College of Engineering alumni, faculty, staff and guests gathered Saturday, April 12, to induct two new members into the college's Hall of Fame and recognize 19 graduates with Distinguished Alumni and Early Career Alumni Awards.

The formal event featured dinner and an awards ceremony led by Dean Kim Needy and co-hosts Sharon McGee and Todd Kitchen, with remarks by Terry Martin, provost and executive vice chancellor for academics, at the Rogers Convention Center. McGee is chair of the college's Dean's Advisory Council and Kitchen is chair of the Early Career Advisory Council.

"It's with great pride and heartfelt gratitude that we honor our distinguished and early career alumni. Their achievements inspire our students, elevate our institution and exemplify the impact of engineering in shaping a better world," Needy said. "We celebrate their leadership and look forward to their continued contributions."

The two new inductees to the Hall of Fame were John English (B.S.E.E. '81, M.S.O.R. '82), former dean of the college and retired professor of industrial engineering, and Jeffery Sanders (B.S.E.E. '69), founder and president of UHU Technologies.

Sanders previously was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011. 

English was dean of the college and Irma F. and Raymond F. Giffels Endowed Chair in Engineering 2013-2020 during a time the college saw significant enrollment growth and set records for its research enterprise. Previous to that, he served as department head of industrial engineering 2000-2007 after joining the department as an assistant professor in 1991. He also was dean of engineering at Kansas State University 2007-2013.

Sanders has worked in signal intelligence since his graduation from U of A. In 1992, he founded Eclipse Electronic Systems, which grew over 18 years to 145 employees and $45 million in annual revenue. After selling that business, he became interested in GPS navigation challenges and founded UHU Technologies, which develops precision navigation technologies for both retail and U.S. Department of Defense needs.

Distinguished Alumni

Nine graduates were honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards:

• Daniel C. Apon, B.S.B.A. 2008, M.S.C.S.E. 2011; lead of cryptography, MITRE Corporation
• Timothy Ferguson, B.S.M.E. 1998; vice president and distinguished engineering fellow, Kratos Defense
• Bradley Gentry, B.S.E.E. 1988, M.S.E.E. 2000; founder and CEO, Gentry Professional Services
• Becky Womack Keogh, B.S.Ch.E. 1979; state infrastructure coordinator, Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration
• Brett Peters, B.S.I.E. 1987; dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Patrick Schueck, B.S.C.E. 1997; president and CEO, Lexicon Inc.
• Matt Stone, M.S.O.M. 2006; state senator, Arkansas
• Christopher Wright, B.S.CompSystems.E. 1999; co-founder and lead security engineer, Sullivan Wright Technologies
• Rodney Wright, B.S.Ag.E. 1982, M.S.Ag.E. 1984; state water management engineer, Natural Resources Conservation Service

Early Career Alumni Awards

Another 10 graduates received Early Career Alumni Awards:

• Jordan Baumberger, B.S.M.E. 2009, M.S.O.M. 2024; senior project manager, Entergy
• Eric C. Boles, B.S.B.E. 2010, M.S.B.E. 2014; director, U of A Office for Sustainability
• J. Andrew Dominick III, B.S.Ch.E. 2015; in-house counsel and director of international sales, Marshalltown Company
• Jonathan Kerby, B.S.C.E. 2013; shareholder and vice president, Kimley-Horn and Associates
• Will Mangrum, B.S.I.E. 2010; vice president of operations, Hytrol Conveyor Company
• Michaela W. (Mertz) McCrary, B.S.Bm.E. 2015; technology transfer and patent specialist, National Cancer Institute
• Blake Puryear, B.S.C.S. 2012; director of product, ReCharge
• Brian Russell, B.S.Cmp.E. 2010; product manager, Meta
• Daniel Schwartz, B.S.E.E. 2016, M.S.E.E. 2018; lead electrical engineer, U.S. Department of Energy
• Corey S. Thompson, B.S.M.E. 2008, M.S.M.E. 2011, Ph.D. 2014; chief technology officer, Pellucere

More information about past honorees is available on pages dedicated to the College of Engineering's Hall of Fame, Distinguished Alumni and Early Career Alumni.

---

About the College of Engineering: The University of Arkansas College of Engineering is the state's largest engineering school, offering graduate and undergraduate degrees, online studies and interdisciplinary programs. It enrolls nearly 4,500 students and employs more than 150 faculty and researchers. Its research enterprise generated $46 million in new research awards and $48 million in research expenditures in Fiscal 2024. The college's strategic plan, Vision 2035, seeks to build the premier STEM workforce in accordance with three key objectives: Initiating lifelong student success, generating transformational and relevant knowledge, and becoming the destination of choice among educators, students, staff, industry, alumni and the community. As part of this, the college is increasing graduates and research productivity to expand its footprint as an entrepreneurial engineering platform serving Arkansas and the world. The college embraces its pivotal role in driving economic growth, fueling innovation and educating the next generation of engineers, computer scientists and data scientists to address current and future societal challenges.