Seven graduates to be honored during annual Alumni Awards ceremony

The seven alumni being honored are leaders in industry, in their communities and are tremendous representatives of the University. We are extremely proud of all they have accomplished.”

Note: We will have individual profiles on each of the seven winners published over the next three weeks.

The Kettering University Alumni Association will honor seven alumni for successes in business, community service, philanthropy and other endeavors during the 2014 Alumni Awards Dinner and Ceremony on Oct. 9.

“The recipients of this year’s awards are representative of the amazing achievements a Kettering University education lays the groundwork for,” said Bob Nichols, Kettering University director of alumni engagement. “The seven alumni being honored are leaders in industry, in their communities and are tremendous representatives of the University. We are extremely proud of all they have accomplished.”

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2014 Alumni Award Winners (top row, left to right): Troy Clarke, Ed Orlett, Scott Kirchner, John Mahoney; (bottom row, left to right) Leonardo Rocco, Carol Goodman, Jon Kowalski.

This year’s recipients are:

Distinguished Alumnus - Troy Clarke ‘78: Clarke is the president and CEO of Navistar. The Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes exceptional career achievement in a professional field.

Outstanding Achievement Award - Ed Orlett ‘61: Orlett is a retired state representative from the Ohio House of Representatives. The Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes individuals for specific career achievement in their field.

Engineering Achievement Award - Scott Kirchner ‘92: Kirchner is the vice president - engineering and CTO of Panasonic Automotive Systems. The Engineering Achievement Award recognizes a specific contribution with a positive and lasting effect in the field of engineering.

Alumni Service Award - John Mahoney ‘55: Mahoney is a retired general partner for RLM Engineering Company. The Alumni Service Award recognizes outstanding volunteer service to Kettering University.

Entrepreneurial Achievement Award - Leonardo Rocco ‘99: Rocco is the founder and former CEO of GoPago. The Entrepreneurial Achievement Award celebrates a specific contribution in organizing, managing and assuming the risk of a business or enterprise.

Civic Achievement Award - Carol (VanDeVoort) Goodman ‘79: Goodman is a community volunteer in Baltimore, Maryland. The Civic Achievement Award acknowledges significant and unselfish contributions of time and effort that benefit a community.

Young Alumni Award - Jon Kowalski ‘06, PhD: The Young Alumni Award recognizes a graduate who has rendered significant contributions, exhibited outstanding character, or has demonstrated the worth of his/her education through post college achievements and generally has graduated within the last ten years.

The dinner and ceremony will be held at the Oak Pointe Country Club in Brighton, Michigan. Tickets are $100 per person and table sponsorships, which include 10 seats, are available for $900. For information or to purchase tickets, contact Laura DiFilippo in the office of alumni engagement at (810) 762-9883.