Hiring Coogs for STEM Workforce

NSM Alumnus Joe Melenric Sees Many Benefits for Lockheed Martin and Other Companies

Joe Melenric (B.S. ’83, Mathematics) knows the excitement of working with the space program.

He’s spent 33 years supporting NASA spanning from his entry-level computer science position to his current role as a senior manager at Lockheed Martin. Now, he’s helping bring new UH science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates, many of them from NSM, into the Lockheed Martin family.

Retiring Baby Boomers Increase Need for New STEM Hires

As baby boomers continue to retire, the need to replace that pool of knowledge grows each year.

“My Lockheed Martin/NASA Johnson Space Center contract team supported a hiring initiative to bring in new or recent college graduates in engineering, math, science and technology to replace skilled aerospace workers who have retired or will be retiring soon,” said Melenric, who also holds a master’s degree in history from UH-Clear Lake.

Melenric is helping the management team find local talent to compete for these positions. He knew that UH was a great place to start the search for good candidates.

“UH prepared me well for my career. UH students possess excellent skills, and a big benefit is that they are locally available, and therefore, are easy to set up for interview,” he said.

UH Career Fairs Introduce Companies to Wealth of Talented Students

Six months ago, Melenric connected with UH’s University Career Services and found many opportunities to promote Lockheed Martin’s jobs to UH students through the Cougar Pathways database and at UH Career Fairs.

“We supported the UH STEM Career Fair in March and were overwhelmed by the incredible interest by STEM candidates. In three hours, we talked to 250 interested candidates and had 50 more waiting in line when the event closed,” he said.

The relationship with UH is paying off for Lockheed Martin. Since January, they have hired at least 10 UH graduates and are still considering a few they met at the career fair.

“We have hired primarily computer science and engineering graduates, but we also brought technology and science graduates into the company this year,” he said. “I encourage other companies, especially Houston companies, to build a relationship with UH. The candidate pool is excellent.”

These UH grads will be part of the Lockheed Martin team that supports three NASA programs: the International Space Station, the Commercial Crew Program, which is working to certify commercial vehicles to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from the space station, and the Orion Program, a new deep-space vehicle that may ultimately go to Mars.

Cougar Pride: The Sky is the Limit

Melenric is proud of the changes he has seen at UH over the years.

“Every time I come to the campus, I see new things,” he said. “The sky is the limit for UH: tremendous growth, Tier One research, outstanding professors and research opportunities, and true leadership in many facets of the community and the nation.”

He enjoys supporting his passions at UH – athletics and academics.

“I was a student assistant in the Sports Information Department during what was a Golden Era for UH in basketball, football and baseball,” Melenric said. “I’ve been a season ticket holder and Cougar Pride member for many years.”

But the quality of education he received at UH is what fueled his career. To that end, he also supports educational endeavors including NSM’s Department of Mathematics, teachHOUSTON and Culture & Science events.

“I give back to academics because I have been blessed to have a 33-year career at the Johnson Space Center,” he said. “My UH professors and work associates prepared me for working as part of a team, which is a must in aerospace work,” Melenric said. “It is important to me to help others have the opportunities I have had.”

Kathy Major, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics