steve is a trusted partner and a talented leader dedicated to elevating our university,” says Missouri S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani. “He’s widely respected and fully engaged in the work of our trustees, who serve our university as supporters in the truest sense of the word.” 

Wunning succeeds Susan Simmons, who joined the Board of Trustees in 2016 and became its president in 2022. She is stepping down from the presidency of the board and joining the Kummer Institute Foundation Board of Directors. Simmons earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Missouri S&T in 1984. She earned a master’s degree in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis in 1985. S&T honored her with a Professional Degree in chemical engineering in 2015. Simmons attributed her motivation to serve on Missouri S&T’s Board of Trustees to a desire to give back to the university on behalf of its future.

Wunning’s service to Missouri S&T includes sitting on the Engineering Advisory Board and the university’s Board of Trustees, which he joined 2008. He is the recipient of an Alumni Achievement Award. In 2017, in recognition of the role that the university played in his life and career, Wunning and his wife, Lyneve, established the Steven H. and Lyneve C. Wunning Scholarship Fund, a $1 million scholarship endowment at Missouri S&T. Wunning earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from S&T in 1973. In 1987 he earned an executive master of business administration from the University of Illinois. S&T honored him with a Professional Degree in metallurgical engineering in 2004.

“I’ve often joked that we need to get Sue Simmons an office on campus,” says Dehghani. “She thinks critically, builds trust and advocates relentlessly for this university. The breadth of her impact is unparalleled. I speak for our entire university in expressing gratitude for her ongoing service to Missouri S&T.”

Wunning joined Caterpillar in 1973. In 2015 he retired from the company as group president, a role in which he was responsible for its Resource Industries Group.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.