March 18, 2022
Don Flora, Jeffrey Kline and Scott Vollet, all members of the IMSE Hall of Fame, spoke to students during a mentorship panel this week.
Mizzou Engineering students this week heard first-hand accounts of how industrial engineering opens doors to a wide range of career paths.
Don Flora, MS IE ’68, Jeffrey Kline, BS IE ’79, and Scott Vollet, BS IE ’87, spoke to students at an Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) Hall of Fame Mentoring Panel on March 16.
Flora retired as President of Flora & Associates, a health care management operation in Kansas City. Kline is a Professor of Practice of Military Operations Research at the Naval Postgraduate School. Vollet is Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Temper Sealy International.
The panelists shared more about their career experiences during the student event.
“All of these distinguished alumni have applied their industrial engineering skills to succeed beyond the realm of traditional engineering,” said Jim Noble, professor and Chair of the IMSE department. “From health care to manufacturing to the military, industrial engineering truly equips you with critical and analytical thinking skills that set you apart.”
About the Panelists
Don Flora
Shortly after earning master’s degrees in industrial engineering and health services management, Flora assumed duties as Executive Director for Mid America Health Systems Agency. Based in Kansas City, the agency provided health planning for the eight-county Kansas City Metropolitan Health Service Area.
Flora then led Flora & Associates, Inc., as President for nearly 30 years. The organization specializes in health care consulting and management, focusing on identifying alternatives to institutional care. During that time, Flora also served as General Manager for the Mid America Kidney Stone Association.
Flora was inducted into the IMSE Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, he received a Missouri Honor Award for Distinguished Service in Engineering, and a year later was awarded a Faculty Alumni Award from the Mizzou Alumni Association. In 2012, he received the College’s James E. “Bud” Moulder Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2013, a University of Missouri Presidential Citation.
Captain Jeffrey Kline, U.S. Navy (Retired)
A retired naval officer with 26 years of service, Kline is now a Professor of Practice of Military Operations Research in the Naval Postgraduate School’s Operations Research Department and the inaugural Director of NPS’s Wayne P. Hughes Naval Warfare Studies Institute. He teaches courses in Joint Campaign Analysis, risk assessment and system analysis. He also supports applied analytical research in maritime operations and security, tactical analysis and future force composition studies.
Kline has served on the Chief of Naval Operations Fleet Design Advisory Board and on several Naval Study Board Committees. He’s received numerous awards for faculty and military achievements, including the 2019 J. Steinhardt Award for lifetime achievement in Military Operations Research.
He was inducted into the IMSE Hall of Fame in 2017.
Scott Vollet
Vollet played for the Mizzou Tigers football team as a defensive lineman while at Mizzou Engineering. After graduation, he relocated to Dallas to work for Texas Instruments as an industrial engineer. There, he progressed into a number of roles within their Defense Systems Group while earning an MBA from the University of Dallas.
After five years there, Vollet joined Gemini Consulting, a management consulting company, working on client engagements around the world including a two-year assignment in Australia. He then worked in areas of operations at Lexmark International.
In 2009, Vollet joined Tempur Sealy International as Vice President of Supply Chain, and was promoted to Executive Vice President of Global Operations in 2013. In that role, he is responsible for all aspects of sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, sales, operations planning, product engineering and advanced technology for form development.
Valley is currently President of the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House of the Bluegrass charity. He was inducted into the IMSE Hall of Fame in 2021.
Want an engineering degree that sets you up for success? Learn more about industrial and manufacturing systems at Mizzou!