College of Engineering
4183 Bell Engineering Center
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone: 479-575-7780
L. Lee Johns Lane
2022
L. Lee Johns Lane
MSOR 1974, PhD Engineering 1976
Vice President and Co-owner (retired)
Autek Systems Inc.
L. Lee Johns Lane holds three degrees from the University of Arkansas and has the
special distinction of being the first female to complete a Ph.D. in the College of
Engineering at the University of Arkansas.
After earning an undergraduate degree in chemistry, Lee worked for Dow Chemical in
Michigan for 10 years before returning to Fayetteville to pursue her graduate degrees.
In 1976, Lee joined the faculty at San Diego State and National Universities where
she taught systems analysis, computer languages and statistics.
Her background helped Lee launch a successful career in the aerospace industry beginning
at General Dynamics. She next worked as program director at Northrop Electronics,
building equipment for the Department of Defense and defense contractors and managing
classified defense programs. In 2002, Lee retired as vice president and co-owner of
Autek Systems, a privately held defense company.
Lee is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineers, Institute of Industrial
Engineering, Institute of 1976 Hall of Fame Electronic and Electrical Engineering,
American Institute of Industrial Engineers and American Institute of Aeronautics &
Astronautics.
Lee and her husband, Sam McCutcheon, have eight children between them and live in
Lee’s hometown of Paris, Arkansas.