Mark Chalmers (BS mining engineering, 1980)
President & Chief Executive Officer of Energy Fuels

Mark Chalmers is a global leader in uranium in situ recovery and rare earth minerals production. He has been with Energy Fuels in executive positions since 2016. Previously, he was executive general manager of production for Paladin Energy Ltd. in Australia and Africa. He has managed Australia’s Beverley Uranium Mine, owned by General Atomics, and in the U.S., the Highland mine for Cameco Corp. Additionally, Chalmers has consulted for several of the biggest players in uranium supply, including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Marubeni.

Alumnus of the Year
Mike Hummel (BS electrical engineering, 1982)
General Manager & Chief Executive Officer of Salt River Project

Third-generation Wildcat Mike Hummel has been with Salt River Project for more than 40 years, serving in executive positions in almost every area of one of Arizona’s largest electric and water providers. He was named SRP’s general manager and chief executive officer in 2018. Hummel is a director on the boards for Teach for America, Electric Power Research Institute, Greater Phoenix Leadership, Large Public Power Council, and the Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited. Additionally, he has served on the University of Arizona Board of Trustees and the UA Engineering Industry Partner Board.

Founder of CheckMark Consulting Inc.

Mark Baker is an innovator, leader and strategic advisor in the mining industry. He has advanced autonomous haulage systems, including for Komatsu, which acquired Modular Mining Systems, a company Baker helped found. At the UA, he is a commercialization partner with Tech Launch Arizona, a member of the college Dean’s Advisory Board and MGE’s Industrial Leadership Board, and a director for the School of Mining and Mineral Resources. Additionally, he has advised multiple mining-related organizations.

Co-founder of AZ Technica, LLC

Meghan McGovern is leaving her mark on the medical device industry – from respiratory and cardiovascular mechanisms to gastrointestinal tubes. Over the last decade, not only has she successfully navigated the rapidly growing and shifting compliance and assurance space at companies such as Thayer Medical Corp. and Xeridiem Medical Devices, but also she started a global company. In 2020 with fellow Wildcat alum Celine Cohn, she launched AZ Technica LLC, a firm that provides regulatory expertise to medical companies. McGovern is dedicated to supporting women in science in engineering.

General Manager & Vice President of Intertec Engineering

For more than two decades, Ron Rich, a leader in the aerospace industry, has been an invaluable partner to the college and its Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program – as a guest lecturer, mentor and judge. Additionally, he is on the College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board. He retired in 2018 as Honeywell’s director of engineering for auxiliary power systems. During his long career at Honeywell, the company supported more than 70 senior design projects, contributing to the education of countless undergraduates.

Professor of Aerospace Engineering

Israel Wygnanski, who joined the UA in 1985 as a full professor in AME, is ranked among the top 250 aerospace and mechanical engineers worldwide. He is an expert in active flow control for aircraft on tilt-rotor aircraft. Wygnanski’s research is measured by more than 200 scholarly publications, 15,000 citations and five patents. He served as principal investigator of two programs that resulted in full-scale flight tests. Wygnanski has been inducted into the National Academy of Engineering, and he is a fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Physical Society.