MSOE Executive Vice President of Academics Eric T. Baumgartner, Ph.D. has been recognized as a 2026 Wisconsin Titan 100. He joins top CEOs and C-level executives across the state named on the list for 2026.

Titans are evaluated based on their demonstration of exceptional leadership, visions and passion in their industries. The Wisconsin Titan 100 list includes leaders in construction, marketing & advertising, financial services, food & beverages, information technology & services, and non-profit sectors, among many others. Collectively, the 2026 Wisconsin Titan 100 and their companies employ over 64,000 individuals and generate over $14 billion in annual revenues. 

Dr. Baumgartner has served as MSOE’s Executive Vice President of Academics since 2017 and on Jan. 1, 2026 he will become the university’s sixth president. Under his astute leadership, MSOE accomplished numerous strategic academic initiatives including the development of undergraduate and graduate programs focused on AI and machine learning. Baumgartner contributed to the design of new academic spaces such as those within the Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall, Hermann Viets Tower, and the soon-to-be-built Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center; and established the Center for Professional Education.

Prior to MSOE, Baumgartner served as dean of Ohio Northern University’s T.J. Smull College of Engineering and a mechanical engineering professor 2006-2017. He also taught at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Michigan Technological University. He previously was a senior member of the engineering staff at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California where he held leadership roles on the Mars Science Laboratory Sample Acquisition/Sample Processing and Handling team and Mars Exploration Rover project that successfully launched, landed and operated the Curiosity, Spirit and Opportunity rovers on the surface of Mars.

The Wisconsin Titans, including Dr. Baumgartner, will be celebrated at a ceremony this January at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

About Titan 100 
The Titan 100 is a national program in 8 markets across the country that recognizes the top 100 CEO's and C-level executives in a region. Representing both the private and public sector, these Titans of Industry demonstrate exceptional leadership, vision, passion, and influence in their field. The Titan 100 are recognized at an annual awards event, published in the Titan 100 book, and given the opportunity to build relationships with their fellow Titans by connecting multiple times throughout the year. Titans must be nominated and selected annually with the pinnacle achievement of being recognized as an elite Hall of Fame honoree in their third year. The Titan 100 is one of the fastest-growing, most powerful communities of executives across the nation.