As the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education Dean’s Leadership Council, we are a core group of alumni and friends dedicated to helping the vice provost and dean strengthen the growth of the college, transform the student experience and improve the impact of faculty involvement. We provide support to the Dean’s Fund, strengthening the impact of philanthropy at the college-wide level, and help identify philanthropic opportunities with fellow alumni, corporations, and friends at S&T. Through our guidance, innovation, and financial commitment, we provide strong leadership to the vice provost and dean, as well as the College, and serve as inspiring role models to the university community.
The Dean’s Fund is used exclusively to fuel valuable support to the College. Resources go specifically toward College needs that align with the strategic plan such as scholarships and stipends for students, construction and renovation projects, equipment, conference travel for faculty and students, and research.
The Dean’s Leadership Council wants to recognize faculty who have made outstanding contributions to the academic, professional or personal growth of their undergraduate students. Starting in 2020, we will annually honor one CASE faculty member with the Dean’s Medal along with a financial award of at least $2,020 at our fall meeting.
Econ’77, retired from Burns and McDonnell
Kansas City, Missouri
Ted Kelly, Econ’77, is senior project manager of regulatory services at Burns & McDonnell, having joined the company in 1998. Ted earned a bachelor of science degree in economics with a minor in engineering management from Missouri S&T in 1977, and an MBA in utility regulation and management from Indiana University in 1983. He serves on the S&T Corporate Development Council and as an alumni ambassador. While at S&T, he played on the baseball team and was a leader in the Economics Club. Ted grew up in Branson, Missouri, and now lives in the Kansas City area. He and his wife, Carol, have two adult children — a daughter, Erin, who earned a Ph.D. in English from Rutgers University, where she now teaches; and a son, Doug, a 2010 computer engineering graduate of S&T who is now employed by a major Silicon Valley company. Ted was a registered state basketball official and coached youth sports teams for many years.
MgtSys’02, project manager at Cerner
Kansas City, Missouri
Cori Nelson, MgtSys’02, is a data analyst at Cerner and lives in Leawood, Kansas. While at Missouri S&T, she was a member of Kappa Delta, Student Council and Blue Key and was a peer educator with UMR TECHS (Teaching Encouraging Caring Helping Students). Cori grew up in Bosworth, Missouri. She and her husband, Derek, have three children. In their free time, they like to bicycle and ride motorcycles. Cori also volunteers with the youth program at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Overland Park, Kansas.
IST’10, manager of IT Systems at Boeing
St. Louis, Missouri
Carl Schmitz, IST’10, is an information technology manager at Boeing. He is from the St. Louis area and still lives there. He is the deputy executive focal for Boeing’s relationship with Missouri S&T. While at Missouri S&T, he helped establish the university’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda and was the chapter’s founding president. He served on the Career Opportunities and Employer Relations Advisory Council, the Business and Information Technology Student Advisory Board, was a student ambassador for the Center for Enterprise Resource Planning, and participated in an international ERP Simulation Competition. He is currently co-chair of the Miner Alumni Association’s New Alumni Council and a member of the Miner Alumni Association board of directors and the Order of the Golden Shillelagh. He also volunteers with the Youth & Family Center in downtown St. Louis. He received the Robert V. Wolf Alumni Service Award in 2015, and makes himself frequently present to students.
MBA’09, director of project management office at Brewer Science
Rolla, Missouri
Rachel Jung, MBA’09 earned a graduate certificate in enterprise resource planning in 2008. An information technology director at Brewer Science in Rolla, Missouri, she grew up in Washington, Missouri, and now lives in Rolla with her husband, Steven, also an S&T graduate, and their two young boys. While at S&T, Rachel was a founding member of the S&T MBA Association and worked for the biological sciences department’s cDNA Resource Center, handling the business side of operations. Rachel is a member of the Miner Alumni Association board of directors and enjoys hosting events for the Central Ozarks section. In 2012, Rachel initiated a photography and social media initiative, Uncover Rolla, that can be found on popular social media platforms and is still active today.
marketing & communications manager at Brewer Science
Rolla, Missouri
Nathan Ayres, MBA'16, is manager of marketing and communications at Brewer Science. Nathan earned bachelor of science degrees in nuclear engineering and engineering management from S&T in 2007. While at S&T, Nathan was a leader in the American Nuclear Society and Christian Campus Fellowship, as well as held a reactor operators license for the S&T nuclear research reactor on campus. Nathan currently serves on the Marketing Advisory Committee with Geared For Phelps and the Marketing Advisory Team for Rolla Technical Institute. He and his wife, Christina, who earned a masters degree in math from S&T, with their two children, Carissa and Noah, enjoy their hobby farm with their dogs, chickens, ducks, and Greta the goose.
CSci’85, COO of Diba Imports
St. Louis, Missouri
Diane Butrus, CSci’85, is chief operating officer of Diba Imports, a footwear distributor. She is from the St. Louis area and lives there now. A founding member of the S&T Academy of Miner Athletics, she played for the Lady Miner softball team as a student. Diane has served on the board of her condominium association for over three years, and was president for two of those years. She led the finance committee of Explore Transplant, a nonprofit organization committed to kidney transplant education. She spends most of her free time bicycling, and participates in multiple charity rides a year. She drives a Tesla Model S and says she is “thrilled to hear Rolla is getting a supercharging station!” Diane lives with her girlfriend, Me’Shel Riedel, and occasionally Me’Shel’s son Alex, who is a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis studying architecture.
ME’67, retired from Consolidated Edison Company of New York
Mike Evans, ME67, has good memories of his Rolla days when he was editor of the Rollamo and active in several student organizations. Upon graduation he worked for AT&T, then completed four years in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine program. Evans then joined Combustion Engineering and Kansas City Power and Light Co., where he was senior vice president and COO. From there he joined Consolidated Edison of New York for nine years and was president and COO. Evans then served as president and CEO of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations in Atlanta before retiring in 2004. Evans is a member of S&T’s Academy of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers and received an Award of Professional Distinction in 2004. He and his wife, Linda, established the Mike and Linda Evans Dean’s Endowed Scholarship Fund in 2019 to support Missouri students with financial needs in CASE or with dual majors in CASE and the College of Engineering and Computing.
Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus of history and political science
Rolla, Missouri
Larry Gragg is a Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus of history and political science at Missouri S&T. A native of Nevada, Missouri, he joined the history and political science department in 1977 and was chair of the department from 2003 to 2015. He is the recipient of 11 Outstanding Teaching Awards, four Faculty Excellence Awards, the Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the University of Missouri System President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the University of Missouri System's Thomas Jefferson Award. Larry holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Missouri. He and his wife, Doris, have one daughter, Julie.
Hist'85, major general for U.S. Air Force
Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
Maj. Gen. Samuel "Bo" Mahaney is a retired Air Force officer with 36 years of military service. Prior to retirement, he was Chief of Staff, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. His efforts enabled the AMC commander to provide rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces as well as provide humanitarian support at home and around the world. He enabled the 107,000 men and women of AMC to provide airlift, aerial refueling, special air mission, aeromedical evacuation, and mobility support. Maj. Gen. Mahaney was commissioned in July 1985 as a graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He has served as a B-52 electronic warfare officer, KC-10 aircraft commander, C-5 pilot, C-9A evaluator pilot, group and wing commander, and flew the C-17 and KC-135. He was last qualified as a C-40 pilot. He is a command pilot with more than 5,100 flying hours. In addition, he attended Harvard University as National Security Fellow, served on Capitol Hill as Georgetown Legislative Fellow and legislative liaison. He is a licensed attorney who has served on the faculty of Georgetown University Law Center and an adjunct professor. In retirement, Maj. Gen Mahaney is an author of historical fiction, novels, and peer review historical journal articles. His passion is for leadership education, working with teens and young adults to create a vision for their leadership role in the present and the future.
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