Before he even enrolled at Kettering University, Scott Kirchner ’92 was prepared to embrace challenges as opportunities.

As a student at Carman High School (now Carman-Ainsworth) in Flint Township, Michigan, a committed teacher named Bob Florkowski took a special interest in Kirchner.

“I was a good student with good grades, but wasn’t always as motivated as I could have been,” Kirchner said. “He (Florkowski) really challenged me. He asked me, ‘What grade do you think you deserve?’ It really made me stop and think. Was I doing my best or just enough? I learned then that getting by was not good enough and I had to live up to a higher standard that I set for myself. He was a really amazing teacher and he helped a lot of students.”

Florkowski’s influence also led Kirchner to pursue his education at Kettering University.

“He told me, ‘You need to go there,’” Kirchner said. “He believed I would excel at Kettering because the structure is set up to be challenging. There were 30 kids or fewer in most classes, so the professors at Kettering know you and what you’re capable of. You can’t hide there.”

Scott Kirchner '92

Kirchner, now the Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Engineering for Panasonic Automotive Systems of America (PASA) where he leads the product development, strategic planning and innovation for the North American market and North American customers globally, will be honored by the University on Oct. 9 during the annual Alumni Awards Dinner and Ceremony. Kirchner is receiving the Engineering Achievement Award, which recognizes a specific contribution with a positive and lasting effect in the field of engineering.

His experience as a student at Kettering and a co-op employee of General Motors helped lay the foundation for his career.

“The co-op experience was phenomenal,” Kirchner said. “How many kids, at 18-years-old, get to be on-site running construction of a new plant, or supervising skilled trades at 19? With the help of mentors, I was making major decisions at a young age. My experience at Kettering in the classroom and in my co-op positions instilled discipline in me and taught me how to learn and how to lead.”

At Panasonic, he has helped launch PASA’s first global audio system, first navigation system (which was a J.D. Power award winner) and first Connected Navigation System. He also was part of the first engineering organization outside of Japan to be recognized with the company’s prestigious “President’s Award” for bringing the Connected Navigation System from concept to market in less than 12 months.

During his more than 30-year career, Kirchner has contributed to delivering groundbreaking automotive technology and infotainment industry advances. Prior to Panasonic, he had a 23 year career with General Motors. His achievements and career highlights at GM include working on the first truck 4-wheel anti-lock braking system, the first ODBII compliant powertrain system and being responsible for all vehicle controls and software activities across the globe when he left GM as the Director of Global Controls and Software Engineering.

Many of Kirchner’s career successes have resulted from his ability to both lead and to collaborate and contribute as a member of a team. That’s a skill he says Kettering helped instill in him.

“Kettering gave me the ability to learn on the job,” he said. “Yes, the engineering fundamentals you learn in the classroom are important. But you’re also really just learning how to learn. On campus and in co-op, you learn how to listen to people, you learn how to get buy-in from them and support for ideas and that really teaches you how to lead.”

Those attributes of collaboration and innovation are exciting parts of Kirchner’s current career at Panasonic.