MCAA established an annual scholarship in 2024 in honor of the memory of Ann Mattheis, a former Director of MCAA’s Career Development / GreatFutures program. Ann’s dedication and contributions to building the GreatFutures program has left an enduring legacy for multiple decades of students and for the overall MCAA membership through her many roles with MCAA.
The second recipient of the scholarship is Daniel Kellen, a May 2025 graduate from Iowa State University. Daniel studied Construction Engineering and was an active member of his student chapter from 2022-2025. He served as Student Chapter President and interned with MCAA member companies Harris Company and Baker Group. This summer, he joined Harris Company full-time as an Assistant Project Manager.
“After having interned in both the mechanical and general contracting industry, mechanical construction is appealing to me because of the in-depth knowledge you can attain. Mechanical allows you to get into the finer details of a niche field and really become an expert in your craft. It is my belief that it is easier to have a specialized knowledge and branch out, than to start with a generalized knowledge and try to narrow down an emphasis later on.
Now that I’ve graduated, I plan to stay closely in touch with my former student chapter and advisor. One of the reasons the Iowa State Construction Engineering program is so successful is because of the close-knit community mindset among students and alumni. Every internship I have had, there has been at least one ISU ConE graduate working at that company. Every year there are numerous ConE graduates that reach out to the MCA chapter offering to give jobsite field trips, presentations, and employment opportunities. My hope is that I can do the same as an alumni; providing opportunities to learn and grow to MCA student chapter members whose position I was in when I was a student.”
The John R. Gentille Foundation congratulates Daniel on this prestigious scholarship and thanks MCAA for their commitment to supporting students interested in pursuing a career in the mechanical contracting industry.