Seven professionals with ties to Missouri University of Science and Technology were inducted into the Missouri S&T Academy of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers during an induction ceremony held Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, on the S&T campus.
The academy recognizes outstanding alumni for their professional achievement and success. It also provides support and experience to help the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Missouri S&T reach its collective mission and values.
New members are:
Travis W. Hartman of Troy, MO, Senior Engineering Manager of Toyota Motor North America, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2004 from the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). While a student at UMR, Travis completed a co-op for Toyota and accepted a full-time position with Toyota upon graduating summa cum laude. Travis’s more than 20-year career at Toyota has included a wide variety of experiences in the automotive manufacturing field from raw materials to the final product. Some career highlights include moving to Japan for two years, working in design for manufacturing in Toyota City and learning the Japanese language. Other memorable roles included the launch of the latest Tundra model change in San Antonio and leading plant modifications at Toyota’s battery manufacturing plant in Greensboro, North Carolina. He currently works as Senior Engineering Manager at Toyota Missouri and oversees facilities in six states across the U.S. while also wrapping up his MBA in Leadership.
Raj Jayachandran of Dearborn, MI, Technical Specialist of Core Crash Safety from Ford Motor Company, earned a PhD degree in in engineering mechanics in 1991 from the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). Upon graduating from UMR with a doctoral degree in Engineering Mechanics, Raj joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a post-doctoral associate and worked on constitutive modeling of plastic materials developing explicit numerical approach in ABAQUS finite element code. In 1993, he moved to Detroit to establish his career at Ford Motor Company. For all these years, he has developed and applied his expertise in vehicle crash simulations to design vehicle structures to meet or exceed federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS). In 2016, he received Henry Ford Technology Award for his work on highly efficient crush can design for crash energy absorption with 2” reduction in vehicle structure by morphing its section along the length using the finite element method. Through his work at Ford, he has secured about a dozen patents related to design of vehicle structures. Currently, Raj is a technical specialist in Core Crash Safety department of product development center at Ford Motor Company. Raj volunteers as national Technical Coordinator for North South Foundation more than 15 years now and works with a team of professors and professionals conducting yearly educational contests promoting learning journey for children of kindergarten to high school. He also is the Founder, Teacher, President and on the Board of Directors of CafeMI Inc., a non-profit local community organization of volunteers coaching math and public speaking on Saturdays for elementary and middle school children living in and around Canton, MI for more than 10 years.
Michael Munsell of Clayton, MO, Equity Partner of Patent Attorney from Armstrong Teasdale LLP, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1993 from the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). Mike was a co-op with McDonnell-Douglas while at UMR and worked there for a short time before starting law school at Mizzou. He practiced patent law for 10 years with Senniger Powers, then moved his law practice to Armstrong Teasdale in 2007. Mike has prosecuted hundreds of patents through the US Patent Office and many foreign patent offices. Mike’s current practice involves more general client counseling and management, including assisting clients with corporate, employment, litigation, as well as IP portfolio management. Mike is a member of the Missouri bar and the USPTO bar. Mike serves on the Board of Directors of the Alpha Iota Education Foundation and enjoys golf and hikes with his family across the country.
David Neely of St. Louis, MO, Senior Director Program Chief Engineer T7A of Boeing Defense, Space and Security-Air Dominance, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2004 from the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). Dave Neely is the Program Chief Engineer of the T7A Red Hawk Trainer. He leads the engineering team working on the Flight Test, EMD and LRIP portions of the T7A Advanced Pilot Training along with development and implementation of the Ground Based Training Devices. Prior to this role he was the Senior Director of Manufacturing and Safety in Phantom Works. In that role, he led the development of the future production system along with the material readiness and production hardening activity. He was responsible for program stand up and prototyping in St. Louis, Mesa, and Philadelphia. In other roles he was the Enterprise Technology Integration Director. He leads program and project reviews on center R&D technologies as well as managing Enterprise Technology Programs. The Director of Autonomous Behaviors for Boeing Research and Technology where he was part of the transformation of Boeing R&D and led one of the Enterprise Technology Programs which focus on development and delivery of products and capabilities to programs. Prior to that, Dave was the Director of Engineering for Boeing NeXt, an organization that was laying the foundation for a next-generation mobility ecosystem in which autonomous and piloted vehicles can safely coexist. Dave was responsible for managing cross-enterprise engineering teams and bringing engineering support to NeXt’s Future Mobility programs. He has held various leadership roles across the company. Dave was Chief Engineer for the Boeing NeXt Cargo Air Vehicle Program. In this role, he focused on technical design, build and test spirals to increase the pace of learning while working to shape the future market. He served as Senior Manager for the Integration of Advanced Operations and Quality in Boeing’s Phantom Works. He has held various leadership roles across the company and his work has supported the F-15 Eagle, C-17, and 777X programs, among others. Neely also holds a master’s of business administration from Washington University. He joined Boeing in 2005.
Jack Pennuto of Shelby Township, MI, President of KUKA Robotics Corp., earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2004, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2005 from the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). Jack joined KUKA Robotics as President in 2023, overseeing all engineering, sales, and service activities in the United States. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Manufacturing Futures Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. For the prior five years he was the Director of Sales & Applications for TRUMPF Laser Technology, located in Plymouth, Michigan. At TRUMPF he was responsible for applications, sales, and industry management for the North American region. Before that, Jack worked for twelve years at Mestek, Inc., and its subsidiaries, in various roles across application engineering, project management, sales, and corporate development. He served the last three years as Sr. Vice President. Originally from Chicago, Jack came to Rolla to study mechanical engineering and swim. As an undergraduate, he was a 23 time All-American, Gale-Bullman Award winner, NCAA Postgraduate Scholar, and later served as an Assistant Swim Coach during graduate school.
Billie F. Spencer, Jr. of Urbana, IL, Professor and Newmark Endowed Chair in Civil Engineering of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1981 from the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). Upon graduating from UMR magna cum laude, Bill continued his education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. He then spent 17 years teaching at the University of Notre Dame before returning to Illinois in 2002. The focus of his research and teaching activities is structural dynamics. His greatest sense of professional accomplishment is found in the successes of his students. Bill is an avid radio control airplane pilot, currently serving as the president of the Champaign County Radio Control Club. His favorite planes are warbirds, particularly his giant-scale P-47 Thunderbolt, and P-51D Mustang.
Darrin L. Talley of Spring, TX, Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Planning in Exxon Mobil Corporation, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1988 from the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). Darrin has had a diverse career at ExxonMobil across a range of assignments with varying geographic, business and technical scope. He has worked in supply and logistics in South America and Asia, managed refineries in Texas and Singapore, and served as President of ExxonMobil’s Research and Engineering company. He assumed his current position as Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Planning in 2022. Darrin also earned an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He serves as the Chair of the University of Houston’s Energy Advisory Board which is composed of energy industry experts and leaders serving to advance energy education and research.