Engineering careers are expected to grow by 11 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now more than ever, it’s important to ensure that young African Americans have an opportunity to compete for those jobs, said Joe N. Ballard, founder, president and CEO of the Maryland-based The Ravens Group Inc.
Ballard and his wife, Tessie, recently contributed more than $250,000 in scholarships for African-American students pursuing engineering degrees at the Missouri University of Science and Technology at Rolla. A retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, Ballard earned a master’s degree in engineering management from the university, formerly named the University of Missouri-Rolla.
“In the minority community, there are some very bright and deserving students, but they just don’t have the wherewithal to come to a school like S&T,” said Ballard, who is also a member of the National Society of Black Engineers – St. Louis Gateway Alumni. “S&T has done a tremendous job with outreach, and I want to do anything I can to help.”
The Missouri S&T Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for African American Recruitment and Retention quickly took advantage of Ballard’s matching offer.
“We are so fortunate for General Ballard’s initiative and example of leadership,” said LaWanda Jones, chair of the committee, “and hold great hope for the impact that this lifetime scholarship will provide.”
Ballard’s company focuses on cyber security, training services, enterprise management and healthcare/hospitality services. The Raven Group is a service-disabled veteran-owned business.
Before he retired, Ballard was as the 49th chief of engineers and commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. President Bill Clinton appointed him to this prestigious position in 1996.
Prior to this, Ballard was the chief of staff for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine. Before that, he was the commander of the U.S. Army Engineer Center at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he served as the engineer proponent for combat and combat support systems and training.
Ballard became interested in engineering as a high school student while working a part-time job as an assistant in a television and appliance repair shop.
“I never looked back,” he said.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Ballard grew up in a loving family with five other siblings and “two of the best parents in the world,” he said. He lived in the small town of Oakdale, La. in a three-bedroom house built by his father.
“We never had everything we desired as kids, but we had enough,” he said. “The most important thing we received was love and respect for others.”
Within a two-block radius of his family home lived his grandparents, four uncles, three aunts and their families, as well as a multitude of cousins.
“It sounds somewhat idyllic, and it was,” he said. “My parents were absolutely the major positive influence in my life. My father is deceased, but my mother and I still talk weekly from wherever I am.”
He is also a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. He went on to command the 18th Engineer Brigade in Germany, which at the time was the army’s largest and most experienced combat, construction and topographic engineer troop unit. He also served two combat tours in Vietnam.
Ballard’s advice to young people considering military service is this: “Embrace a career of selfless service to your country. You will not get rich, monetarily, but you will be rich in experiences, challenges and accomplishments.”
Ballard’s military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (three awards), Bronze Star Medal (two awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards).
In addition to his military honors, the Council of Deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Career Communications Group recognized Ballard as the 1998 Black Engineer of the Year. He was also the 1998-1999 president of the Society of American Military Engineers and a member of the National Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi.
Ballard said he always has had a desire to stretch himself to the maximum.
“I learned from my father that there was little I could not do with proper preparation and determination,” he said. “Even failure is a learning experience.”
Ballard holds several of honorary degrees, including an honorary doctorate of law from Lincoln University and two honorary doctorates of engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla and Southern University.
When asked to cite three people who have inspired him, Ballard said, “My father, for his integrity; Mr. Jessie Anderson, who exposed me to the field of engineering; and my wife, Tessie, who taught me that you always got up after life knocked you down.”
