14-332EngineeringProgram-kc

The College of Engineering
Welcome
Grady Harvell
Greetings
Dean John English
Hall Of Fame
Jim Womble
Dinner
Distinguished Alumni Awards
Jim McClelland
Early Career Awards
Robin Prince
Closing Remarks
John English
Ball
JM Band of Northwest Arkansas
Alumni AwardsBANQUET AND BALL

Hall of Fame
Established in 1965, the Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed by the
College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas. The award recognizes
prominent graduates and leaders who have made outstanding contributions
to the engineering profession and to society as a whole. Members of the Hall
of Fame have, throughout their careers, made a difference to the engineering
profession and demonstrated concern for improving their communities. Their
achievements have brought favorable attention to the College of Engineering, to
the University of Arkansas and to the state of Arkansas.
HUGH BREWER
BSEE 1959
Owner and President (retired),
Upchurch Electrical Supply
Fayetteville, AR
Hugh Brewer was born in Fort Smith in 1946.
He knew from the time he was young that he
wanted to be an electrical engineer, and he honed
his skills by wiring his sister’s doll houses.
Hugh spent two years at Arkansas Tech, then transferred to the U of A to
complete his bachelor’s degree at the same school where his mother was voted a
Razorback Beauty in 1929.
As a student, Hugh worked for the Southwest Electric Power Company. After
graduating, he served in the Army as a missile site commander in Chicago. He
returned to Fayetteville after that, working for SWEPCO, then for McClelland
Consulting Engineers. In 1966, Hugh became registered as a professional engineer.
In 1970, he joined Upchurch Electrical Supply, a wholesale company that
provides electrical supplies to contractors and industry. One day, he jokingly
told Joe Upchurch that he should sell the company to him. Joe took him up on
the offer, and they worked out a payment plan. By 1982, Hugh was owner of
Upchurch. Hugh describes Joe as a mentor who taught him how to handle the
business side of the company.
Under Hugh’s leadership, Upchurch Electrical Supply’s annual sales increased
from 2.4 million dollars to 16.4 million dollars. The company opened two
additional branches in Fort Smith in 1988 and 1996. Upchurch designed
the lighting for the first Razorback Stadium, as well as the lighting for Baum
Stadium. Other major clients included Tyson Foods and the Hannah Building
(in what city?).
Hugh retired in 1999 and sold Upchurch to Jeff Koenig, who he describes as
one of the best engineers he knows. After retirement, he worked as a consulting
electrical engineer for a while, and devoted his time to community service and travel.
Hugh has served in many community leadership roles, including president
of the Fayetteville Downtown Rotary Club, director of the Arkansas Chamber
of Commerce and President of the Fayetteville Country Club. He has served in
leadership roles in several banks and on the board of governors of Washington
Regional Medical Center, as well as being a founding board member of Abilities
Unlimited of Fayetteville and Fayetteville Creative Schools. A licensed private
pilot, he has served as president of the board of directors of the Arkansas Air
Museum. Hugh’s commitment to service was recognized by the U of A in 2014,
when he received the Arkansas Alumni Community Service Award.
Hugh is also involved with the university, as a member of Towers of Old
Main and member and past president of the Arkansas Academy of Electrical
Engineering.HughwasalsoactivethecampaigntoequiptheBellEngineeringCenter.
Hugh met his wife, Martha, when they were fifteen. Hugh and Martha
attended the U of A together, and it was Martha who suggested to the
chancellor that the university set aside the day before finals for students to
study. This tradition, called Dead Day, continues today. Hugh and Martha have
three children, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Hall of Fame
James M. Hefley
BSIE 1961
Executive Vice President, Gemini
Consulting, Retired
Asheville, North Carolina
Jim Hefley grew up in Little Rock, where both
his parents were school teachers. He went to high
school at Little Rock Central High, where he says
he learned that there were people smarter than he,
and decided that meant he had to work harder. In college, he worked hard at
both school and campus activities.
Jim served as president of both Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Theta Tau, as
well as being president of the engineering council, president of the Blue Key
university honor society, editor of the Arkansas Engineer magazine and a
member of Tau Beta Pi. In his senior design course, he was project partners
with John White, the future chancellor of the university.
Jim worked for IBM in the summers during school. When he graduated
and joined the army, he took the advice of one of the IBM employees and
asked to be assigned to the data processing center. In this position, he gained
management experience, as well as acquiring skills in the brand new field of
computer science.
Jim started working at IBM in 1962, and stayed with that company for 19
years. One of his first assignments was for the University of Arkansas. Jim
designed and wrote all the software for a new computer-based registration
system. That fall, the U of A used his program to register over 4000 students.
In 1981, Jim decided to change careers. He moved to Houston to help build
a management consulting company focused on business issues. The company,
Gemini Consulting, started out with about 50 employees and grew to 3000 in
19 years. For eight years, Gemini Consulting was the fastest growing consulting
firm in the United States. Jim met his wife, Marie, during this time.
In 1991, Gemini’s board asked Jim to move to London for a year to help
jumpstart the company’s expansion into Europe. Jim and Marie spent many
weekends traveling in Great Britain and the European continent. He even got a
chance to explore his family’s roots in the tiny Scottish village of Auchenheath.
For the next five years, Jim spent one week a month in Europe, helping
integrate Gemini’s European consulting business and expand their offices in
England, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
In 2000, Jim and Marie retired to their dream home in Asheville, North
Carolina. After retiring, Jim enjoyed trout fishing, traveling and playing golf.
He and John White teamed up once more, winning the member-guest golf
tournament at Jim’s club in Asheville.
With a little more time on his hands, Jim decided to pursue a hobby he’d
always been interested in: art. He began taking classes, and discovered he really
enjoyed painting. Jim has been painting professionally for about seven years
now. He is represented by four fine arts galleries, and he participates in many
regional art shows. His subjects are the things he loves: the North Carolina
mountain vistas, waterfalls and trout streams, as well as scenes from his travels
abroad.
Jim also does oil painting commissions, and enjoys capturing special
memories for his client, including this family farm.
As a way of giving back, Jim and Marie donate 100 percent of the proceeds
from his art sales. They support three non-profit organizations: Trout
Unlimited, Hope Chest for Women and Casting for Recovery.
Jim has two daughters from a previous marriage, and one grandson. He and
Marie just celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary.

Distinguished Alumni Award
The College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award honors the
exceptional professional and personal achievements of University of Arkansas
College of Engineering graduates. Recipients have achieved distinction in their
fields of endeavor and have provided outstanding leadership and service to the
College of Engineering, and to the organizations and communities to which
these distinguished alumni belong.
Sam K. Alley
BSCE 1979
Chairman and CEO, VCC
Little Rock, AR
At the age of 14, Sam Alley moved from Ramallah,
a small town just outside of Jerusalem, to Rose City,
Arkansas with his family.
While still in college, Sam began working for Pickens Bond Construction
Company. After graduation, he was hired as a project manager in 1979.
Inspired by his entrepreneurial father, Sam started VCC in 1987. The company
started with three employees and a vision.
Almost three decades later, Sam is recognized as one of the top engineering
and construction professionals in the United States. Under his guidance, VCC
is listed as number 102 of the top 400 contractors by the Engineering News
Record, and the company has annual revenue in excess of 607 million dollars.
The list of projects completed under Sam’s leadership includes developments
in all 50 states and some of the most iconic facilities in Arkansas, including
Verizon Arena in Little Rock, Ozark Hall on the U of A campus, Pinnacle Hills
Promenade in Rogers and the U of A Student Athlete Success Center currently
under construction. Of all his accomplishments, Sam is most proud of building
a company with a solid reputation and a family-centered atmosphere.
Sam, who is a licensed Professional Engineer in Arkansas, has also
demonstrated outstanding service to his profession, the University, and his
community. He serves on the steering committee for Campaign Arkansas, and
is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering. His service to
numerous civic groups has earned recognition. Sam was named Youth Home’s
Board Member of the Year in 1994 and Arkansas Business Executive of the Year
for 2013.
Melinda Pettet Faubel
BSIE, 1980
Director of External Affairs,
AT&T Arkansas • Little Rock, AR
Melinda Faubel grew up in Little Rock. After
graduating from the U of A, Melinda began working
with Southwestern Bell (now AT&T) in 1981 in the
area of transmission equipment engineering. She transitioned into her current
role, director of external affairs, in 2001. In this position, she is responsible for
the contributions budget, identifying organizations that are good candidates for
AT&T contributions, inviting them to apply for funding and coordinating the
application process. She is also responsible for managing AT&T sponsorships
and local advertising. In 2004, Melinda earned a master’s degree in business
administration from the University of Dallas.
Melinda has worked with the U of A in her professional role, but she also
devotes personal time to her alma mater. Melinda is a member of the College
of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Arkansas
Academy of Industrial Engineering and currently serves on their board of
directors. She served as president of the academy in 2009-2010.
Melinda has received the President of the United States Volunteer Service
Award four times. She has served on the board of directors for a wide variety
of organizations including the Better Business Bureau of Arkansas, City Year
Little Rock and the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski County. She
also serves on advisory boards for many organizations, including Main Street
Arkansas, the Arkansas Discovery Network Advisory Council and the EAST
Initiative. In 2005, she was highlighted in AY magazine’s salute to Women
Leaders in Business, Philanthropy, and Service. Melinda is a graduate of the
inaugural class of the Arkansas State Chamber Leadership program.

Distinguished Alumni Award Distinguished Alumni Award
Jeffrey D. Madden
BSAE, 1988
Director of Engineering and
Construction Services, Riceland
Foods, Inc. • Jonesboro, AR
Jeff Madden grew up outside of Newport, Arkansas.
He began his education at Harding while continuing
to work on the family farm. He then transferred to the
U of A to complete his engineering degree.
After graduating, Jeff began a career with Riceland Foods that has lasted
more than two decades. His current title is director of engineering and
construction services. In this role, Jeff manages various budget projects for
nearly thirty facilities, several rice mills, and a soybean processing plant. He
is also the liaison with Riceland’s insurance company, working to minimize
risk at all of the company’s facilities. In 1999, Jeff received the Outstanding
Agricultural Engineer Award from the State Section of the American Society of
Agricultural Engineers.
Jeff is also involved in his community. He coaches sports, teaches youth
at his church, and has made presentations about engineering to local high
school students. He is a member of Arkansas Ducks Unlimited, and received
the Arkansas State Award for Outstanding Committee Chairman from that
organization in 2001 and 2003 and the Distinguished Service Award for
outstanding contributions in 2004.
Jeff is a charter member of the Arkansas Academy of Biological and
Agricultural Engineering. He has served as secretary/treasurer and president
of the academy. Jeff has served on the advisory board for the Biological
Engineering Department for over twenty years. As a member of the board,
he has been a part of several changes including the name change of the
department, as well as the creation of the biomedical engineering program,
which led to the establishment of a new department.
George Eugene
“Gene” Mann
BSAE, 1988, BSME 1963, BSCE 1965
Directorate of Public Works,
Red River Army Depot (retired)
Texarkana, TX
Gene Mann is originally from North Little Rock.
After he earned a mechanical engineering degree
from U of A, he spent another year completing a civil engineering degree to
increase his job prospects. Over the course of his diverse career, Gene has
successfully made use of both degrees.
After he graduated, Gene went to work for Boeing in New Orleans. He
worked on the first stage of the Saturn 5 booster, designing test fixtures to test
flight hardware. At that time, all engineering work was accomplished using
slide rules.
After that Gene moved to the food industry, first with Welch’s Grape Juice,
and with Morton Frozen Foods. He also worked for Russellville Steel Company,
Holly Farms and Tex-Ark Joist Company. In 1981, Gene began working for
Red River Army Depot in Texarkana. In his three decade career as an engineer
with the military, Gene held positions utilizing both his mechanical and civil
engineering backgrounds in various aspects of construction and maintenance
at the depot.
During the Desert Shield and Desert Strom conflict, Gene was the first
civilian volunteer from Red River to go to Saudi Arabia with the U.S. Army
Support Group-Forward as the engineer on a site survey team. Gene was
recognized by the U.S. and Saudi governments for his achievements and
received several awards and commendations, including the Commander’s
Medal for Civilian Service, a Commendation for Exceptional Performance, A
commendation for Exemplary Performance, The Saudi Arabian Service Medal
and the MODA (Ministry of Defense and Aviation) Service Plaque.
He is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Mechanical Engineering and a
retired Professional Engineer in Louisiana.

Distinguished Alumni Award Distinguished Alumni Award
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Rebecca T. Wilson
BSCE 1992
Service Delivery Manager, Microsoft
Corporation • Fayetteville, AR
Rebecca Wilson was born in Fayetteville. She was
drawn to technology as early as junior high. When
her parents bought a Commodore 64, she learned to
write programs for it.
When Rebecca received her degree in computer
systems engineering, she was the only woman in her graduating class. She
went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from the Sam M. Walton
College of Business, and she began her career as a business analyst for Tyson
Foods. She stayed with that company for 19 years, working in several different
IT roles.
After that, Rebecca switched gears and focused on entrepreneurship. She
became a Microsoft partner, starting her own company to implement and
support Office 365. After she met the local Microsoft team, she was recruited
into the company as a technical account manager.
In her current role as service delivery manager for Microsoft, Rebecca
oversees support for the company’s enterprise accounts. She works with some
of the largest enterprises in the world. One of Rebecca’s teams received the
Dream Team award from Microsoft for making important changes in the
company’s Walmart account.
Rebecca is a strong promoter of science, technology, engineering and math
education. She has been been involved with Microsoft’s DigiGirlz High Tech
Camp for four years, encouraging young girls to pursue technical careers. She
also volunteers her time with the U of A’s Women in Engineering organization,
as a participant in their speed mentoring program, and serves on the advisory
board of the computer science and computer engineering department.

Shawn K. Brewer
BSBAE 1995, MSBAE 1998
Hydraulic Engineer, USDA Natural Re-
sources Conservation Service • Little
Rock, Arkansas
Shawn Brewer grew up on a rice farm near Cash,
Arkansas.
A licensed Professional Engineer, Shawn has been
employed with the NRCS since October 2004.
With his farm background and broad education in biological and
agricultural engineering, Shawn serves in several roles for NRCS including
farm- and project-scale irrigation infrastructure development, streambank
and wetlands protection and restoration, coordinator for digital elevation data
acquisition and field staff use, and the lead specialist for the On-Farm Energy
Initiative under the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
Shawn remains active with his local church, the Arkansas Section of the
ASAE, and most recently has engaged as a volunteer with the U of A Division
of Agriculture Extension 4H.
Distinguished Alumni Award
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Early Career Award
The Early Career Alumni Award will be presented to College of Engineering
who are achieving distinction in their fields of endeavor and show significant
promise for professional leadership in state, national and international
activities.

Jesse A. Buffington
BSME 2007
Lead – Exploration EVA Strategy and
Architecture Integration, NASA’s
Johnson Space Center • Houston, TX
Jesse Buffington has worked for NASA at the Johnson
Space Center in Houston, Texas since 2007. He began his
career as a project engineer. Now, Jesse is the lead for NASA’s Exploration EVA
Strategy and Architecture Integration team and focuses on the development
of the next generation of spacewalk systems including airlocks, suits, and
spacewalking tools and equipment to be used beyond low earth orbit.
Jesse has remained involved with the U of A College of Engineering,
organizing and hosting biennial tours of the Johnson Space Center for students.
He has also returned to the Department of Mechanical Engineering as an
invited speaker for the departmental colloquium series.
Jesse and his wife, Shelly, met at the U of A.
Timothy S. Doolittle
BSChE 1997
Global Process Technology Associate,
The Dow Chemical Company• Hahnville, LA
Timothy Doolittle is from North Little Rock. He
started working with the Dow Chemical Company after
graduation and worked in a number of areas. Currently,
he works as a global process technology associate and is responsible for
mentoring and leading engineers around the globe in gas phase polyethlyelene
technology.
Tim serves on the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering
Industrial and Professional Advisory Council. During his time in Texas, he
served as the vice president for the Brazoria County Boys and Girls Club and
as the president of the St Vincent DePaul Society. He and his wife, heather have
two sons.
Edgar S. Cilio
BSEE 2005, MSEE 2010
Engineering Manager, APEI.
Fayetteville, AR
Edgar Cilio was born in Ecuador and moved to
Arkansas with his family when he was 18 years old. He
began working at APEI in 2005 and is now the engineer
manager of the switched-mode power converter business unit. Edgar has
a decade of experience developing cutting-edge electronics for a variety of
applications. He is inventor on three patents awarded and several under filing,
and has led several teams to successful completion of several million dollars’
worth of projects.
Edgar gives back to the community by speaking at local schools and by
serving as a math tutor for high school students who speak English as a second
language. He and his wife, Yvette, have one daughter, Mia.
Jaysson E. Funkhouser
BSCE 1998, MSCE 2000
Assistant Director, U.S. Geological
Survey • Mayflower, AR
Jaysson Funkhouser has been employed by the U.S.
Geological Survey since 1993. He supervises a program
that monitors a network of rivers and lakes to assess the
quality and quantity of water in Arkansas.
Jaysson has served as president, vice president, and treasurer of the Arkansas
Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers and has been elected to
serve as a regional governor beginning in the fall of 2015. He was also a key
advisor in the foundation of a student chapter of ASCE at the University of
Arkansas at Little Rock and serves on UALR’s Engineering Advisory Council.
Jaysson and his wife, Cathy, live in Mayflower with their two children.
Early Career Award Early Career Award

William J. Richardson
BSBE 2007
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Univer-
sity of Virginia Health System
Charlottesville, VA
Will Richardson was a founding member of the Texas
A&M Chapter of Engineering World Health, and was
active in Engineers Without Borders. In 2012, Will won the Richard Skalak Best
Paper Award from the ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering.
Will is completing his postdoctoral training at the University of Virginia
Health System, under Jeff Holmes of the Cardiac Biomechanics Group, where
he was awarded an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship to
construct a computer model of cardiac healing after a heart attack. He is also an
undergraduate research mentor at the University of Virginia.
Will and his wife, Kate, have a three-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.
Ami Spivey
BSIE 1995
Senior Vice President, Walmart Interna-
tional • Bentonville, AR
Ami Spivey has worked in various positions for
multiple divisions of Walmart since 1992 and is now
the senior vice president of activity management and
integration for Walmart International.
Ami has directed many efforts in sustainability, cost savings, and
humanitarian and emergency relief for Walmart. She led transportation
efficiency efforts to improve environmental sustainability; assisted in 9/11
Salvation Army Ground Zero support; participated in relief support after seven
different hurricanes in 2004 and 2005; and has spoken to women’s groups in
other countries to improve global operations, among many other efforts.
Ami has been an active supporter of the University of Arkansas. Recently, she
piloted an international exchange program for industrial engineering students.
Early Career Award

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