Jena Shafai Asgarpoor, director of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Master of Engineering Management program, has been elected a 2026 Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management, a distinction that recognizes her national leadership and sustained contributions to the engineering management profession.
The honor places Asgarpoor among a select group of academic and industry leaders shaping the future of the discipline.
“Being elected by my peers as a fellow is a meaningful affirmation of my dedication to the field and the profession,” Asgarpoor said. “I am deeply grateful for their recognition of my contributions to engineering management and to ASEM over the years.”
Asgarpoor’s election reflects more than a decade of service to the society, in which she has held nearly every major leadership role — including secretary, president‑elect and president — in addition to serving on the board of directors and executive committee. In these positions, she helped guide national discussions on curriculum development, accreditation, certification, faculty support and industry engagement.
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One of the most influential of those efforts has been a nationwide initiative to restore engineering management’s federal instructional classification as an engineering discipline. The change, Asgarpoor said, would strengthen research opportunities, international student recruitment, graduate salaries and professional pathways.
During her presidency, the American Society for Engineering Management also developed and submitted ABET accreditation criteria for graduate engineering management programs, a milestone Asgarpoor views as essential to the field’s identity and long‑term credibility.
At the College of Engineering, Asgarpoor’s impact is equally visible. Since becoming director of the Master of Engineering Management program in 2017, she has led a comprehensive redesign of the curriculum, aligning it with the Engineering Management Body of Knowledge and guiding the program to ASEM certification in 2020 and recertification in 2024.
“Our graduates are better prepared to develop the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary to become effective engineering managers,” Asgarpoor said.
As she becomes a fellow, she looks forward to mentoring emerging professionals and contributing to the society’s long‑term strategy.
“My hope is to help strengthen engineering management’s visibility, credibility and impact, ensuring the discipline reaches its full potential in the years ahead,” she said.
