Ray Kowalik

Ray Kowalik joined Garney’s Board of Directors in January 2024. Ray recently retired as CEO of Burns & McDonnell, a 100% employee-owned engineering and construction firm with 13,500 employees. In 2022, the firm generated nearly $7 billion in revenue supporting 19,000 projects. Ray joined Burns & McDonnell in 1987 as a structural engineer and became chairman and CEO in 2017. Out of the office, Ray invests his time and energy into organizations that support education, health, and economic development. He served as the board chair for United Way of Greater Kansas City, the Kansas City Area Development Council, and Union Station. He is also a member of the Dean’s Engineering Advisory Council for the College of Engineering at the University of Missouri, US Bank Advisory Board, and a director for St. Lukes Health System and BJC Health System. Ray earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He and his wife, Jill, have a daughter who is an engineering graduate of the University of Missouri. Ray and Jill split time between Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Cape Coral, Florida.