PROJECT EAGLE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Executive Dean, School of Medicin
- Professor, Population Health / Executive Dean of the School of Medicine, Executive Dean of the School of Medicine
Dr. Ojo received his medical degree from Lagos, Nigeria and received an MPH in Global Health from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He completed residency training in internal medicine at the University of Kentucky, Lexington and completed fellowship in nephrology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he also received his PhD in epidemiology. Dr. Ojo has over 200 peer-reviewed publications and serves on editorial boards, Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs), FDA Advisory Committees and NIH study sections. Dr. Ojo has mentored >20 research scientists and physician scientists and has been elected into the American Clinical and Climatological Association (ACCA), American Society of Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians.
Dr. Pavey graduated from Wichita State University in 1995 with a B.A. in biochemistry. Subsequently, he did graduate work at the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center, receiving an M.S. in Biomedical Science-Biochemistry. Dr. Pavey received is D.O. degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in 2004, followed by an internal medicine residency and a nephrology fellowship at the University of Missouri Hospitals and Clinics in Columbia, Missouri. Dr. Pavey has been in private practice at the Mowery Clinic in Salina since 2009, specializing in nephrology, hypertension, critical care, and general internal medicine. He is board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Dr. Graber received his undergraduate degree from Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., with a quadruple major: biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. He received his MD from the University of Kansas. He completed his residency in Ob-Gyn at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita in 2009 and is a board-certified Ob-Gyn currently practicing at Salina Women's Clinic.
Job Titles:
- Chief Information Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Administration
Christopher Rupe did his undergraduate studies at KU-Lawrence (B.A. in Human Biology and Psychology) and received his M.D. from KU in 2004. After completing a general surgery residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, he joined the Mowery Clinic, where he has a practice in general, vascular, and laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Rupe is a board-certified general surgeon and is married to Dr. Abbey Rupe, a pediatrician. Dr. Chris Rupe is a clinical associate professor at the KU School of Medicine in Salina.
Job Titles:
- Digital Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor for Finance / Chief Financial Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Information Technology Leadership Team
- Director of Enterprise IT Architecture
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor
Job Titles:
- Business Operations Manager
- Member of the Administrative Faculty and Staff
Donna Vandivier is a native of Western Kansas and earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a master's degree in business from Kansas Wesleyan University. Before beginning her work in higher education, she worked for a transportation company in Salina. She is also an active member in the community raising money for local charities. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, working on craft projects and riding motorcycles with her husband.
Job Titles:
- Lead Instructor Cardiology
Dr. David Battin graduated from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas with a B.S. in biology. He received his M.D. from Kansas University School of Medicine and finished an internal medicine residency at Kansas University Medical Center. After residency he completed a fellowship in cardiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee, followed by an interventional cardiology fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. Dr. Battin now practices a full spectrum of cardiovascular medicine at the Mowery Clinic in Salina and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Kansas University School of Medicine. He is board certified in Cardiovascular Diseases, Interventional Cardiology, and Nuclear Cardiology
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Faculty and Staff
- Lead Instructor - Simulation and Ultrasound
Dr. David Dupy received a bachelor of science from Missouri State University and as medical/health policy and administration degree from KU School of Medicine. He is fellowship-trained in ultrasound through the Ultrasound Leadership Academy. As a medical student, he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He completed a residency at Smoky Hill Family Medicine Residency, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Dupy is a member of AAFP, KAFP, AMA, Kansas Medical Society, and Saline County Medical Society. He is currently an emergency room physician in McPherson, Saline county coroner, medical director of Central Kansas Foundation and Saline County Health Department. He also works at the medical center as lead instructor for simulation and ultrasound and the Smoky Hill Family medicine residency program teaching emergency room and ultrasound topics. Dr. Dupy and his wife, Megan, met at Missouri State University, where they were both on the golf team. They have three children: Ryan, Anna and Caleb.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Member of the Administrative Faculty and Staff
- Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Dr. Dorothy Hughes currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health with a secondary appointment in the Department of Surgery. She teaches Scholarly Projects and Health Insurance sessions in the ACE curriculum; Health Policy and Comparative Health Systems in the Health Policy and Management Ph.D. program; and the Health Care System and Rural Health Care in the Masters of Health Services Administration program. Her teaching techniques include active lecture and group discussion, flipped classrooms, and service-learning. She delivers course content online, in-person and in hybrid formats.
Her research interests center on the rural health workforce and rural healthcare professional pipeline, focusing on rural surgeons when possible. She primarily uses qualitative methods but also conducts quantitative and mixed methods studies. She enjoys being in an interdisciplinary department and bringing together principles from health services research, sociology, and behavioral economics. She is passionate about intertwining research and education and is dedicated to increasing all students' access to rural research and learning opportunities.
Dr. Hughes holds a bachelor's degree from American University in International Studies, as well as a master's degree in health services administration and a Ph.D. in health policy and management, both from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. After two decades away, she has returned to her hometown of McPherson, where she resides with her Great Pyrenees, Maggie.
Job Titles:
- Lead Instructor Emergency Medicine
Dr. Jeremiah Ostmeyer is a graduate of Fort Hays State University with a major in chemistry. He subsequently received his M.D. from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. After medical school Dr. Ostmeyer completed an emergency medicine residency at Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia, South Carolina. Currently, Dr. Ostmeyer is an emergency medicine physician at Salina Regional Health Center. He is board certified in emergency medicine and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Lead Instructor Emergency Medicine
Dr. Keir Swisher is a 2001 graduate from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. He then matriculated at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences-College of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating with a D.O. degree in 2006. Following medical school, Dr. Swisher completed a residency in emergency medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria-OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. Dr. Swisher is an emergency medicine physician at Salina Regional Health Center, where he also serves as Co-Medical Director of the Emergency Department. He is board certified in emergency medicine and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Kansas University School of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Lead Instructor Cardiology
Dr. Mark Mikinski received his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University and his M.D. from Kansas University School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency and cardiovascular medicine fellowship at Kansas University Medical Center. Following fellowship he joined the Mowery Clinic and founded the Salina Regional Heart Center. Dr. Mikinski is engaged in a practice of non-invasive and invasive cardiovascular medicine in Salina. He is board certified in cardiovascular medicine and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Kansas University School of Medicine. He loves hunting and barbecuing.
Dr. Ralph Bharati has over thirty years of clinical practice in psychiatry. He completed his medical school at Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez in 1982 and psychiatry residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita in 1988. He is Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and American Board of Addiction Medicine. He is Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and American Society of Addiction Medicine. He is currently practicing psychiatry at Salina Regional Health Center and previously served as Medical Director in private practice and for many substance abuse treatment facilities, hospitals, and social service organizations.
Dr. Ryan Payne is a 2000 graduate of Kansas State University, where he majored in chemical engineering. He then started his medical studies at the University of Kansas, graduating with a M.D. in 2004. After medical school, Dr. Payne completed an intern year in general surgery and a residency in urology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukie. Dr. Payne has been a member of Salina Urology Associates since 2009. He is board certified in urology and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Kansas University School of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Faculty and Staff
- Associate Dean for Clinical Experiences and Clerkship Director
- Subinternship - Assistant Clerkship Director
Dr. Scott Owings received a B.S. from Pittsburg State University and his medical degree from KUSM-Wichita. As a medical student, he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He completed residency at Smoky Hill Family Medicine Residency where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Owings is a member of STFM, AAFP, KAFP, AMA, Kansas Medical Society, NRHA, and Saline County Medical Society. He is currently an Associate Director for Smoky Hill Family Medicine Residency Program and Associate Dean of KU School of Medicine-Salina. Dr. Owings is the Director of the Lukert Academic Society and Advisor for the Family Medicine and Rural Medicine Interest Groups in Salina. Dr. Owings and his wife Melanie both from Maize, Kansas, have three children Olivia, Abram, and Beckett. When they are not watching the Jayhawks they enjoy sports and spending time with family and friends. His hobbies include carpentry, fishing, hunting, and golf.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Associate Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine / Vice Chancellor, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Simulation
- Director, Zamierowski Institute for Experiential Learning / Assistant Vice Chancellor for Simulation
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Dean, School of Medicine - Wichita
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Library
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Support Services / Events
Dr. Reed received his undergraduate degree from Fort Hays State University (B.S. in Mathematics) and his M.D. from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and a fellowship in nephrology and hypertension at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. Dr. Reed is a board-certified internist and nephrologist at the Mowery Clinic.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Information Technology Leadership Team
- Director of IT - Application Development
Job Titles:
- Lead Instructor Hematology / Oncology
Dr. Geitz received both his undergraduate degree and M.D. from the University of Kansas. Following medical school graduation in 2006, he completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita and a fellowship in hematology and Oncology at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. Currently Dr. Geitz is engaged in the practice of hematology and oncology at Tammy Walker Cancer Center in Salina. In 2017 Dr. Geitz was recognized by Salina medical students as Phase 2 teacher of the year. Dr. Geitz is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Kansas University School of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Information Technology Leadership Team
- Interim Associate Vice Chancellor and Deputy Chief Information Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Development Administrator
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs & Development
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, Faculty Affairs & Development
Job Titles:
- Deputy General Counsel
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Interim General Counsel and Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs
Larry Michel has been associated with Kennedy Berkley Yarnevich & Williamson, Chtd. since 1993 and has been a shareholder in the firm since 1996. He is a native of Downs, Kansas, and is a 1989 graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law. His undergraduate degree is in organismal biology, also from the University of Kansas. Michel's practice focuses on civil trial practice, including employment, insurance, administrative and personal injury law. He is licensed to practice law in Kansas and Colorado and handles cases in both state and federal courts. He also works extensively with administrative agencies, such as the Kansas Department of Labor, Kansas Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Michel has written several articles on legal topics and is a frequent speaker on employment-related issues. He was selected by the Federal Court in Kansas to serve on an advisory committee on alternative dispute resolution and is also a past member of the Federal Bench-Bar Committee for the District of Kansas.
Job Titles:
- Services Program Coordinator
A native of Salina, Laura Easterday is the Phase I Senior Coordinator at the KU School of Medicine-Salina. She received her bachelor's degree in Communications and Human Resource Development, along with a certificate in Leadership Studies from Fort Hays State University in 2008. She worked as a project manager for a small firm in Hays, Kansas, for several years before joining the KU School of Medicine-Salina staff in 2011, and completed a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State University in 2011.
Job Titles:
- Advancement Board Director
Job Titles:
- Online Learning Specialist
Job Titles:
- Clinical Skills Lab Senior Coordinator
Mary Vernon hails from small-town Kansas and earned her Bachelor of Science in Education with an emphasis in Sports Information from the University of Kansas in 2001. After stints with a USBL basketball team and a small marketing firm in Salina, Vernon was named the director of marketing and development for the Salina Community Theatre. She began working in higher education in 2011 as the director of public relations, communications, and marketing for Kansas Wesleyan University. As a lifelong Jayhawk, Mary jumped at the chance to work for the University of Kansas and is thrilled to be on staff. In her spare time, she enjoys watching sports, exercising, reading, working on home projects and spending time with her three children.
Job Titles:
- Lead Instructor Family Medicine
After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Dr. Cobb attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine, receiving his M.D. in 2004. Subsequently, he completed a residency in family medicine at Mercy Family Medicine Residency Program in Mason City, Iowa. Following residency, Dr. Cobb joined Comcare in Salina. He is board certified in family medicine and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Kansas University School of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor for Research
Dr. Johnson attended Kansas State University in Manhattan before entering pharmacy school at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where he received his B.S. in Pharmacy. Not content with being a pharmacist, Dr. Johnson entered medical school at KU and received his M.D. in 1992. He completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita in 1997. Dr. Johnson is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon currently practicing at the Orthopedic Sports Health Clinic of Salina.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Faculty and Staff
- Medical Education Instruction Specialist
Mike Kollhoff is a native of Kansas (born in Stafford) who grew up in Salina and attended Salina Public Schools K-12. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Antiquities and a Bachelor of Science degree in Science Education from the University of Kansas. He earned his Master of Science in Counseling from Emporia State University. Before becoming a full-time school counselor, he taught high school biology, chemistry and physics. When not at work, he enjoys playing golf, sailing and home-remodeling projects.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Faculty and Staff
- Associate Dean of Basic Sciences
Though he is a native of Great Britain and had not spent much time in Kansas before coming to the KU School of Medicine-Salina, Dr. Robinson has lived in the Midwest for many years, thanks, in part, to the fact that his wife is from Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. in parasite immunology from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. He went on to a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and has held faculty positions at North Dakota State University and North Georgia College and State University. Before coming to Salina, he served as assistant dean of Curriculum and Faculty Affairs at Ross University School of Medicine's Clinical Site in Freeport, Grand Bahama, where he was integral to establishing a medical school campus.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Information Technology Leadership Team
- Associate Director KITS
Job Titles:
- Chief Communications Officer
- Director
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Interim Vice President for Medical Development, KU Endowment
A Nebraska-native, Dr. Raasch is excited to now call Salina home. He and his wife are excited to put roots down and raise a family in Salina. Dr. Raasch completed his medical degree at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Des Moines, IA. He then completed residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, KS. Dr. Raasch's areas of special interest include family planning, infertility, hormonal imbalance and minimally invasive surgery.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Information Technology Leadership Team
- Director of Customer Support
Job Titles:
- Member of the Information Technology Leadership Team
- Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Vice Chancellor
- Executive Vice Chancellor / KU Medical Center
- Executive Vice Chancellor for KU Medical Center
Dr. Simari serves as executive vice chancellor for KU Medical Center, which is comprised of the schools of Health Professions, Medicine and Nursing, as well as a robust research enterprise.
Robert D. Simari, M.D., the Franklin E. Murphy Professor in Cardiology, assumed the role of executive vice chancellor for the University of Kansas Medical Center in January 2018. A 1986 alumnus of KU School of Medicine, Simari also served as executive dean for the KU School of Medicine from March 2014 through August 2019, providing oversight and leadership to the school's three campuses in Kansas City, Wichita and Salina.
As executive vice chancellor, Simari oversees the education, research, patient care and outreach missions of the schools of Health Professions, Medicine and Nursing, which have a total annual enrollment of more than 3,500 students. He is responsible for a workforce of more than 1,700 faculty and more than 3,500 staff; a significant research enterprise with funding of nearly $100 million; and actvities in every county in the state of Kansas.
Prior to joining KU, Simari served as vice chair for the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and co-principal investigator of the Center for Translational Science Activities at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he also served as a physician scientist, cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Simari's laboratory made fundamental discoveries in the areas of thrombosis and identification of vascular stem cells, and he led the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute-funded Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network from 2008 to 2021.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Professor, Cell Biology and Physiology / Vice Chancellor, University of Kansas Medical Center, Academic and Student Affairs / Professor, Anatomy and Cell Biology
- Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Government Relations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Acting Director of the KU Center for Telemedicine
- Vice Chancellor for Community Engagement
Ryan Spaulding is the Acting Director of the KU Center for Telemedicine andamp; Telehealth (KUCTT), the Vice Chancellor of the Institute for Community Engagement, and a Research Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Data Science at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). Previously he was the Director of KUCTT for 12 years. For 10 year he was also the Communications Core Director for the Kansas INBRE initiative, a 10-university bioscience program funded by the NIH. In his current roles, he oversees multiple university departments that provide health care services and education to underserved, rural communities in Kansas, including the Kansas Project ECHO program at KUMC. He has authored several articles and book chapters on the use of health information technologies in the delivery of health care and medical education to underserved areas. He is a member of the American Telemedicine Association and the National Rural Health Association.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Dean, KU School of Nursing
Dr. Johnston graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in biology in 1996 and received her MD from KU in 2000. After medical school, she completed a residency in family medicine at the Smoky Hill Family Medicine Residency Program in Salina. Dr. Johnston is a board-certified family medicine physician at ComCare.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation
- Professor, Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics / Professor, Cancer Biology / Professor, Cancer Biology
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Executive Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer
- Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs
Steve Stites, MD, Executive Vice President, Clinical Affairs / Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Stites joined the hospital's leadership team as senior vice president of clinical affairs in February 2012 and became executive vice president and chief medical officer for the health system in July 2018. He serves a dual role as vice chancellor for clinical affairs at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
As executive vice president for clinical affairs and chief medical officer, Dr. Stites reports to The University of Kansas Hospital Authority's chief executive officer and has responsibilities in the areas of clinical programs and practice development, as well as strategic planning and education. As vice chancellor for clinical affairs, Dr. Stites reports to the university's executive vice chancellor, working to fully integrate our clinical departments into a wider-reaching health system and ensuring we have a strong strategic plan for educating future physicians and growing the academic strength of our clinical programs.
He served as chair of the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Internal Medicine from 2007-2014 and was the interim executive vice chancellor for 10 months; from 2000-2008 he was the residency program director in internal medicine.
Dr. Stites received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He completed his residency and chief residency in internal medicine at the University of Rochester and fellowship at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center
- Professor, Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics
Dr. Davis attended Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y., before completing medical school at Howard University in Washington, DC. After medical school, he completed a medicine internship at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a neurology residency at Howard University, and a fellowship in cerebral vascular diseases at Howard. Dr. Davis served on the staff of Howard University and was in private practice in Southern California prior to moving to Salina in 1999. Dr. Davis is a board-certified neurologist in solo practice at Amber Waves Neurology.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Finance
Job Titles:
- Dean
- Member of the Administrative Faculty and Staff
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Dean, KU School of Medicine - Salina
Tyler Hughes, M.D., FACS, Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery joined the faculty of the KU School of Medicine-Salina in 2016. Born and raised in Dallas, he conducted his medical training at Southwestern Medical School and a residency under Dr. Ernest Poulos at St. Paul Medical Center in Dallas. After residency, Dr. Hughes practiced general and vascular surgery in Dallas for 12 years. During that time he served as assistant director of surgical training and director of surgical intensive care at St. Paul Medical Center. In 1995, Dr. Hughes and his family moved to McPherson and has enjoyed rural surgical practice ever since.
He is dedicated to teaching and has provided general surgery instruction for KU medical students since 1999. He currently is a clinical professor of surgery at KU School of Medicine. He has published in lay and peer-reviewed literature on rural surgical issues and has served on the editorial boards of ACS Surgery News (currently co-editor in chief), Evidence-Based Reviews in General Surgery, The American College of Surgeons Brief and Selected Readings in General Surgery. Since 2007 Dr. Hughes has been the co-editor of the Rural Community Web Page for the American College of Surgery and in 2014 became editor-in-chief of the ACS Web Portal, a social media platform for surgeons worldwide.
During 2007 he was president of the Kansas Chapter of the ACS, and in 2010 he was elected governor at large of the ACS for Kansas. In 2012 he was elected to a directorship of the American Board of Surgery, as well as the first chair of the ACS Advisory Council for Rural Surgery. In 2012, Dr. Hughes was honored by the National Rural Health Association as the rural practitioner of the year. As of 2019 Dr. Hughes has served as Secretary of the American College of Surgeons, the largest surgical organization in the world. He is a member of the American Surgical Association, the Western Surgical Association, Southern Surgical Association, American College of Surgeons and member of Alpha Omega Alpha.
Dr. Hughes was a private pilot for 26 years. His last and favorite aircraft was a twin Beech Baron. He is a writer and reader who is extremely proud of his wife, Mary, who is an actress. They have two grown children: Dorothy Hughes, an expert in health policy, and Tyler Hughes, Jr., an electrical engineer.