Two alumni honored with induction into Engineering Hall of Fame

By Grant Guggisberg
Carl R. Ice College of Engineering Communications and Marketing

Friday, Feb. 14, 2025

 

MANHATTAN — The Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University will induct two new members — Ray Dempsey and Kevin Burke — into its Hall of Fame at the Seaton Society Award Celebration on March 7.

Induction to the hall is the highest honor bestowed on its alumni by the college.

Honorees are recognized for their professional success and accomplishment, involvement with and support of the College of Engineering, dedication to K-State, and professional and public service.

Ray Dempsey

Ray Dempsey, Vienna, Virginia, is founder and principal at Dempsey Inclusion Group where he leverages more than 30 years of corporate experience, including two stints as chief diversity officer for Fortune 500 companies, to help C-suite executives make meaningful and sustainable progress in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Dempsey has worked in the energy industry for more than 30 years in a variety of roles in engineering, strategy, finance and external affairs in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to starting his own company, Dempsey spent three years as group diversity officer for Barclays and more than 20 years at BP, beginning as an operations manager and working his way up to the executive level, ending as chief diversity officer in 2021. He also spent 11 years as president of the BP Foundation, which guides the company’s philanthropic giving programs.

Dempsey graduated from K-State in 1990 with a bachelor’s in industrial engineering. He also has an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He has served on the KSU Foundation board of directors since 2019 and is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council, an independent nonprofit that opens channels of opportunity for the development of Black executives to positively impact businesses and communities. He has previously served on several national nonprofit boards, including the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering and the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

Dempsey and his wife Alysia have four adult daughters.

Kevin Burke

Kevin Burke, Las Vegas, is the CEO of Burke Construction Group, an ENR Top 400 general contractor specializing in comprehensive construction management and sustainable building services. Burke’s portfolio includes projects completed for iconic brands such as Credit One Bank, Tesla, Amazon, UNLV, Legacy Traditional Schools, Gardner Group, the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, Sotheby’s International Realty, CBRE, Colliers and DraftKings.

Burke co-founded Matter Real Estate Group in 2018 and devises innovative, custom-building solutions for the company's developments. These developments include UnCommons, a first-of-its-kind, $700 million mixed-use campus in southwest Las Vegas; the Las Vegas Aces Training Facility, the first dedicated training facility exclusively for women in the 27-year league history; and the DraftKings Las Vegas Headquarters, a 90,000 square foot technology hub, which serves as DraftKings' second-largest office in the United States.

Burke graduated with honors from K-State in 1986 with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and a minor in business management. He has served on the KSU Foundation’s board of trustees and the College of Engineering advisory council. He was named the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering alumni fellow for 2019. Burke was appointed four times by the governor of Nevada as chairman of the Nevada State Contractor’s Board and served as a board member from 2008-2019. He served on the board of directors for the Nevada Contractors Association/AGC from 2008-2025 and is currently serving on the UNLV Foundation board of trustees. In 2024, Burke was named one of Nevada’s most respected leaders by Nevada Business Magazine.

Burke continues to play a key role in some of the construction industry’s most distinguished organizations, including NAIOP, NCA/AGC, SIOR, AIA and YPO Gold. He is committed to supporting local charities such as Construction vs. Cancer, Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission.

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