LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - James McKinnie earned the Little Rock District’s Engineer of the Year honors for 2014 for his exceptional work as chief of Navigation and Maintenance Section.
His leadership resulted in the first-ever regional McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System strategic maintenance plan.
During the year, McKinnie also served as the mechanical and electrical section chief for the Engineering and Construction Division and as the district’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics coordinator.
Throughout 2014, McKinnie’s reputation flourished as a technical expert and leader in the local community, district and the region because of his civic involvement, wide-ranging knowledge and skills.
McKinnie and his team provide traditional maintenance engineering support to the district’s project offices, as well as asset management and budget development for the district’s navigation and flood risk management business lines.
Before joining to the Corps, McKinnie worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center where he was involved in the design and operation of life support systems for the International Space Station. He also served with the 314th Civil Engineer Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base as a mechanical engineer, chief of contracts, and chief of the engineering flight.
McKinnie earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University in 1990. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Arkansas.