State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame inducts Class of 2026

The State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame inducted seven individuals — including three Auburn University alumni and one Auburn University staff member — and one corporation during a ceremony Feb. 28 at the Bryant Center in Tuscaloosa.

Class of 2026 inductees associated with the university included Keith Jones, ’84 chemical engineering and ’86 electrical engineering; Jonathan Pettus, executive director of the Auburn University Applied Research Institute; Barry Pike, ’83 and ’85 chemical engineering; and Lloyd Pitts, ’83 civil engineering. Integrated Solutions for Systems Inc. (IS4S), a company headquartered in Huntsville with satellite offices in Auburn and Opelika, was selected in the corporation category.

Class of 2026
Keith Jones earned bachelor’s degrees from Auburn in chemical engineering and electrical engineering in 1984 and 1986, respectively. After graduating and beginning his career in the pulp and paper industry, he returned to Alabama to serve as vice president of EPOS Corporation in Auburn, developing software to analyze and classify incoming intercontinental ballistic missile targets for a federal defense system using laser radars. The high-security project, requiring secret clearance, laid the technical foundation for Jones’ work in mission-critical systems and advanced controls.

In 1989, Jones founded Prism Systems in Mobile with a vision of building a company centered on custom automation and control software. Under his leadership, Prism grew from a startup into a globally recognized engineering firm delivering bespoke systems across industrial automation, telecommunications, transportation and themed entertainment. The company’s software guides complex manufacturing processes and powers major attractions at amusement park destinations worldwide. Prism has been credited with 17 THEA Awards for its software development on some of the entertainment industry’s best rides and venues. Prism has completed projects in more than 45 countries and counts 19 Fortune 50 companies among its customers, bringing Alabama engineering to an international stage.

Beyond global reach, Jones has remained deeply rooted in Alabama. Prism Systems employs a multidisciplinary team of engineers in the state of Alabama and maintains offices in Mobile, McIntosh and Chatom, in addition to Los Angeles, Orlando, Beijing and Shanghai. He also remains an active supporter of the next generation of engineers from the state of Alabama, serving on the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, the University of South Alabama’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Board and establishing a scholarship within Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.


Jonathan Pettus earned bachelor’s degrees in computer science and mathematics from the University of North Alabama in 1987 and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1995. He joined NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in 1991 as a computer engineer, beginning a 27-year career that culminated in his appointment as associate director. During his NASA tenure, Pettus progressed from designing center-wide computing environments to directing the Office of the Chief Information Officer and ultimately serving as NASA’s agency chief information officer in Washington, D.C., overseeing more than $1.4 billion in information technology assets enabling human spaceflight and scientific missions. He also served as a member of the United States Federal CIO Council.

As CIO and later associate director, Pettus led enterprise transformations that reshaped NASA’s IT architecture, financial management systems and communications networks. He directed the integration of NASA’s enterprise financial systems, consolidated management across agency networks and guided strategy for space transportation, propulsion and space systems programs. His leadership earned the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award and the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, along with multiple NASA medals for outstanding leadership and exceptional service, reflecting his role in modernizing the digital backbone of America’s space exploration mission.

After federal service, Pettus joined Dynetics, later part of Leidos, as senior vice president of aerospace, defense and civil, overseeing more than $500 million in annual revenue and 1,000 employees. Under his leadership, the organization advanced hypersonic systems, autonomous aviation, national security and civil space systems and cybersecurity solutions. In 2025, he was named executive director of the Auburn University Applied Research Institute in Huntsville, where he now leads applied research initiatives in aerospace, defense, national security and biotechnology.


Barry Pike earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from Auburn University in 1983 and 1985 and began a civil service career with the U.S. Army in 1985 as a project engineer with the Space and Missile Defense Command. Over the next 35 years, the Hartselle native rose through successive leadership roles within the Army’s missile enterprise, serving in the Army National Missile Defense Ground Based Elements Program Office before becoming chief of staff, deputy program executive officer and, ultimately, program executive officer for Missiles and Space at Redstone Arsenal. Selected for the Senior Executive Service in 2010, Pike led organizations responsible for the development, production, fielding and sustainment of the Army’s missile and space systems, overseeing multi-billion-dollar portfolios and thousands of engineers and acquisition professionals.

Pike guided the Army’s missile programs through sustained combat operations and global instability. Under his leadership, advanced air and missile defense interceptors, shoulder-fired anti-armor weapons and long-range precision missile systems were developed, fielded and sustained for U.S. forces and allied nations. He secured funding, structured acquisition strategies and strengthened the industrial base to ensure adequate missile stockpiles during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He worked with Department of Defense leaders and industry partners to increase production capacity.

Pike later served as director of weapons development and integration in the Army’s Aviation and Missile Center, overseeing research and advanced technology development for next-generation systems. He received the Army’s highest civilian honors, including the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service. He now owns and operates a consulting business for defense industry clients.


Lloyd Pitts earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University in 1983 and began his career with Mobile-based Volkert, Inc., launching what became a 43-year tenure with the firm. Spanning four decades, he progressed from staff engineer to senior structural engineer, leading the design and inspection of hundreds of bridges and transportation structures across Alabama and the Southeast. Early in his career, Pitts contributed to the Cochrane–Africatown Bridge, Alabama’s only cable-stayed bridge, designing girder approach spans and foundations. He later played central roles in the expansion of Interstate 565 in Huntsville and the four-level interchange tying Interstate 22 to Interstate 65 in Birmingham, then the largest project in Alabama Department of Transportation history.

Pitts’ most consequential leadership role came as senior structural engineer for the Interstate 59/20 central business district reconstruction in Birmingham, a $1 billion project replacing 1.25 miles of elevated bridges along the state’s most heavily traveled corridor. The effort required a full interstate shutdown for 14 months and incorporated 172 spans and more than 2,300 precast concrete segments. Pitts led the structural design, coordinating replacements, widenings and new construction while managing foundation engineering and construction phasing. The corridor reopened ahead of schedule and stands as a benchmark for accelerated bridge construction.

Beyond highways, Pitts expanded his impact to coastal and port infrastructure. After Hurricane Katrina, he led the Little Bay Peninsula restoration project, designing a wave attenuation system that stabilized shoreline and restored marine habitat. At the Port of Mobile, he has supported connector roadways, stabilization efforts and structural planning critical to the port’s growth. A licensed professional engineer in multiple states and a certified bridge inspector, Pitts continues to lead structural efforts on the Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway projects.


IS4S
Integrated Solutions for Systems Inc. (IS4S) was founded by engineers who set out to build an employee-owned company grounded in technical excellence and ethical practice. Headquartered in Huntsville, the firm steadily expanded its footprint across Alabama, establishing offices in Auburn and Opelika, operations at Redstone Arsenal and a 3,400-acre test range in north Alabama. What began as a small business focused on systems engineering and software development has grown into a multidisciplinary engineering company with deep roots in the state’s aerospace and defense sectors.

Over time, IS4S broadened its expertise to include additive manufacturing, computational physics and open systems architectures, taking on increasingly complex design agent roles for the U.S. Air Force and other federal defense partners. The company has played a leading role in developing modular, software-defined positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems, including work on the Resilient-Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System and the PNT Software-Defined User Equipment program. Its engineers have also advanced next-generation communications systems, electronic integration and modernized weapon system components, pushing the boundaries of adaptable, open-architecture design.

In recent years, IS4S has paired technical growth with strategic investment in Alabama’s future. A $2.1 million expansion in rural Marion County established a new research and development center alongside its test range, creating high-paying engineering jobs and expanding the state’s defense testing capacity. Now employing more than 400 employee-owners, the company continues to support hundreds of government and commercial customers while reinforcing Alabama’s position as a national leader in aerospace, advanced manufacturing and defense innovation.

The Hall of Fame is overseen by engineering colleges and schools at Auburn University, Alabama A&M University, the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Tuskegee University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the University of South Alabama.