Kettering University will honor its generous donors and accomplished alumni who are innovators and leaders in global business and industries at its annual event, An Evening of Distinction & Determination, at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20.
The event, which takes place at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, includes a cocktail reception, dinner and a program. Harris Ng (’95, ME/EE) will host the event. Ng is a senior partner and shareholder of Kearney, a global management consulting firm.
The University will recognize the following alumni:
Distinguished Alumni Award
Dan Hancock ’73: Hancock consults with the light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicle industries, primarily in propulsion and alliances. He retired from General Motors in 2011 after 43 years of service in powertrain engineering and general management. His last position at GM was Vice President, Global Strategic Product Alliances. In that role, he developed propulsion-related collaborations with other major companies and served as Chairman of the DMAX and VM Motori diesel engine joint ventures with Isuzu and Fiat, respectively. Hancock’s other roles included GM Vice President, Global Powertrain Engineering; Chief Executive Officer, Fiat-GM Powertrain, a Turin, Italy-headquartered multinational joint venture providing engines and transmissions to all Fiat and GM passenger vehicle brands in Europe and South America; and President of Allison Transmission Division.
Hancock chairs the boards of Westport Fuel Systems Inc. and SuperTurbo Technologies Inc., and serves as chair and is on the CEO advisory boards for the AISIN Group and HUSCO International, respectively. He also is a director on the board of Cryoport Inc., a global leader in temperature-controlled supply chain solutions for the life sciences industry. He has been a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International for 48 years and is an SAE Fellow. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2011 and has earned multiple SAE awards. He has received the Great Golden Medal for Service to the Republic of Austria and the Sagamore of the Wabash from the state of Indiana.
Hancock earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from GMI Engineering and Management Institute, now known as Kettering University, and a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Extraordinary Leadership Award
Judith Judson ’95: Judson leads corporate strategy for National Grid’s US utility businesses that serve 20 million people with electricity and gas in New York and New England. In this role, she sets the vision, drives the strategy and facilitates key business decisions, including multi-billion dollar investments and mergers and acquisitions. She led the development of National Grid’s Clean Energy Vision for a fossil-free future, announced in April 2022, to fully eliminate fossil fuels from National Grid’s gas and electric systems by 2050. While continuing to lead U.S. corporate strategy, Judson was appointed in May 2022 to head a new business line for National Grid Ventures that will oversee the commercial development of green hydrogen. Judith also serves on the Boards of the Northeast Clean Energy Council and Transgas, the largest gas transportation company in the Northeast.
Before joining National Grid, Judson served in top government positions in Massachusetts as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and Chair of the Massachusetts Public Utilities Commission. In these roles, she led the development of nation-leading energy policies and utility programs for solar, storage, offshore wind, energy efficiency and electric vehicles.
Judson earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Engineering Achievement Award
Elizabeth (Betsy) Murty Dell ’89: Dell is a Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering Technology professor at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York. She also serves as the Director of RIT’s AdvanceRIT office, Senior Faculty Associate to the Provost and co-chair of RIT’s President’s Commission on Women. In these roles, she leads efforts that support the recruitment, retention and advancement of a diverse faculty and cultivates an equitable, vibrant and inclusive culture for all at RIT. RIT recognized her work with multiple awards, and the National Institute of Health (NIH) awarded her the 2021 NIH Prize for Enhancing Faculty Gender Diversity in Biomedical and Behavioral Science.
Dell also received various diversity awards from RIT and the Women in Engineering Pro-Advocates Network, which named the Women in Technology program, of which she directed, the Women in Engineering Program of the Year in 2012. Dell has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Materials Engineer and Product Design Engineer at General Motors and Toyota.
She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from GMI Engineering and Management Institute, now known as Kettering University, and a Master’s degree in Macromolecular Science & Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Entrepreneurial Achievement Award
Dr. Cleamon Moorer Jr. ’99: Moorer is the Co-founder and President of Partners in Wellness Management LLC.; President and Chief Executive Officer of American Advantage Home Care (AAHC) Inc.; host of the podcast Home Health Care Today Show; and Founding Executive Director of Eye Care for Detroit Inc. AAHC is a Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services–Certified and Joint Commission–accredited agency providing skilled in-home care to hundreds of patients in Southeast Michigan daily. Previously, Moorer was a business school dean at Madonna University and Baker College and a professor at multiple universities, including Kettering University.
He has been recognized locally and nationally for outstanding leadership and contributions. In 2011, the Kettering/GMI Alumni Association (KGMIAA) first recognized Moorer for Civic Excellence, and the Benedictine University’s Alumni Association named him a Rising Star in 2014. Black Enterprise Magazine named him a Modern Man of Distinction in 2017, and the magazine’s editorial board gave him the title Mr. Higher Learning. In 2022, CORP! Magazine named him a Most Valuable Professional as an entrepreneur. Moorer sits on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flint and Genesee County; CVF Credit Union; Habitat for Humanity - Detroit; and the Michigan Home Care and Hospice Association.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Kettering University, double Master’s degrees from Benedictine University, a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Argosy University and a certificate in Business Excellence for Health Professionals from Cornell. He also is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing at Henry Ford College en route to receiving a registered nursing license.
Civic Achievement Award
Essence Wilson ’05: Wilson is Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Communities First Inc., where she oversees strategic operations of the thriving nonprofit. The organization focuses on three key areas: equitable real estate development, economic mobility and community engagement. Wilson’s responsibilities include resource generation, improving organizational efficiency, strategic problem solving, expansion planning and organizing community engagement efforts.
She serves on the Neighborhood Small Grants Program Committee and the Women and Girls’ Fund Committee of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. In addition, Wilson is chair of the Flint/Genesee Continuum of Care, a board member and Board Development Committee Chair of Flint Institute of Music, and Vice President of the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM). She also is a member of The Links Inc. and The Pierians Inc. In addition, Wilson has received a variety of awards for her work. The Flint & Genesee Chamber recently added her to its 40 Under 40 list.
Wilson has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and a Master's degree in Management, Strategy and Leadership from Michigan State University.
The Alumni Service Award
Louanne Allison ’82: After a 30-year career at General Motors in various sales, service, marketing and planning roles at GMC Truck, GM Truck Group and Competitor Intelligence, Allison became an independent health insurance broker at Molina Healthcare. Her primary focus is on people retiring and transitioning to Medicare.
She is proud to have served Kettering University in multiple volunteer roles. She served on the Alumni Board for the past seven years in various capacities, including Vice President, Treasurer, Alumni Involvement and Events Chairman, and Executive Committee Member.
Allison earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Administration from GMI, now known as Kettering University, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and a Master’s degree in Strategic Management from Indiana University. At American College, she also studied to become a Financial Services Certified Professional.
The Young Alumni Award
Elizabeth Taylor ’14: Taylor is the Director of STEM at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), where she directs institutional strategy for K-12 STEM programming and outreach and oversees the operations of the We Energies STEM Center at MSOE. She advocates for aligning programming efforts with the needs of the Milwaukee community and ensures program options are available to students of all backgrounds.
Taylor supports several community initiatives in Wisconsin and serves as President of the Wisconsin Climbers Association.
She earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and a Master's degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.