Fall 2019

Dave Muenz

DAVE MUENZ, EXECUTIVE OFFICER/SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AT KAO CORPORATION


BS Chemical Engineering (Purdue University)

Dave currently holds the position of Senior Vice President, ESG at Kao Corporation, a large and diversified consumer products company based in Tokyo. Dave has responsibility for all of Kao’s ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) activities on a global basis. Previously he held the position of Vice President, Regional Executive Officer, Americas & EMEA, Consumer Business where he was responsible for all aspects of the Consumer Business sector in those regions. Dave joined Kao in 1996 and has held leadership roles within both R&D and Marketing during his career with Kao.

After graduating from Purdue University with a Chemical Engineering degree, Dave started his career 34 years ago with The Procter & Gamble Company and has worked on a wide variety of consumer brands and retail businesses within the beauty care and food industries. In addition to Kao, Dave has held senior leadership positions at The J.M. Smucker Company, Pepsico in their restaurant division, and McDonald’s in their New Concepts Division.

TOPIC AREAS: Marketing, Research & Development, Consumer Psychology, Sustainability, International Business, Product Development, Restaurant Design, Wiley Hall


 

Dr. Kenneth Schwab

DR. KENNETH SCHWAB, RETIRED PRESIDENT OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE SCHOOL OF ANESTHESIA


BS Agricultural Economics (Purdue University)

Dr. Schwab graduated from Purdue in 1969 with the G.A. Ross Award and a Bachelor degree in Agricultural Economics. A year later, he was working as a special education teacher in Ohio. He worked his way through higher education to become the president of two colleges - Centenary College of Louisiana and Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia. Schwab considers his involvement with young people the most rewarding aspect of his career. He especially enjoys assisting students in recognizing opportunities outside academic situations that may propel their careers forward.

TOPIC AREAS: Counseling, Education, Community Relations, Politics, Intercultural Connectivity


 

Drew Feustel

DREW FEUSTEL, NASA ASTRONAUT


BS Solid Earth Sciences (Purdue University), MS Geophysics (Purdue University), Ph.D. Geological Sciences (Queen's University, Ontario, Canada)

Andrew J. Feustal was selected by NASA in 2000. The Lake Orion, Michigan native has a Ph.D. in the Geological Sciences, specializing in Seismology, and is a veteran of three spaceflights. In 2009, Dr. Feustel served on STS-125. that mission launched on Atlantis and was the fifth and final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope that improved the observatory's capabilities through 2014. Dr. Feustel also served on STS-134, launching on Endeavour to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPress Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station. Feustel most recently served as Commander on the International Space Station for Expedition 55 and 56. He is the recipient of two NASA Distinguished Service Medals.

TOPIC AREAS: Space, Robotics, Geological Sciences, International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, Cary Quadrangle


 

Roland Parrish

ROLAND PARRISH, OWNER/PRESIDENT OF PARRISH MCDONALD'S RESTAURANTS, LTD.


BS Industrial Management (Purdue University), MS Management (Purdue University)


Roland Parrish is a truly dynamic individual. He came to Purdue on a full athletic scholarship for track. While earning his Bachelor degree in Industrial Management and Masters in Management, he also set track records that remain to this day. His teammates voted him "Most Valuable Player" twice. After Purdue, Parrish turned a rejection letter from the McDonald's Corporation into Parrish McDonald's Restaurants Limited, which has been listed in Black Enterprise Magazine's "Top 100 Black Owned Businesses in the United States" for 12 consecutive years. Although he claims to be "just a hamburger guy," his philanthropy has touched countless lives. He has donated funds to Purdue's Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics, a medical center in Uganda and the American Prairie Association, to name a few. He has also rolled up his sleeves to help at McDonald's restaurants after Hurricane Katrina. Roland Parrish is one of those unique individuals who has something to offer everyone he comes in contact with.

TOPIC AREAS: Small Business, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Statistics, Personal Finance, Music, Hotel Management, Hospitality, Owen Hall