Educating future leaders

Mizzou Engineering faculty member Michael Poehlman teaches a class on leadership in engineering, featuring guest speakers to share advice with students.

Highly decorated Engineering alumnus shares story, leadership lessons

At Mizzou Engineering, learning happens in the classroom, in the field and in conversations with alumni and other professional engineers. Last week, Colonel John Clark, B.S. ME ’62, M.B.A. ‘75, visited Mizzou Engineering to speak with students in the Engineering Leadership class, taught by Michael Poehlman.

150 Years of Leadership: Joe Hoffmann

Call it fate, happenstance, coincidence or destiny, Joe Hoffmann, BS ME ’13, knows he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be. As General Manager at Hoffmann Brothers in St. Louis, he oversees operations of five divisions: residential and commercial heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical and appliance. Since he started in 2016, he’s helped grow company revenue…

150 Years of Leadership: Steve Pelch

Many successful companies in today’s economy depend not only on outstanding service and best-in-class technology, but also rely upon creativity, unique business models and go-to market strategies, pervasive marketing outreach, authenticity or a global perspective that embraces aspects of both science and art. Steve Pelch, BS ME ’87, understands this. That’s why billion-dollar companies hire…

150 Years of Leadership: Wade Foster

Wade Foster, IE '09, MBA '10, is co-founder and CEO of Zapier, a global company that connects thousands of applications.

150 Years of Leadership: Michael Melton

Michael Melton, Esquire, is often asked whether he ever uses his bachelor’s degree in engineering. After all, he’s had an extraordinary career as a businessman, having started his own company after working for years as a patent attorney. Melton (BS EE ’81, JD ’84) is Founder and President of MEM Enterprises Group which owns, operates…

150 Years of Leadership: Jeanie Knuth

Jeanie Knuth, BS ChE '98, has changed the way we think about engineering "like a girl."

150 Years of Leadership: Jim Fitterling

How do you run a $55 billion company, find innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions worldwide, advocate for LGBTQ rights, combat racial injustice and help Ukraine — all while helping ensure the next generation of engineers are prepared for the workforce? We don’t know, but Jim Fitterling is doing it.

Meet Roger Fales

Meet Roger Fales, associate dean of student services and academic program and a researcher who is helping premature babies breathe better.

Smithey shares lessons in leadership at Mizzou Engineering

Be the leader other people want to follow. Have a vision while being approachable. And remember that leadership and management aren’t always the same things. Those were some key take-aways Sheri Smithey, PhD, AgE ’93, shared with Mizzou Engineers earlier this week.