Advisory Council

VP Americas Fuels — Retired

ExxonMobil Corporation

Steve Blume retired as Vice President, Americas Fuels of ExxonMobil. He began his career with Mobil Oil Corporation in 1980 as a pipeline engineer. After assignments in logistics, financial analysis, sales, marketing, risk management, revenue management, trading and strategic planning, he became the refinery manager for the Singapore refinery in 2002 and Baton Rouge refinery in 2008. Blume finished his career as Vice President of America Fuels with responsibility for the fuels value chain in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and South America.

Blume currently sits on the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering advisory council at K-State. He graduated from K-State with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering in 1979 and earned his MBA from the University of Texas, Arlington, in 1983.

Along with his wife, Debbie, Blume created a scholarship for first-generation students majoring in engineering at K-State.

CEO — Retired

Cerris Inc.

Tim Chadwick began his professional career as a project engineer at Cerris Builders (formerly MW Builders), a national general construction firm, part of the Cerris (formerly MMC Corp) group of companies. He rose through the ranks quickly to become one of the youngest presidents in company history. Under Chadwick’s leadership, Cerris Builders became Cerris’ most profitable business unit, and he was provided the opportunity to advance to chief operating officer at Cerris in 2011. Three years later, Chadwick became CEO of Cerris. During Chadwick’s tenure as CEO, Cerris completed several strategic acquisitions, expanded into nine new locations and the company tripled in size with annual revenues exceeding $1.3 billion.

In late 2023, Chadwick announced that after more than 30 years with the company, he would be retiring from his position as CEO in May 2024; however, he would remain engaged with the company as chairman of the Cerris Board of Directors.

Chadwick has been a champion of community engagement and takes pride in the company’s corporate citizenship. During his tenure as CEO, Cerris introduced a fifth core value, Caring Heart, to honor the organization’s long-standing, philanthropic spirit. He also led the initiative to establish Cerris’s charitable giving entity, the Cerris Caring Heart Foundation.

He has served as co-chair for Variety KC events and currently serves on the board of the Kansas City chapter of Folds of Honor and on the Board of Directors for Colbert Hills Golf Course. Chadwick received his bachelor’s in construction science from Kansas State University in 1990.

Associate Laboratory Director for Weapons Production

Los Alamos National Laboratory

David Dooley is the associate laboratory director for weapons production (ALDWP) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). In this role, he is part of the laboratory’s executive leadership team and has responsibility for meeting key national security objectives, including the production missions for plutonium pits, heat sources, detonators and other nonnuclear components, as well as safely operating the nation’s preeminent plutonium facility, PF-4. Additionally, he performs a wide range of science and engineering activities for the National Nuclear Security Administration, all totaling an annual program and operating budget of over $1.5 billion and 2,500 staff.

Dooley brings 28 years of progressive line and program experience and high-hazard performance achieved across the nuclear weapons complex at LANL, the Hanford Site, the Savannah River Site and at Canadian Nuclear Laboratory. His experience includes developing dose and criticality Monte Carlo N-Particle models; performing plutonium metallurgy experiments and production; leading high-dose shielded cells experiments and analyses for full scale liquid waste tank remediation activities; and leading nuclear process equipment installation as well as the decommissioning of nuclear facilities with no injuries or contamination events.

Dooley has also contributed to and led large multidisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers and union staff; developed plans and proposals from the experimental program level to company-level strategic plan; and led efforts ranging from small projects to large complex multi-billion-dollar programs. He has particular expertise in data-driven work performance improvements including health and safety metrics, project performance metrics, work planning and control, and acceptance of safe and efficient execution through workforce involvement.

Executive Vice President Engineering and Energy Supply — Retired

Midwest Energy Inc.

Bill Dowling, PE, retired in 2024 from Midwest Energy Inc., an electric and natural gas utility serving central and western Kansas, following 43 years of service.

Midwest Energy provides sales, generation, transmission, and energy delivery services to 50,000 electric customers and natural gas service to 44,000 customers. Dowling led the engineering and energy supply functions for Midwest Energy with responsibility for power supply planning, design and construction services related to high voltage transmission lines and substations, and distribution system engineering, with annual budgets of $120 million. He also represented Midwest Energy at the Southwest Power Pool, a FERC-designated regional transmission organization for a 14-state area in the central United States, previously chairing the Market and Operations Policy Committee at the SPP.

He received a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Kansas State University in 1979, a Master of Business Administration from Fort Hays State University in 1994, and completed the Public Utility Executive Program at the University of Michigan.

Dowling was a founding member of the advisory committee for the Mike Wiegers Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at K-State. He and his wife, Lynn, reside in Hays, Kansas. They have five children, all of which graduated from K-State, and 11 grandchildren.

CEO and Owner

Jetz Service Co. Inc.

Noel Etzel, from Topeka, Kansas, is CEO and owner of Jetz Service Co., Inc., a family-owned commercial laundry route operator based in Topeka. Founded 60 years ago, Jetz has expanded under his leadership to 13 regional offices serving 18 Midwestern states. Since 2003, through strategic acquisitions and technology initiatives, the company has nearly tripled in size and continues to be an industry leader. Prior to becoming CEO, Etzel served as Regional Vice President, Systems Administrator, and Chief Pilot, and he holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating with type ratings in several business jets and the DC-3.

He earned bachelor’s (’99) and master’s (’02) degrees in nuclear engineering from Kansas State University before returning to the family business full time in 2001.

Etzel and his wife, Mary, are deeply engaged in civic and philanthropic leadership. Together they support children’s charities and education initiatives across the Topeka and K-State communities. Noel serves on the boards of the Topeka Community Foundation, Topeka 20/30 Foundation, CoreFirst Bank & Trust, and the Stormont Vail Foundation, where he is currently Chair. He is also a member of the Kansas State University Foundation Board of Trustees and a graduate of the Leadership Kansas program (Class of 2021).

Global Operate Leader - Retired

Deloitte

Doug Gish served as the Deloitte Global Operate Leader and was responsible for developing and executing a global strategy to scale the Operate business worldwide. Deloitte is the world’s largest professional services organization providing audit and assurance, tax and legal, consulting, financial advisory and risk advisory services to clients across multiple industries in more than 150 countries.

Gish worked closely with other Deloitte business and industry leaders and external alliances to develop market-leading assets and solutions, expand Operate capabilities in key markets and enable high-quality service delivery to drive better business outcomes for clients. He also serves as the Global Lead Client Services Partner for a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.

Gish is passionate about talent development and building the next generation of tech-savvy business leaders. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in engineering management from George Washington University.

CEO

HeelzFirst LLC and Platinum Investments LLC

Dee Hays is the former CEO of Excellence Engineering, where she led the company for more than 20 years, transforming it from a small regional firm into a nationally recognized provider of innovative technical solutions for the energy industry. Throughout a career spanning more than four decades, she earned a reputation as a visionary leader, entrepreneur, and advocate for innovation, strategic growth, and organizational excellence.

Today, Dee continues to invest in the future of engineering and business by serving as a trusted advisor, mentor, and board member. A lifelong entrepreneur, she has founded multiple successful businesses and is passionate about helping others achieve their potential through leadership, education, and mentorship. She believes strong partnerships between higher education and industry are essential to preparing the next generation of engineers, innovators, and business leaders.

Dee earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Kansas State University and completed the prestigious Owner/President Management (OPM) program at Harvard Business School.

She currently serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, champions STEM education, women's leadership, and animal welfare, and is an appointed commissioner on Oklahoma's Uniform Building Code Commission (OUBCC), helping shape building standards that protect communities across the state.

Chief of Staff, SEADS; Laboratory Program Manager, FEMP

National Laboratory of the Rockies

Sheila Hayter, PE, is a senior manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). As the chief of staff for the Strategic Energy Analysis and Decision Science (SEADS) directorate, she provides strategic counsel and hands-on support to NLR’s SEADS associate laboratory director to enable SEADS to provide technical, market and economic analysis to accelerate energy transitions and inform grid reliability and policy decisions. Hayter is also an NLR program manager and leads NLR’s portfolio of activities supporting the DOE Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), focusing on helping U.S. federal agencies identify, evaluate and implement opportunities for energy/water efficiency, resilience and security, facility and fleet optimization, and energy and project procurement.

Hayter served as president of ASHRAE in 2018-2019. ASHRAE is an international society of more than 55,000 buildings industry professionals focused on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry. She has received the ASHRAE Fellow member distinction as well as the ASHRAE Exceptional Service and ASHARE Distinguished Service awards.

Hayter earned a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from K-State and a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She received a Professional Progress Award from the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering in 2007. She is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Colorado.

Hayter lives in Golden, Colorado, where she takes advantage of the local recreational offerings including downhill skiing, mountain biking and hiking with her family and friends. She is a certified alpine ski instructor. Her father was Richard B. Hayter, former K-State associate dean for external affairs for the College of Engineering and former director of Kansas Engineering Extension.

Managing Counsel

Toyota Motor North America

Gunnar Heinisch serves as managing counsel, technology and innovation, for Toyota Motor North America, where he advises business partners on legal matters involving emerging technologies, innovation and enterprise technology strategy. Since joining Toyota in 2017, he has supported cross-functional teams on complex legal and business matters and has led enterprise-wide initiatives in artificial intelligence governance, compliance and responsible AI adoption.

Prior to Toyota, Heinisch developed a broad legal and technical foundation advising clients on intellectual property, technology transactions, commercial matters and engineering-related issues. His background combines legal experience with a mechanical engineering education, giving him a practical perspective on the intersection of technology, business and law.

Heinisch earned a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center.

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Candice, and their three children, staying busy with family activities and vacations.

Engineering , Procurement and Construction Project Manager — Retired

Burns & McDonnell

Terri Hopkins worked as an Engineering, Procurement and Construction, or EPC, project manager at Burns & McDonnell in its Oil, Gas and Chemical division. She worked with multidisciplinary teams to execute complex projects with consistent, predictable results.

She joined Burns & McDonnell in 2007 as a process engineer, later transitioning into project management. She leveraged skills developed while employed at Colgate Palmolive and PQ Corporation.

Her proudest achievement is the success of many young women engineers that she mentored over her career.

Hopkins earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from K-State in 1984, followed by her MBA in 1992 from University of Kansas. She previously sat on the chemical engineering department advisory board, strengthening her tie to the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering.

She married fellow chemical engineering graduate Carl Hopkins. They have two daughters (and two sons-in-law) who are all K-State graduates. Making education accessible to all students is important to her and her husband, so they created a scholarship for K-State engineering students.

Since retiring in 2025, Hopkins volunteers with the Red Cross and enjoys golf and traveling with her husband and family.

Global Butyl Business Manager

ExxonMobil Product Solutions Company

Bryce Huschka leads ExxonMobil’s Global Butyl Business, overseeing operations across six manufacturing sites that supply critical materials to the tire and pharmaceutical sectors. Over his career at ExxonMobil, he has run the North America consumer automotive business, shaped partnership strategy across Asia, managed lubricant sales and distribution in the Western U.S., and held roles spanning sales, finance, analytics and risk management.

A Kansas native from Ottawa, Huschka is one of five brothers who attended Kansas State University (2000–2012), three in engineering. He earned B.S./M.S. degrees in industrial engineering in 2007 after a 2005 internship with ExxonMobil. His path has taken him from Boston to Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles and now Houston. In 2018, he and his wife, Lauren, took a sabbatical for a “learning and giving journey” across Asia, supporting education initiatives with Junior Achievement, before returning to start their family: Maren, Milly and Ford.

Since 2017, Huschka has helped reimagine higher education at K-State — first as chair of the IE Advisory Council, then as co-founder of Skill X with his brother Andrew and IMSE department head Brad Kramer. Now integrated into the IE curriculum, Skill X reframes college as a startup journey where students “IPO” at graduation, with skills and experiences as the valuation. As adjunct faculty and an AI enthusiast, he has pioneered the program’s integration of artificial intelligence.

He brings a distinctive blend of business-model strategy, marketing acumen and higher-ed innovation to his advisory work.

Corporate Vice President and President, Aeronautics Systems

Northrop Grumman

Tom Jones is corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems sector, a premier provider of military aircraft, autonomous systems, aerospace structures and next-generation solutions with major operations throughout the United States.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems leads the design, development, production and sustainment of advanced aircraft systems for the United States military such as the B-21 Raider, the B-2 Spirit, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and the MQ-4C Triton. During his more than 35 years in the aerospace industry, Jones has held numerous senior leadership roles, overseeing complex development and production efforts and driving performance, innovation and organizational growth.

Before his current position, Jones was sector vice president and general manager of the Airborne Sensors and Networks division for Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems sector where he led the development of C4ISR and multi-function sensor capabilities for U.S. and global customers. Prior to that, Jones was sector vice president and general manager for Advanced Concepts and Technologies, also at Mission Systems, where he oversaw development of advanced systems solutions, strategic planning, customer R&D, external partnerships and innovation initiatives that helped drive future business captures.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman in 2011, Jones served in a variety of technology leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Rockwell International and Boeing. Jones earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Kansas State University and took additional doctoral-level coursework at the University of Southern California. He also has an honorary doctorate from the South Dakota School of Mines.

President

L & M Contractors Inc.

Curt Mauler, PE, currently serves as president of L & M Contractors, Inc., a 50-year old civil construction firm specializing in bridges and culverts throughout Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Since its inception, the company has completed more than 950 projects for counties, municipalities, and state and federal governments and, under his leadership, has grown from a company with fewer than five employees to currently employing nearly 50 professionals in the heavy highway construction industry.

Mauler holds both a bachelor's and master's in civil engineering from Kansas State University. He is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and served as past president of the Kansas Contractors Association as well as chairman of the structural branch of the organization.

Mauler values his company’s community involvement and has been past chairman of the board of the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on several community advisory committees, where he works to promote business growth and community development.

With more than three decades of experience, Mauler brings technical expertise, leadership and a strong commitment to advancing the profession and is dedicated to strengthening partnerships between academia and industry.

He and his wife, Paula, are passionate about K-State and have created a scholarship to assist future students in engineering. They have two daughters, Jenna and Sarah (both K-State alumni). Sarah and her husband, Jared, have a son, Colt—their first grandchild.

President, Kiewit Power Engineering, and Executive Vice President, Kiewit Energy

Kiewit

Kevin Needham is the president for Kiewit Power Engineering, a full-spectrum engineering services provider, with work in project development, consulting, detailed design and EPC engineering. He also serves as executive vice president for Kiewit’s power market strategy and business development efforts.

Needham joined Kiewit in 1993 as an engineer for combined cycle gas plant projects. He later served as project manager, overseeing engineering services from design and procurement to training and testing. Promoted to project sponsor, he took on overall responsibility for quality, budget, scheduling, staffing, reporting and scope management for large and complex EPC projects.

Needham was later appointed vice president for the natural gas market, where he led bidding and negotiations for Kiewit's natural gas projects. Two years later, he advanced to executive vice president of Power Markets & Strategy before being named president of Kiewit Power Engineering in 2014.

Prior to joining Kiewit, he worked in a finance role for a public company, leading the corporate development group with a specialization in mergers, acquisitions and corporate strategy.

Needham holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University.

Senior Director – Global Procurement, Indirect

Hallmark Cards Inc.

Anita Ranhotra is the senior director – global procurement, indirect for Hallmark Cards, where she leads a team focused on the strategic development and execution of indirect procurement functions and activities across Hallmark Product & Retail and Hallmark Media, as well as procurement operations. Ranhotra also co-leads Hallmark’s supply chain recruiting program and is a certified Predictive Index trainer.

During Ranhotra’s 26 years at Hallmark, she has worked across the company’s supply chain in engineering, manufacturing, distribution, procurement, product integrity and supply chain strategy. Most recently she led the development of a new 850,000 square-foot distribution center for the company. Previously, she worked for The Limited and Payless ShoeSource, where she earned a patent.

Ranhotra is from Manhattan, Kansas, and holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and master’s degree in engineering management, both from Kansas State University. She is a co-founder and member of K-State’s IE Professional Academy, serves on advisory councils for the Multicultural Engineering Program and the business management department, and is a past chair of K-State’s IE advisory council.

Ranhotra has served as the SVP-chapters with the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, or IISE, of which she is a Fellow and past Outstanding Young IE of the Year – Business/Industry. She is currently a senior advisor for the KC chapter. She is a recipient of the Professional Progress award from K-State’s College of Engineering and a STEMMY award for Groundbreaking Leadership from the Central Exchange of KC. She has been recognized as Leader of the Year with the National Association of Asian American Professionals and was a co-founder and past president of both the KC chapter and of Hallmark’s Asian American Resource Community.

Executive Vice President, Marketing — Retired

Tenaska Energy

David Schettler retired in 2019 as executive vice president, marketing of Tenaska Energy’s natural gas marketing and trading affiliate, Tenaska Marketing Ventures, or TMV, located in Omaha, Nebraska. Tenaska Energy is one of the largest privately held energy companies in North America and is actively involved in building, owning and operating power generation facilities in the U.S. and in marketing natural gas and electricity to customers across North America. TMV, the natural gas marketing affiliate, has grown to become the second largest merchant of natural gas supply across the North American pipeline grid at almost 11 Billion cubic feet per day.

A native of the Great Bend, Kansas, area, Schettler earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from K-State in 1983. He began his career at Black & Veatch in Kansas City before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and joining Williams Companies to work as a project engineer on various natural gas pipeline projects. From there, he spent 18 years with a variety of companies before landing in Omaha as one of the early founding employees of TMV. Following stints in risk management, marketing, trading and business development, Schettler rose to the executive team level with responsibility for TMV’s marketing and trading activities in the southern U.S. and Mexico.

Schettler is married to Nola Schettler of Salina, Kansas and they have three children. The Schettler’s now split time between residences in Omaha and Virginia Beach but also enjoy traveling extensively.

General Manager and Senior Vice President of Oil, Gas and Chemical

Burns & McDonnell

Mark Swanson serves as general manager and senior vice president of the oil, gas and chemical group at Burns & McDonnell. Swanson has used his skills to diversify the OGC group by championing the growth of Burns & McDonnell's work in the refining, midstream, chemicals, and renewables markets. He works with existing and potential process clients to execute predictable engineering, procurement and construction projects.

Swanson joined the company in 2000 as a mechanical engineer, quickly moving up the ranks to client coordinator, project manager and business development manager for the oil, gas and chemical industries. He was named vice president and director of marketing and sales in 2014 and accepted the additional responsibility of managing strategy and financials within the oil, gas and chemical business units in 2021. Swanson has continued to advance and was promoted to his current role in 2024 where he continues to inspire successful project execution and ongoing efforts to promote Burns & McDonnell's capabilities.

Swanson and his wife, D’ette, have three sons, Teegan, Caden and Brenden. Whether traveling to cheer on the K-State Wildcats, spending time in Manhattan, or vacationing, the Swansons love spending time together.

Vice President, Diversity Affairs

Austin Commercial

Simeon Terry is vice president of diversity affairs for Austin Commercial. He has been in the construction industry for 36 years and has managed compliance and inclusion programs for 26 years. Currently, he oversees the company’s diversity, compliance and workforce development program both internally and externally. This includes overseeing cultural competency education, diversity compliance, affirmative action, recruiting/hiring, mentoring, workforce compliance and small business procurement. During his 26-year tenure with Austin Commercial, Terry also served as project program manager and diversity affairs director.

Terry works with many different departments within Austin including accounting, legal, risk management, marketing and business development, operations and human resources.

He began his career in construction as a safety manager, but has also held positions in scheduling, construction management, project management and operations management.

Prior to his career in construction, he worked as a manufacturing engineer for McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, Missouri, building F-18 Hornet airplanes for the Navy. He also worked as a loss control regional manager for Liberty Mutual and a construction engineer for SSP Consulting.

Terry holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Kansas State University and an MBA in finance from the University of Phoenix-Dallas. He also holds a Master Compliance Administrator certification (MCA) from Morgan State University.

Terry has received recognition from numerous agencies and organizations, including the state, regional and national Minority Business Enterprise Advocate of the Year Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency; Champions of Diversity Award; Minority Business Leader Award; National Diversity Council Top 100 Diversity Champions Award; Airport Minority Advisory Council’s “Hall of Fame” Award, DFW Airport Minority Advocate of the Year Award, the Dallas Business Journal’s Leaders in Diversity Award and Los Angeles Small Business Advocate of the Year Award.

Chief Growth Officer

Henderson Companies

Jason Wollum, PE, LEED AP BD+C, is the chief growth officer at Henderson Companies, the Lenexa, Kansas-based parent company of Henderson Engineers and Henderson Building Solutions. Henderson Engineers is a national building systems design firm whose market focus spans business, community, grocery and distribution, health, retail and venue projects. Henderson Building Solutions is a construction management and commissioning services firm that provides a seamless bridge between design, construction and ongoing maintenance.

Wollum currently sits on the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering advisory council at K-State. He was a 2023 recipient of the college’s Professional Progress Award. He graduated from K-State in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering and is a past member of the Architectural Engineering Advisory Council for the GE Johnson Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science.

Wollum joined Henderson in 1997 and has held a variety of progressively responsible roles since. This includes leading the company’s retail sector, before joining the C-Suite in 2022. He enjoys volunteering with his church and currently serves as co-chair for the Kansas City CEO’s Against Cancer chapter in support of the American Cancer Society.