SOUTHFIELD – Five alumni of Lawrence Technological University were inducted into the LTU College of Engineering Hall of Fame during the university’s Homecoming festivities last week.

“These alumni perfectly embody the university’s longtime motto, ‘Theory and Practice,’” LTU President Virinder Moudgil said. “They have achieved great success in their respective fields through innovation and leadership, using technology to make the world a better place.”

The honorees are:

  • Mitchell J. Clauw, BSME’86. Clauw’s rise in engineering began as a co-op student at LTU with programs at General Dynamics and General Motors. He joined Chrysler Corp. after graduation, rising to senior manager of Dodge Truck Quality and Reliability by 1998. He is now head of global pre-programs, program management, and planning at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), where he is responsible for ensuring the worldwide application of standard and robust engineering, research, and development estimation, product development, timing, governance and financial processes. He holds two U.S. patents and is a longstanding member of the industrial advisory board at LTU’s A. Leon Linton Department of Mechanical Engineering.
  • Judith Curran, BSEE’83. Curran began her career as an engineer for United Technologies and joined Ford Motor Co. in 1986. She worked on the first electronic controls for fuel injection in engines at Ford, and on the first electronic control to manage the shift strategy of automatic transmissions. She is now director of global vehicle components systems and engineering planning and strategy, where she has global responsibility for strategy, tactics, and cycle plan timing for significant cross-vehicle components and systems related to connectivity, electronics/infotainment, and interior/exterior and chassis functions. She holds eight U.S. patents. Curran serves as Ford’s partnership champion for Lawrence Tech and is a member of LTU’s College of Engineering Advisory Board. She received the LTU Alumni Achievement Award in 2014 and was named one of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry by Automotive News in 2010.
  • James A. Danahy, BSME’89. As executive director and global functional leader of chassis engineering at General Motors since 2016, Danahy oversees eight directors and nearly 1,200 employees in Mexico, Korea, China, and the United States. He is responsible for the global design, development, and performance for fuel system, suspension/steering, brake system, tire/wheel, driveline system, fastening, and powertrain interface components. A third generation GM employee, Danahy brings a performance mentality to the company’s chassis team with his extensive experience working on the Chevrolet Corvette and the Cadillac XLR.
  • Cheryl L. Gregory, BSCE’88, PE. Cheryl L. Gregory is vice president and senior transportation project manager at the private consulting firm of Spalding DeDecker, Inc., an employee-owned, Michigan-based civil engineering and surveying firm. Gregory joined DeDecker in 2003 and served as the transportation department manager and director of engineering, tripling the company’s revenue in the transportation market. Gregory began her career as a civil engineer with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) after graduating from Lawrence Tech. In 1998, MDOT made her the first transportation service center manager in the MDOT Metro Region. She has served on LTU’s Civil Engineering Advisory Board since 2010 and volunteers regularly with local STEM initiatives at K-12 schools, helping students learn about careers in engineering.
  • Elizabeth Howell, BSEE’92. Howell grew up in a small town in northern Michigan and attended LTU on a Buell Honor Scholarship. She began her career as an engineer at DTE Energy, and joined DTE spinout ITC Transmission, which later became the publicly traded ITC Holdings Corp., the nation’s largest independent electric transmission company. She is now vice president of operations at ITC, responsible for the operation of the company’s high-voltage transmission system, including more than 15,000 miles of power lines in seven states. She has returned the favor of her scholarship, establishing the Elizabeth A. Howell Endowed Scholarship in Engineering and championing the creation of the ITC Power Engineering Endowed Scholarship. Howell received the LTU Alumni Achievement Award in 2014 and is a member of the university’s Board of Trustees.