KU Engineering’s annual Tiberti lecture to focus on sustainable leadership

LAWRENCE — The chairman, CEO and founder of the first African American employee stock ownership plan corporation in Missouri will deliver this year’s J.A. Tiberti Family Lecture at the University of Kansas School of Engineering.

Anthony Thompson, CEO of Kwame Building Group Inc., based in St. Louis, will deliver this year’s lecture at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 12 in the Beren Auditorium in Slawson Hall. Thompson’s lecture is titled “Sustainable Leadership.”

“I hope the students discover that leadership is learned and not taught. In order to have longevity in this industry, leadership must be sustained,” Thompson said. “There are various ways for an organization to sustain leadership at a high level.”

Thompson received two undergraduate degrees from the University of Kansas, in architectural engineering and environmental design. He earned a master’s degree in civil engineering/construction management from Washington University and has a Master of Business Administration from Webster University.

Thompson said his time at KU served as a springboard for a productive career in the engineering industry.

“KU prepared me for my career in numerous ways — culturally, professionally and personally. The environment is conducive to ‘real world’ challenges,” Thompson said.

Thompson’s career achievements include distinguished alumni awards from KU, Webster University and Washington University; two-time inclusion on the St. Louis Business Journal’s Most Influential Leaders; and being named the 2021 St. Louis American Salute to Excellence in Business Honoree.

The J.A. Tiberti Family Lecture began in 2011 through a contribution from members of the Tiberti family to the KU Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering. Topics focus on ethics, ingenuity, entrepreneurship and issues for the education, personal growth and professional development benefit of students.