FLINT, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Kettering University Alumni Association will honor eight alumni for professional excellence and civic engagement during ceremonies on Saturday, Sept. 10 in Flint, Mich.
Kettering President Robert McMahan and Alumni Association President Frank Krohn will officiate during the presentations.
To see photos and biographies on the award recipients, visit http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=3137
The 2011 Kettering University Alumni Awards recipients are:
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS – Dr. Neil Ressler
Dr. Neil Ressler ’62, of Ethanol Boosting Systems and Fallbrook Technologies, will receive the Distinguished Alumnus award recognizing specific and exceptional career achievement, traditionally given to people at the highest level in the corporate structure.
Ressler retired as Vice President-Research and Advanced Engineering and Chief Technical Officer for the Ford Scientific Laboratory in 2001, after serving in a variety of roles at the Ford Motor Company.
Ressler and his wife, Dorene, spend winters in Bonita Springs, Fla., and summers in Ann Arbor, Mich.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT – Rhonda Robinson Winter
Rhonda Robinson Winter ’81, CIO, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will receive the Outstanding Achievement award recognizing specific, exceptional career achievement.
Winter is the CIO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Her previous roles include leading technology at the National Collegiate Athletic Association during its relocation from Kansas City to its new headquarters in Indianapolis and driving a technology revolution for museum visitors at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
She lives in Mooresville, Indiana.
ENTREPRENEURIAL ACHIEVEMENT – Brian Olatunji
Brian Olatunji ’05, president and CEO of Leadfoot Motorsports LLC, and Leadfoot Media, will receive the Entrepreneurial Achievement Award recognizing a specific contribution in organizing, managing and assuming the risk of business or enterprise.
Olatunji is pursuing his dream of becoming a world-class championship contending professional race car driver in the NHRA Nitro Funny Car Division through Leadfoot Motorsports, LLC, that he founded at the age of 19.
He is currently vice president of the 100 Black Men of Greater Detroit and also the chairman of the Leadfoot Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization whose purpose is to empower youth through mentorship and education initiatives.
He lives in Detroit, Mich.
ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENT – Carla Bailo
Carla Bailo ’83, OEM-BU Divisional General Manager, Program Director for SUV/OEM and also Program Director for the Americas, Nissan, will receive the Engineering Achievement Award recognizing a specific contribution with a positive and lasting effect in the field in engineering.
Bailo oversees the overall operations, revenue and profit of four areas of the OEM business for Nissan globally: vehicle, powertrain, technology and intellectual property, and merchandizing. Additionally, she is responsible for the profitability and product presence of Nissan’s SUVs worldwide, playing a key role in the management committee of the Americas’ business plan not only in continuing to drive profitability of products produced in the Americas and the V-platform cost and quality metrics but also in advancing quality of management and diversity.
Bailo and her husband Clark Bailo ‘81 live in Yokohama, Japan, with their four children.
MANAGEMENT ACHIEVEMENT – Henio Arcangeli Jr.
Henio Arcangeli Jr. ’86, president, Motorsports Group Company, Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, will receive the Management Achievement Award recognizing a specific contribution with a positive and lasting effect in the field of Management.
Arcangeli has responsibility for Yamaha’s Motorcycle, ATV, Side-by-Side, Snowmobile, and Outdoor Power Equipment business groups as well as Racing Operations. He has served in the role as president since 2007. Prior to Yamaha, Arcangeli was president and chief operating officer of Pioneer Electronics’ Strategic Business Services. Before Pioneer Electronics, he held engineering, manufacturing and marketing roles with the General Electric Company and General Motors Corporation.
Arcangeli serves on Kettering University’s Board of Trustees.
He and his wife Mary have a daughter and live in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
HUMAN RELATIONS – Armen G. Oumedian
Armen G. Oumedian ’49, retired as senior vice president for Pinnacle Automotive in 2000, will receive the Human Relations Awards recognizing a graduate who has rendered significant contributions inspiring unity at Kettering University.
Oumedian has actually retired twice, from Pinnacle Automotive in 2000, and he also retired as senior vice president and assistant to the president for Rapistan Inc. in 1988 after 32 years of service to the company. Prior to Rapistan he was employed at General Motors for 10 years.
His service to the university includes contributing more than $100,000 in scholarships for students employed in West Michigan, creating the Kettering Technology Award, establishing the Eagle Scout Scholarship at Kettering, founding the “Classroom of the Future” project and committing $20,000 in a matching grant, creating a fund to sponsor two LITE participants from West Michigan and arranging an academic partnership between Grand Rapids Community College and Kettering.
In addition to Kettering he has worked to develop resources in West Michigan including: establishing the Armen Oumedian Innovation Health Fund with Metro Health Hospital Cancer Center to develop and fund patient navigation and survivorship programs, establishing a scholarship for high school students to attend GRCC and Kettering, founded the Pat Oumedian Innovative Learning Nursing Fund at GRCC, established a pre-college engineering fund for high schools in Grand Rapids, started the “Armen Innovation Challenge” at GRCC, and working with the Grand Rapids Community Schools who develop Science, Engineering Technology and Math programs.
He lives in Grand Rapids, Mich.
CIVIC ACHIEVEMENT – Dr. Cleamon Moorer Jr.
Dr. Cleamon Moorer Jr. ‘99, assistant professor of Management in the Brennan School of Business at Dominican University, will receive the Civic Achievement Award recognizing significant and unselfish contributions of time and effort that benefit the community.
Currently an assistant professor of Management, Moorer’s teaching interests are international business, management, organizational behavior, and a variety of other organizational management topics. In addition to full-time teaching, he is a business researcher and motivational speaker. In the past nine years, he has taught at Saint Xavier University, Trinity Christian College, Roosevelt University and Walden University.
He founded Moorer Customer Care Solutions Consulting (MCCSC), a regional management consulting firm dedicated to serving the organizational design and consulting needs of small and intermediate sized businesses, and is the author of “From Failure to Promise: An Uncommon Path to Professoriate,” in addition to published articles in The Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, the American Journal of Business Education, and the Journal of Business Case Studies.
He and his wife, Nicole, live in Olympia Fields, Ill., with their four sons.
YOUNG ALUMNUS – Austin P. Szelkowski
Austin P. Szelkowski ’09, co-founder and Accounts manager of ADEPT Marketing Solutions, will receive the Young Alumni Award recognizing a graduate (of the previous 10 years) who has rendered significant contributions, exhibited outstanding character, or has achieved marked success in such areas as Alumni Service, Human Relations, Civic, Engineering, Entrepreneurial, Management or Outstanding Achievement.
Szelkowski’s professional mission is to create a network of entrepreneurial ecosystems across the country as well as a network for teaching socially-conscious entrepreneurship to students from Kindergarten to college by the year 2030. Currently he’s working to develop a results-based and innovation friendly marketing company that will spearhead marketing campaigns for his various projects, both for-profit and not for-profit.
Szelkowski recently completed a 3,400 mile in-line skate across America as the “Freedom Skater.” (freedomskater.com) Austin and his team of entrepreneurs used the tour as a vehicle to spread a pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit to young people across the nation.
He lives in Fowlerville, Mich.
Kettering University is located in Flint, Michigan, and is the country's premier engineering, science and business university dedicated to co-op education and experiential learning, and a national leader in preparing entrepreneurs and innovators. For more information, visit www.kettering.edu.