About the Alumni of Influence project

In preparation for the 140th anniversary of Missouri S&T, the Miner Alumni Association asked our graduates to nominate fellow alumni who have had the greatest impact on the world.  We received nearly 300 nominations. Narrowing the list to a select few was a big job.

For that task, the alumni association convened a panel of distinguished alumni and campus representatives. Chaired by Larry Gragg, Curators’ Teaching Professor and chair of history and political science at Missouri S&T, the panel was moderated by Marianne Ward, executive vice president of the Miner Alumni Association, and included the following:

• Maj. Gen. Joe N. Ballard, MS EMgt’72, retired chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

• Matt Coco, CE’66, retired vice president of Alberici Construction Co. in St. Louis

• Roger Dorf, ME’65, retired CEO and president of Navini Networks Inc. and current president of the Missouri S&T Board of Trustees.

• Kurt Haslag, CE’07, a project manager at Brinkmann Constructors’ Denver office

• Chuck Remington, ME’49, MS ME’50, retired professor of mechanical engineering

• Angela Rolufs, EMgt’84, director of the S&T office of sustainable energy and environmental engagement

• Robert Schwartz, interim provost at Missouri S&T

• Kathy Walker, EMgt’82, senior vice president of global network services for SprintNextel

• Roy Wilkens, EE’66, co-founder of Adaption Technologies Ventures

The panel’s final list consisted of 28 Alumni of Influence, whose stories we tell on this website and in a special, commemorative publication. In addition to these 28 individuals, the panel identified 36 other alumni whose accomplishments are also remarkable. The accomplishments of all 64 influential and remarkable alumni were celebrated during a special event on campus Nov. 12, 2011. The celebration also commemorated the 140th anniversary of the first classes held on the Missouri S&T campus in 1871.