Purdue University has announced it will award MKA Chairman and CEO Ron Klemencic an honorary Doctorate of Engineering from the College of Engineering during its spring commencement ceremony on May 16, 2025.
Klemencic is a globally recognized innovator and leading expert in high-rise structural engineering, sought after for his creativity, big-picture approach, and ability to consistently produce cost-effective and inventive designs.
“Ron isn’t just a great engineer—he’s a brilliant engineer,” said MKA President Dave Eckmann.
“The leadership he’s shown our industry has been profound.”
In addition to serving as Chairman and CEO of MKA, Klemencic is a director of the Charles Pankow Foundation, the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations Foundation, and the MKA Foundation, where he champions the research and development of new technologies that further the structural engineering profession. He has played a key role in numerous innovations throughout his career, including performance-based seismic design, the development and successful application of the SpeedCore structural system, and advancements to both performance-based wind and structural fire design.
Right: Ron with Mark Perniconi of the Charles Pankow Foundation.
Klemencic’s distinguished career has been marked with numerous honors, including induction into the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Construction. He is a distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and serves on its Industry Leaders Council. He is also a recipient of the organization’s OPAL award for design and Dennis L. Tewksbury Award for outstanding service to the Structural Engineering Institute. He is an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects and was awarded the Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
Klemencic earned a Master of Science in structural engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1986 and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Purdue University in 1985. He is a member of the UC Berkeley Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni. He previously received the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award and the Civil Engineering Alumni Achievement Award from Purdue University.
“For more than three decades, I’ve had to put up with my business partner extolling the virtues of Purdue on an almost daily basis,” joked MKA Chairman Emeritus Jon Magnusson. “It was only bearable because Ron is such a catalyst for serial innovations and, even more than a catalyst, a finisher. All kidding aside—this is an incredibly rare, great, and appropriate recognition for professional performance that every person at MKA has had front-row seats to witness for decades. We are all grateful to have the chance to work with him.”
“It is an honor to be his business partner and friend,” Eckmann agreed.
See our press release here.