The Kettering University Alumni Association will honor nine alumni for successes in business, community service, philanthropy and other endeavors during the 2016 Alumni Awards Dinner and Ceremony on October 13 in Troy, Michigan.
This year’s recipients are:
Distinguished Alumnus - Chuck Stevens ‘83
Charles K. Stevens is the executive vice president and chief financial officer of General Motors Stevens is responsible for leading the company’s financial and accounting operations on a global basis.
Outstanding Achievement - Byron Green ‘86
Byron M. Green is the vice president – head of U.S. and Canadian vehicle assembly and manufacturing engineering at FCA – North America. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of vehicle production and manufacturing engineering functions for FCA assembly plants in the United States and Canada.
Management Achievement - Sonia Syngal ‘93
Sonia Syngal is global brand president of Old Navy. She leads the $7 billion business across all geographies and channels with a team of 56,000 employees. | Full story.
Entrepreneurial Achievement - Qasar Younis ‘04
Qasar Younis is a partner and chief operating officer at Y Combinator. Y Combinator is a premier early stage venture fund in silicon valley that has seed funded hundreds of companies including AirBnB, DropBox, Reddit, Twitch, Stripe, Cruise and many others.
Engineering Achievement - Pamela Fletcher ‘89
Pamela Fletcher leads the team responsible for engineering GM’s electric vehicles and mobility solutions including the award-winning Chevrolet Volt, the Autonomous Chevrolet Volt Campus Fleet, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, e-Bike, Cadillac ELR, Chevrolet Spark EV. Her teams include engineers located in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Alumni Service - Frank Krohn ‘77
Frank Krohn is part of the Global Propulsion Systems group at General Motors. He has had the pleasure of working in almost every division of GM including GM Powertrain, GM Stamping and Vehicle assembly.
Civic Achievement - Karl Oskoian ‘74
Karl G. Oskoian retired as manager of marketing communications and public affairs for General Dynamics Land Systems in 2013 and now leads a private communications company. Prior to joining General Dynamics, Oskoian spent four years at Chrysler Corporation and nine years at General Motors Corporation in planning, manufacturing, engineering, sales, marketing, and field assignments. He served as president and CEO of the Sterling Heights Community Foundation from 1993 through 2014 and now serves as the Foundation’s Executive Director.
Human Relations - Valerie Grubb ‘90
Following graduation, Valerie Grubb worked for Rolls-Royce for six years before heading to California and to move into the film and television business. In 2008, Grubb founded Val Grubb & Associates, Ltd. In this capacity, she regularly consults for mid-range companies wishing to expand and larger companies seeking efficiencies in back-office operations. | Full story.
Board Service Award (awarded posthumously) - Sueann Wickstrom ‘06
Sueann was born on November 8, 1983 in Hibbing, MN, the daughter of Ramona and Collin Wickstrom. Sueann attended Chisholm Senior High School and graduated in 2002 with high honors. After graduation, Sueann moved to Michigan to attend Kettering University where she graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Physics with a concentration in Acoustics.
Her love of acoustics landed her in a cooperative engineering position at Harley Davidson Motor Company and then SenSound after graduation. During her time at SenSound, Sueann discovered her passion for business. This led her to the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business to complete her Master of Business Administration while working at Cleantech, Third Eye Innovation, and Ann Arbor SPARK.
After graduating from Ross in 2011, Sueann moved to Chicago to work as the business operations lead for IDEO, a global design and innovation consultancy. Sueann’s latest endeavor was functioning as the chief operating officer at FourKites, a transportation logistics startup company.
She was a young professionals ambassador for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and was involved with The Art Institute of Chicago charity events, the Ross Alumni Club of Chicago, and the Kettering University Alumni Association Board of Directors. Sueann brought a fresh approach to the board along with many progressive ideas on how to effectively engage board members and alumni. As treasurer, Sueann worked to transition manual data into electronic systems and brought her energy and commitment into organizing and engaging the Chicago area Alumni.
Sueann was preceded in death by her maternal grandmother, Patsy Rose (DeLude) Johnson. She is survived by her parents, Collin and Ramona Wickstrom; her grandparents, Leo and Verna Wickstrom and Clifton and Phyllis Johnson; all of her aunts, uncles, cousins; and all of her friends.
The 2016 Alumni Awards Banquet will be held at the Troy Marriott, 200 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, MI 48084. The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m on October 13, 2016. Dinner and the awards ceremony will follow at 6:30 p.m. For information or to purchase tickets, contact Laura DiFilippo in the office of alumni engagement at 888-884-7741 or ldifilip@kettering.edu