Eli is from Auburn, KS, graduated from Mission Valley High School in 2001 and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from K-State in May 2007. During university, he worked as a machinist and did CAD design. After graduating, he went on to Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita as a Structural Stress Engineer in 2008, contributing to projects like the Cessna Columbus and Bombardier C-Series Pylon to ensure FAA certification and collaborating with international teams. In 2013, he moved to Germany to work as a Structural Analyst for Premium Aerotec GmbH, focusing on the Airbus A350 fuselage. Then to Enercon in northern Germany, where he served as a Structural Stress Engineer in the Wind Turbine Design Department and later took on roles in technical sales and product management. In 2021, he returned to the Topeka area and has been working in the Structural Department of CFS Engineers, performing bridge design, analysis, and inspection while also helping on other civil engineering projects as needed within the company.
