C. Ellis Brazeal III

C. Ellis Brazeal III has built a notable career, born from a lifelong fascination with space, that combines a strong engineering foundation with a distinguished legal background to create a unique path marked by dedication to his alma mater.

Brazeal is a senior partner in the Birmingham office of Jones Walker LLP, a Deep South regional law firm.

From age 10, Brazeal knew that he wanted to be a lawyer, but he didn’t want to study history or political science as an undergraduate. So, out of his fascination with space, he chose aerospace engineering. While at UA, he was president of Sigma Gamma Tau and Tau Beta Pi and graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

His most enjoyable academic pursuits included, while a member of the Computer-Based Honors Program, now known as the Randall Research Scholars Program, writing code to automate the low-speed wind tunnel and for the Bell Huey simulator, both still located in the basement of Hardaway Hall; attending the classes of Dr. George Weeks; and attending the classes of John Burke in the English Honors Program.

After obtaining two engineering degrees, Brazeal attended the University of Virginia School of Law. He began his legal career with a concentration in two areas — corporate turnaround/restructuring and government contracting — and now has more than 30 years of experience in related litigation, including all levels of state, federal, and bankruptcy courts.

Since joining Jones Walker in 2010, Brazeal has combined his government contracting expertise and aerospace engineering background to focus on aerospace and defense litigation, contract review, and regulatory matters.

Brazeal gives back to his engineering alma mater in several capacities. He teaches a course in space law at both the Styslinger College of Engineering and the School of Law. He also serves as chair for the Industrial Advisory Board for the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics and serves as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board. Brazeal is a fellow for the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics.

He also serves on the planning committee for the annual Space Law Symposium of the ABA Forum on Aviation and Space Law.

Brazeal and his wife, Debbie, have three children and one grandson. In his spare time, he enjoys bird hunting and visiting art museums.

George H. Conner

George H. Conner’s career reflects a lifetime of service to the state of Alabama, spanning engineering leadership, military duty, and structural and transportation expertise, as he managed statewide operations for the Alabama Department of Transportation. 

Conner grew up in Troy, Alabama, and graduated in 1979 from Charles Henderson High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1983 and his master’s degree in 1985, both in civil engineering from The University of Alabama. 

After graduating, Conner served as a civil engineering officer in the United States Air Force for four years, stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. He then worked as a structural engineer at LBYD Inc. in Birmingham before beginning his career with the Alabama Department of Transportation in 1992 as a bridge rating and load testing engineer. In 1998, Conner was promoted to assistant state maintenance engineer and again in 2008, to state maintenance engineer. With the realignment of the department from divisions to regions, Conner was named the region engineer for the Southeast region of ALDOT in 2014.  

In December 2016, Conner was appointed deputy director for operations by transportation director John Cooper. In this role, he oversees the five ALDOT regions, as well as ALDOT’s operational bureaus, which include maintenance, construction, materials and tests, and equipment. 

Conner is a registered professional engineer in Alabama. He serves on various state and national committees and chairs the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Committee on Maintenance, the Steering Committee for AASHTO Preservation Management, and the board of advisors for The University of Alabama Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering.  

Conner and his wife, Kris, reside in Montgomery, Alabama. They have three sons, two daughters-in-law, and two perfect grandchildren.  

Al Faulkner

Al Faulkner’s career in engineering, spanning four decades, reflects a lifelong dedication to technical excellence, steadfast leadership, and a tenacious commitment to the communities and institutions that have shaped his journey.

While attending The University of Alabama as a chemical engineering student, Faulkner completed four semesters of co-op work with DuPont at the Savannah River Site. Upon earning his chemical engineering degree in 1988, he joined DuPont as a technology engineer working with nuclear materials in chemical processing and the purification of plutonium. In 1993, Faulkner transitioned to working for Monsanto in Pensacola, Florida, beginning as a manufacturing engineer and progressing through leadership positions in multiple manufacturing units. He remained with the company as it evolved into Solutia and later Ascend Performance Materials. Faulkner managed the Decatur operating plant from 2006 to 2012 and led the manufacturing team on the engineering development of the world’s largest propane dehydrogenation plant. Now as the director of capital projects for Ascend, Faulkner leads a team that executes capital projects around the globe.

Throughout his career, he has remained committed to UA. Since 2010, he has served on the Chemical Engineering Advisory Board and the Capstone Engineering Society Board of Directors, including committee leadership and as president of the CES. Additionally, he joined the Dean’s External Advisory Board in 2024. He frequently volunteers at student recruiting events with the College, attends student networking events, and represents Ascend at career fairs.

Faulkner was named a fellow of the UA Department of Chemical Engineering in 2007 and as the 2025 Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Volunteer. Faulkner and his father are the only SCoE alumni to be honored as both Outstanding Alumni Volunteers and SCoE Fellows. He was also recognized for excellence in manufacturing awards during his time with Monsanto and Solutia.

Faulkner has served in leadership roles at his church for nearly three decades and has served with the Ascend Cares Foundation since its inception in 2011. Additionally, he served as chair of the 2011 United Way Campaign in Morgan County, Alabama.

Faulkner lives in Gulf Breeze, Florida, with his wife, Tricia. They have two children and five grandchildren.

Robert Hines Jr.

Robert Hines Jr. is a colonel in the United States Air Force and an astronaut at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. His journey exemplifies a distinguished career marked by global military service, groundbreaking flight achievements, and steadfast guidance in shaping the next generation of NASA leadership.

Hines earned a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering from Boston University. Following graduation from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, he was awarded a master’s in flight test engineering, and he earned a master’s in aerospace engineering from The University of Alabama Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering.

Hines served 27 years in the Air Force as an instructor pilot, fighter pilot, and test pilot in missions throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. He completed two assignments with the Air Force Reserve and worked as a flight test pilot for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Hines began working as a research pilot at NASA in 2012 and ultimately was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. Following training, he worked as the astronaut technical lead for the Orion spacecraft as well as the astronaut representative and a flight control specialist on the SpaceX Starship Lunar Lander.

During his career, he has accumulated more than 4,000 hours of flight time in 50 different types of aircraft and has flown 76 combat missions in three different aircraft types while supporting contingency operations around the world. Hines served as the pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station in 2022, during which he logged 170 days in space.

Following his space flight, Hines became the lead for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Joint Test Team and the assistant to the chief astronaut for commercial crew. He is currently serving a rotation as the chief of the Aircraft Operations Division, where he leads a team of 260 civil servants and contractors.

Hines’ service has resulted in several awards, such as the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Bobby Bond Memorial Aviator Award, and various other esteemed service medals and awards. Hines is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, the Association of Space Explorers, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Hines lives in Houston, Texas, alongside his wife, Kelli, and three daughters.

Dr. Barry S. Johnston

Dr. Barry S. Johnston’s four-decade-long career in chemical engineering reflects an exceptional blend of scholarly accomplishment, industrial expertise, and dedicated mentorship that has shaped future generations of engineers in the classroom and industry alike.

Johnston received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from The University of Alabama Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering and went on to receive a master’s degree from Clarkson College of Technology and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, both in chemical engineering.

Johnston is a retired senior lecturer and undergraduate officer in the department of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He maintained an industrial career at Eastman Chemicals, DuPont, and Westinghouse, where his work involved process design, troubleshooting, and research in boiling heat transfer and two-phase flow.

Following his industrial career, Johnston began at MIT, first directing student projects in the practice school internship program at Dow Chemical and Dow Corning and later teaching undergraduate students in material and energy balances, computations, process control, project laboratory, and capstone design courses. Johnston was the department’s undergraduate officer for much of his time at MIT, and he served as the practice school station director as needed for terms in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Johnston recently created an introductory short course on chemical engineering, which was presented in February 2026 to high school students in Beijing, China.

He received several awards during his time at MIT, including the 2022 Ellen Mandigo Award for Service, the 2022 Alan Lazarus Excellence in Advising Award, the 2017 Innovative Seminar Award, and the 2006 Michael Mohr Outstanding Faculty Award for Undergraduate Teaching. Further, Johnston was honored as a 2010 Centennial Fellow by the Styslinger College of Engineering.

Johnston and his wife, Julianne, have three children and six grandchildren.

Barbara Hattemer McCrary

With a distinguished career spanning two decades, Barbara Hattemer McCrary has established herself as a cornerstone of the engineering community in Alabama and across the Southeast.

McCrary joined HHB Engineers P.C. in 2006 and was promoted to president in 2014. HHB is a prominent women-owned small business initially founded in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1983 and now headquartered in Tuscaloosa. The company specializes in the design of complex mechanical systems such as heating and cooling systems for new buildings and building renovations. McCrary’s leadership has positioned HHB as a premier firm for complex projects for large public universities, governmental infrastructure, and prominent historical landmarks.

A proud two-time graduate of The University of Alabama, she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering. Her graduate research alongside Dr. Steve Kavanaugh focused on innovative lake-source geothermal systems — a specialty that earned her the prestigious Willis H. Carrier National Award in 2006 from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Under McCrary’s guidance, HHB has executed numerous high-profile projects in the region. From the multi-year and multi-phased technically challenging steam decommissioning and heating systems upgrades project at her alma mater to her work helping to restore and upgrade federally recognized churches vital to the Civil Rights Movement, McCrary’s work has enabled Alabama’s vital structures to operate with maximum efficiency and reliability. Her work at UA over the past decade includes the $110 million renovation of Bryant Denny Stadium in 2020, as well as high-tech research labs, state-of-the-art athletic facilities, academic and support spaces, and critical infrastructure upgrades across campus.

An inductee of The University of Alabama Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Fellows class of 2016, she has served as the past chair of the department’s Industrial Advisory Board and as an active board member for nearly 10 years. Her accolades include being named the 2021 Engineer of the Year by the Engineering Council of Birmingham and being recognized as Engineered Systems Magazine’s 20 Women to Watch in HVAC in 2022.

McCrary and her husband, Zac, have been married for 20 years and reside in Northport, Alabama, with their Italian Greyhound, Vito.

Dr. Luke Brewer

The T. Morris Hackney Endowed Faculty Leadership Award honors a faculty member who exemplifies the constant guidance and leadership necessary to make the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering exceptional. This award was established as a tribute to T. Morris Hackney and was made possible by the contributions of John H. Josey and his son, Howard Josey. Dr. Luke Brewer is the 2026 recipient of this award. 

Brewer is a nationally recognized professor and researcher whose career, from industry laboratories to academia, reflects a lifelong commitment to advancing future generations of engineers. 

Brewer attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in applied mathematics and materials science and engineering as well as his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering in 2001. 

Following a career as an electron microscopist, metallurgist, and specialist in materials simulation at research laboratories, Brewer returned to academia in 2010 as a faculty member in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Brewer has served as an associate professor and professor in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering in the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering since 2015. He has taught a variety of courses, including physical metallurgy, welding metallurgy, and scanning electron microscopy. While at UA, he has mentored 16 doctoral students and eight master’s students. He has led 39 research programs as the principal investigator with total funding of $14.4 million.   

He established the cold spray deposition laboratory in 2015, leading UA to international prominence in this technology over the past decade. Working with the College, Brewer founded the Alabama Atomization Facility in 2021 — one of only four atomization facilities for making metallic powders at U.S. universities. In 2023, he created the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Design Integration with former UA professor Dr. Charles Monroe. In 2025, Brewer took on the additional position of associate department head for graduate studies in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering.  

Brewer lives with his wife, Amanda, and their daughters Abigail, Annabelle, and Adelaide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

E. Christian Palmer

In 1995, the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering began a yearly tradition of recognizing an alum who provided excellent volunteer assistance to the College as the Outstanding Alumni Volunteer. The 2026 Outstanding Alumni Volunteer award recipient is E. Christian Palmer.

Palmer’s career in electrical engineering is defined by technical excellence, community leadership, and a passion for empowering others, proven through his dedication to advancing the mission of the Tennessee Valley Authority while maintaining strong community relations.

He earned his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from The University of Alabama, then relocated to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to begin work with the Tennessee Valley Authority as an engineer performing transmission planning analysis work.

Palmer then transitioned to the customer and sub-transmission section, where he served as the senior customer engineering planner. In this role, his responsibilities included ensuring reliable and adequate power delivery to local power companies across the eastern portion of the TVA service territory. Following this role, he became a scoping specialist, leading the development of technical projects from initial concept to pre-construction, from acquiring contract plans and organizing site visits to leading multi-disciplinary scoping workshops for project execution. Palmer is currently a member of the new nuclear and transmission projects group within TVA, working as a scoping specialist with a concentration on renewable projects.

He is a member of the College’s Capstone Engineering Society Board. Palmer currently serves as treasurer of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga and as the communications and outreach chair for the East Tennessee chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Palmer has been recognized with many awards, including the Golden Legacy Award and the Charles W. Green Award of Merit from the Psi Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the Volunteer of the Year Award from Young Professionals of Chattanooga, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Philip J. Sutton People-to-People Award.

In his free time, Palmer enjoys traveling with friends and family, watching the Crimson Tide, and practicing photography.