James Andrew Means, Retired Engineer at Stanford Research Institute International, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Engineers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in electrical engineering.
Dr. Means had an interest in mechanical engineering since his high school years, and while serving in the Korean War from 1955 to 1958 with the U.S. Navy, he discovered his gift for electronics. Upon returning from the military, Dr. Means received a BSEE in 1962 and a MSEE in 1966, both from the University of Arizona. He then continued his education and obtained a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1972 and a MS in computer science from Chapman University in 1988. Dr. Means commenced his professional career with the Pacific Missile Test Center as an engineer from 1962 to 1972 and engineer manager from 1972 to 1979. For the following 10 years, he served the Space and Missile Test Organization at Vandenberg Air Force Base as technical director, having been appointed by President Jimmy Carter. Later on, he joined the Stanford Research Institute International as senior technical advisor for nearly 20 years until his retirement in 2009.
Looking back on his career, a highlight for Dr. Means was his contribution to negotiating as part of the U.S. Air Force for the President of the Marshall Islands to allow them to continue to shoot their ballistic missiles in the Kwajalein Lagoon. He holds two U.S. patents for a semi-conductor tester and solid-state fuse, and notably served as president of the International Foundation for Telemetering from 1989 to 1995. Dr. Means was the recipient of a Pioneer Award from the International Foundation Telemetering in 2006 and an Allen R. Matthews Award from International Test and Evaluation Association in 1991, as well as nominated for a Presidential Award. In addition to his work, Dr. Means served as a consultant to the Lockheed Martin Corp., Agri-Craft and Ast-Geo-Marine, and taught computer science and electrical engineering at Chapman University. To attest to his legacy, Dr. Means and his accomplishments can also be found in various editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in the West and Who’s Who in the World.