Congratulations to Ron Klemencic!
The Charles Pankow Foundation is proud to recognize our board director, Ron Klemencic, PE, SE, Hon. AIA, who will receive an honorary Doctor of Engineering from the College of Engineering at Purdue University during a ceremony on 16 May 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.
In addition to serving as chair and CEO of MKA, he 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.
Klemencic 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.
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.