Five more Kettering University alumni will be inducted into the prestigious National Co-op Hall of Fame for their professional contributions to industry and technology, their ongoing support of co-op education and their personal commitment to making the world a better place to live and work. The National Co-op Hall of Fame is a showcase of the National Commission of Cooperative Education, with headquarters in Boston, Mass.
Kettering’s nominees this year include an executive in the food industry, the retired president of OnStar Corp.; a vice president at Xerox Corp.; the former co-op student of Charles “Boss” Kettering, and an international entrepreneur.
The five honored graduates were nominated by Kettering President Stan Liberty. Their biographies and photographs will be published in NCCE’s 2010-2011 Best of Co-op Annual Guide this fall. Kettering’s honorees are:
David W. Allen
Class of 1983
Mechanical Engineering
David W. Allen is the executive vice president of Operations at Del Monte Foods Company. He previously served as senior vice president, Operations and Supply Chain from 2005 to April 2010. Prior to that, he was chief operating officer of U.S. Foodservice, from 2004 to 2005 and was chief executive officer of WorldChain, Inc.; a supply chain service company from 2001 to 2004. He served as vice president, Worldwide Operations for Dell Inc. from 1999 to 2000.
David has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard University. He also serves on the board of directors of American Italian Pasta Company.
Chet Huber
Class of 1977
Mechanical Engineering
Chet Huber recently retired as president of OnStar Corp., a subsidiary of General Motors. Chet was the founding president of OnStar and helped shape and grow this popular new technology during its first decade of service. He held a variety of roles during his 27-year career with General Motors.
Chet has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an honorary degree in Engineering from Kettering University. He also has two master’s degrees: one from Harvard University and an MS degree in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University's Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He has served on the Board of Director for XM Satellite Radio, Inc., and the Federal Advisory Committee for the Center for Disease Control's Injury Prevention and Control.
Aqua Y. Porter
Class of 1984
Mechanical Engineering
Aqua Y. Porter is the vice president of Strategic Projects & Business Results and Corporate Lean Six Sigma Operations for Xerox Corporation. She has worked for Xerox for more than 20 years. Prior to her current role, she was vice president of Production Systems Manufacturing Resource Team, and Worldwide Production Systems Manufacturing at Xerox.
Aqua holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has been active in her community and sits on several area boards. She has been honored with many awards in her career; most recently nominated for the “Athena Award” and she is a corporate director for Master Black Belt Strategic Projects and Training.
Earl F. Riopelle
Class of 1937
Mechanical Engineering
Earl F. Riopelle (1914-2005) was a 1937 graduate of Kettering/GMI and had the distinction of being a co-op student for Charles “Boss” Kettering in the General Motors Research Labs. Riopelle was employed at General Motors for 40 years. In 1948, he shared a patent for improvements to a T.C. VanDeGrit Balancing Machine.
Upon his death in 2005, he was honored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for his many accomplishments as an active member since 1955. His wife, Lanice, died in 2006. The couple had lived in Fort Worth, Texas. Upon their deaths, the Earl and Lanice Riopelle Fund at Kettering was established, which will support graduate and continuing education opportunities for engineers in business and industry in perpetuity.
Kyle Schwulst
Class of 2002
Electrical Engineering
Kyle Schwulst is the founder and CEO of ElectroJet, Inc., in Brighton. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Kettering. Kyle was honored with Kettering’s Young Alumni Award in 2008 for his significant entrepreneurial contributions and marked success at a young age. He has taken his company from a pole-barn operation to a burgeoning, international engineering firm that is creating products and jobs to meet the needs of a global market. Kyle holds five U.S. patents, three of which are for ElectroJet technologies.
Kyle continually brokers deals to expand and grow his company and secure funding to support projects that will be valuable to future world market needs. He has already received a number of statewide awards for his achievements.
For more on the NCCE Co-op Hall of Fame, visit: http://www.co-op.edu/halloffame.html
Written by Patricia Mroczek
810.762.9533
pmroczek@kettering.edu