2026

During his more than 35 years at WashU, Chris Kroeger has held several different positions, all been
within the McKelvey School of Engineering.

In his current role as associate dean for undergraduate engineering students, he supervisors 15
staff members in Engineering Undergraduate Student Services. The office is focused on
championing engineering students through admissions, recruitment of students from liberal arts
schools around the country for its engineering dual degree program, four-year advising for more
than 1,500 undergraduates, student group support, working with merit scholarship students,
student support, tutoring and mentoring activities, course registration, student record
management, data reporting, degree clearance, accreditation support, running a January Intensive
Course, and coordinating with numerous offices on campus. His past positions in the school
include assistant dean and engineering registrar, assistant dean and director of engineering
admissions, and assistant director of engineering career services.

In 2007, Kroeger was awarded the university’s Gloria W. White Distinguished Service Award, which
is the highest service award given to a WashU staff member each year. He has been a part-time
Dale Carnegie instructor for 25 years, and he has been an undergraduate instructor for college
courses.

With 13 years of service in the Army Reserve as a transportation and logistics officer, Kroeger
graduated with distinction from Army ROTC and received the George C. Marshall Award, the highest
honor bestowed upon top Army ROTC cadets, recognizing the top 5% in the nation for excellence in
leadership, academics, physical fitness, and officer potential.

Kroeger earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Northern Iowa in 1984 and
a master’s degree in applied psychology with a focus in industrial and organizational psychology
from the University of Missouri – St. Louis in 1986.

Stuart Brown comes from Hudson, Ohio, a town south of Cleveland. At WashU, he received a
Langsdorf Scholarship and participated in student affairs becoming president of the Student Union
during his senior year. He was also recognized with the Student Service Award at Commencement.

Now retired, Brown served on the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for
eight years. He performed research and taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in the
department of materials science, receiving the department’s graduate teaching award after his first
year. In addition to his academic career, Brown founded two companies, Semi-Solid Technologies
and Veryst Engineering, retiring as chief executive officer from the latter in 2024. Veryst Engineering
provides advanced technical consulting services to organizations ranging from startups to Fortune
500 companies. The company has developed advanced running shoes for Olympic athletes and
assisted in the development of artificial organs with Massachusetts General Hospital.

Brown has written book chapters and encyclopedia entries as well as edited conference
proceedings. He has authored more than 100 technical publications and is listed as an inventor in
over 20 patents, both domestic and foreign. His consulting firm supported multiple high school
robotics clubs, and he serves on the advisory board of Dearborn Academy, a Boston inner city STEM
high school.

Having retired to Rockingham, Vermont, Brown chairs the Windham County Democratic
Committee and is a member of the Vermont State Democratic Committee, which sets statewide
initiatives for the Democratic Party. He also serves as a Vermont Justice of the Peace.

As a WashU alumnus, Brown and his wife have endowed and continue to contribute to the Stuart
Brown and Sandra DeJong Langsdorf Scholarship within the McKelvey School of Engineering. Brown
also started the Washington University Climate Change Community (WashUCCC), a group of
alumni, parents, and students focused on the issue of climate change. The WashUCCC currently
has over 200 participants and works to publicize both climate work within the university and
climate topics across the country and globe.

Brown earned bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and in English literature from WashU
in 1977. He also holds an MBA and a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Standford
University and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from MIT.