Retired admiral, alumnus to give lecture on leadership


LAWRENCE — Leadership, mentoring and coaching will be the focus of a lecture from Michael Loose, retired U.S. Navy vice admiral, Parsons Corp. senior vice president and University of Kansas School of Engineering graduate.  

Loose will deliver the fourth annual J.A. Tiberti Family Lecture at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, in the Spahr Engineering Classroom, Eaton Hall. 

“I’m planning to share insight on the importance of character, empowerment, mentoring, coaching, attitude and genuine caring for people,” Loose said. “It’s critical to seek out good advisers at KU, and once you get in the professional world, someone who will be a good mentor, someone that’s focused on your personal and professional development.”

Loose earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1975 and received KU’s Distinguished Engineering Service Award in 2006. He was active in KU’s Navy ROTC program during his time on campus and ran the civil engineering department’s concrete lab his junior year. Loose said Distinguished Professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Dave Darwin, who also had military experience, provided valuable guidance on how to run the lab and motivate others. 

“Dr. Darwin went out of his way to advise me on how to lead people and to focus on what’s important. He spent a lot of time mentoring and coaching me in those areas so that when I went into the Navy, I was ready to hit the ground running,” Loose said.

Loose spent more than 30 years in significant positions in the Navy's Civil Engineer Corps, rising to deputy chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics. He retired in 2010. He currently works in the industry for Parsons Corp. in Washington, D.C., where he leads the corporation’s federal infrastructure and environmental division. His talk will be free and open to the public.

The J.A. Tiberti Family Lecture series was established through the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering in 2011 with a gift to KU Endowment from the family of Jelindo Angelo Tiberti, who founded J.A. Tiberti Construction Co. in Las Vegas in 1950. Under his leadership, the firm became a major player in construction projects throughout Las Vegas and southern Nevada. 

Thu, 10/30/2014

author

Cody Howard

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Cody Howard

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