Growing up in the steel-centered community of Bethlehem, PA, John Speer was inspired to pursue metallurgical engineering at an early age. Speer attended Lehigh University and earned his PhD at Oxford University, where he gained valuable research skills and went on to make many contributions to the ferrous metallurgy field. After returning to the States, Speer began working at Bethlehem Steel in the Homer Research Labs and held technical and supervisory positions in the company. Speer applied his experience and understanding of the responsibility of leadership throughout his career and transition into academia at the Colorado School of Mines. Now director of the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center at Mines, Speer devotes his role to his students and the success of the institute. Speer remarks on the importance of industry collaboration and student engagement, and he aims to facilitate these metrics of success in the classroom. As a past AIME President and National Academy of Engineering inductee, Speer supports student engagement with professional societies that will propel the evolution of materials engineers across universities and industry.