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Alumni Spotlight

Mitchell Engineering President Proud to be a UT Tyler Patriot

Mitchell Engineering President Brian Whitaker graduated from UT Tyler in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He began working at Mitchell Engineering after graduating and became a licensed professional engineer in 2012.

In 2018, he was given the opportunity to purchase Mitchell Engineering, becoming the sole owner and president. Mitchell Engineering is a telecommunications consulting firm specializing in rural fiber to the home engineering. Today, the company has 33 employees and provides engineering services in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Whitaker currently sits on the industry advisory board of both the university’s College of Engineering and Department of Electrical Engineering.

In the following question and answer session, learn more about the alumnus and what he likes best about UT Tyler and the college.

Can you please tell us a little about yourself?

I grew up in the Tyler area my entire life and graduated from Whitehouse High School in 2000. After graduating high school, I attended Tyler Junior College before transferring to UT Tyler to finish my undergraduate degree. I discovered the UT Tyler College of Engineering through discussions with a professor of physics while attending TJC.

Growing up in the Tyler area and being a UT Tyler graduate, I really take pride in the fact that the university is becoming one of the top engineering schools in the state and country. Not only is the College of Engineering excelling, but other colleges on campus are also being recognized for their outstanding achievements, and new degrees are being offered every year.

Besides donating my time to the university, I am also fortunate enough to work for a company which offers a $4,000 per semester (summer semesters not included) scholarship to a student in the department.

What do you like best about UT Tyler and the College of Engineering?

I would say that the atmosphere and what all being at a smaller university entails is really what I like best about UT Tyler. Having the ability to be able to speak with your professor and them actually knowing who you are is a game changer to me. Being able to talk with a professor who knows my name made me not only feel comfortable, but also appreciated as a student.

How did UT Tyler prepare you for career success?

Going back to the previous question regarding what I like best about UT Tyler, I believe that the interaction with the professors is one major advantage that UT Tyler has over the bigger universities. I believe this interaction prepares young engineers coming out of the College of Engineering for the daily life they will experience at work. We work with people and for the people. They need to know that.

Where do you see your industry going in the next five to 10 years?

The telecommunications/broadband industry has been excelling over the past 10 years. It will only continue in that direction over the next five to 10 years, or until most of America has access to Gigabit broadband speeds. Many industries are intertwined with each other, and as the need for additional broadband grows due to video, gaming, etc., there will be telecommunications construction/engineering that will always be keeping up with this demand for more broadband. However, on the flip side, as the availability of broadband grows, then so will the ability to create new technology that can take advantage of the higher broadband speeds being offered to the consumer.

Electrical Engineering department lab What advice do you offer to current and future UT Tyler students?

The advice that I would offer, and this holds true across all colleges, is to make sure you learn more than just what is required for testing while attending the university. Take the time to learn about other parts of the university and other job fields, and interact with the many people you will meet along the way who are from different cultural backgrounds, races, etc. While in the workplace, you will experience things that the books can’t teach you.

What are your hobbies/interests?

Outside of my work hours, I enjoy everything from golfing, fishing, hunting and jeeping, to spending time with my family and shooting sporting clays.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Those of you who are attending or have attended UT Tyler have made a great choice. Those of you who are considering attending UT Tyler will be making one of the greatest decisions of your life.

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Whitaker is married to Bailey, whom he met in the Dallas area after college. They have two children, Brody and Brock.

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