Alumni | Student Success

Dean’s Advisory Council hears update about College priorities, new building

October 23, 2023

Dean's Advisory Council
Pictured, from left, are Interim Dean Praveen Edara, DAC Member Ron Wood, DAC Co-Chair Jim Fitterling, DAC Member Christina Pierson, DAC Member Jim O’Neill, and DAC Member David Payne. Not pictured are DAC Co-Chair Chih-Hsiang (Thompson) Lin, and DAC Members Mike Brown, Steve Edwards, Brian Howard,
Kelly King, Ray Kowalik, Sharon Langenbeck and Michael Melton.

Mizzou 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 Dean鈥檚 Advisory Council (DAC) met Friday, Oct. 20, to discuss priorities and ongoing projects.

Interim Dean Praveen Edara outlined the College鈥檚 strategic goals, including growing enrollment, launching new degree programs, increasing industry engagement and leveraging existing programs and resources on campus.

The group also saw the latest developments around a new Energy Innovation Center, a building project in partnership with the College of Arts & Science and College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources. The 180,000-square-foot building will house interdisciplinary researchers with focus on nuclear energy, hydrogen, renewables, energy storage, and grid security and resilience.

Comprised of some of the College鈥檚 most prestigious alumni, the DAC provides industry expertise and guidance to Mizzou 糖心Vlog传媒.

鈥淭his group is really one of Mizzou 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 greatest assets,鈥 Edara said. 鈥淭hey are leaders in their fields and bring a wealth of expertise and experience to the table to ensure our programs best meet the needs of both students and employers. I鈥檓 grateful for their time and insights.鈥

The DAC also attended a celebration honoring , B.S. CE 鈥68, who was inducted into the Mizzou Hall of Fame during Mizzou Homecoming festivities. Mr. Riney is the founder of Scottrade.

Co-chairs of the Dean鈥檚 Advisory Council are:

  • Jim Fitterling, B.S. ME 鈥83, Chair & CEO of Dow Inc.
  • Chih-Hsiang (Thompson) Lin, B.S. ME 鈥83; M.S. EE 鈥90; Ph.D. EE 鈥93, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI)

Members of the Dean鈥檚 Advisory Council are:

  • Mike Brown, B.S. EE 鈥79 (MS from UMKC 鈥97), Chairman, President & CEO of Euronet Worldwide
  • Steve Edwards, B.S. EE 鈥78, retired as CEO of Black & Veatch
  • Brian Howard, B.A. Bio Sci 鈥86 (M.D. from University of Rochester, MBA from Emory University), retired as President and Owner of North Fulton Plastic Surgery
  • Kelly King, B.S. M.E. 鈥90 (M.B.S. from Saint Louis University), Executive Vice President of AT&T
  • Ray Kowalik, B.S. Civil 鈥85; M.S. Civil 鈥99, CEO of Burns & McDonnell
  • Sharon Langenbeck, B.S. M.E. 鈥74; M.S. 鈥76; Ph.D. 鈥79, retired as NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Project Element Manager
  • Michael Melton, B.S. EE 鈥81; J.D. 鈥84, Founder, President & CEO of MEM Enterprises Group
  • Jim O鈥橬eill, B.S. Civil 鈥81; M.S. Civil 鈥82, retired as President, Boeing Defense Space and Security Development and St. Louis Senior Executive of Boeing
  • David Payne, B.S. EE 鈥83, CEO of PayneCrest Electric and Communications
  • Christine Pierson, B.S. IE 鈥85 (MBA from Rockhurst University), CEO of LTA Manufacturing
  • Ron Wood, B.S. EE 鈥64, retired as President & CEO of Black & Veatch

Learn more about alumni involvement at Mizzou 糖心Vlog传媒.