Auburn Alumni Engineering Council inducts Class of 2027

The Auburn Alumni Engineering Council inducted seven new members to the group during its annual spring meeting April 8 in the Brown-Kopel Center.

Each council class is active for five years, and those inducted into the Class of 2027 were:

• Mike Forte, ’82 aviation management, B777 international captain and check airman at American Airlines
• Stephen Hamilton, ’84 chemical engineering, ophthalmologist at Eye Associates of Atlanta
• Keith Jones, ’84 chemical engineering and ’86 electrical engineering, founder, president and CEO of Prism Systems
• Katie Kirkpatrick, ’95 civil engineering, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber
• JD McFarlan, ’84 mechanical engineering, vice president of ADP Engineering and Technology at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
• Mike Spoor, ’89 industrial engineering, vice president of Florida Power & Light (FPL)
• Jamie Welch, ’94 mechanical engineering, president and CEO of Dubolyu Logistics

“This highly accomplished group represents the best of the best of what Auburn engineers bring to the American workforce,” said Brad Christopher, ’91 and ’93 civil engineering who serves as chair of the council and president of LBYD Engineers. “This group brings a breadth of knowledge and experience to the table, and we look forward to working together to help Interim Dean Steve Taylor carry on the college’s vision of being the best student-centered engineering experience in America.”

During the meeting, the council received an update from Interim Dean Taylor and addressed other matters to provide leadership and participation in areas such as academics, development, diversity and inclusion, governmental affairs and public relations. The group also approved its slate of award winners, which will be presented during the fall banquet.

Christopher was installed as the new chair of the council, succeeding Kenneth Kelly, who served from 2020-22.

The Auburn Alumni Engineering Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 22-24.

The Auburn Alumni Engineering Council was established in 1965 and is a group of Auburn Engineering alumni who work together to support the vision and goals of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The council meets twice annually to assist and advise the college, and its members serve on a variety of committees geared to the mission and operation of the college. Council members are an active and valued component of the College of Engineering family. They demonstrate a continuing commitment to move the college to new levels of excellence and take its place among the nation’s premier engineering institutions. The council provides leadership and participation in areas such as academics, development, diversity and inclusion, governmental affairs and public relations.