Dr. J. Michael "Mike" Kelly

Michael  KellyDr. Kelly at the annual Langdon Taylor Banquet

J. Michael Kelly has been a lifelong supporter of New Mexico Tech. He earned his bachelor of science degree from NMT in 1972, and has since put his petroleum engineering education to work in the industry.

From 1992 to 1997, Michael Kelly served on the New Mexico Tech Board of Regents, of which he was president in 1995. Tech must have done a good job of convincing Regent Mike Kelly that we provide an excellent education at a reasonable price, because his next step was to return to New Mexico Tech as a student. In 1996, he earned his master's degree, and in 2000 his Ph.D., both in petroleum engineering.

Since then, he has been an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, as well as continuing to be an independent oil consultant. He has been a strong supporter of Tech's student chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, participating in many of their functions and arranging career-related field trips for students. New Mexico Tech's Petroleum Engineering students named J. Michael Kelly "Distinguished Faculty Member of 2008."

He has been a longtime major supporter of New Mexico Tech and chaired the Commitment to Excellence Capital Campaign in 2001. Most recently, he has lent his support to the project of funding an endowed chair position for the Petroleum Engineering Department. Mike continues to be actively involved in the Roswell Section of the SPE and has helped the department immensely in recruiting in the Artesia/Roswell area.