Guest Speaker: Secretary Eric K. Fanning
President and CEO, The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA)
Eric K. Fanning is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the leading advocacy organization for the aerospace and defense industry with nearly 350 companies in its membership – ranging from multinational prime contractors to family-owned businesses. As AIA’s leader, he develops the association’s strategic priorities and works with member CEOs to advocate for policies and responsible budgets that keep our country strong, bolster our capacity to innovate and spur our economic growth.
He joined AIA after serving as the 22nd Secretary of the Army, where he provided leadership and oversight of our nation’s largest military service. He previously served as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense, Acting Secretary of the Air Force and Under Secretary of the Air Force, and Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy/Deputy Chief Management Officer. He is the only person to have held senior appointments in all three military departments and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
During his more than 25 years of distinguished government service, Secretary Fanning worked on the staff of the House Armed Services Committee, was Senior Vice President of Strategic Development for Business Executives for National Security, was Deputy Director of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, and was Associate Director of Political Affairs at the White House.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Dartmouth College. His awards include the Department of Defense’s Medal for Distinguished Public Service (twice awarded), the Department of the Army’s Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service, the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award (twice awarded) and the Department of the Air Force’s Distinguished Public Service Award and Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.
Student Speaker: Chloe Henderson
Chloe Henderson is a graduating senior from Detroit, majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Community Action & Social Change. During her time at Michigan, Chloe has been actively involved in University life, serving as a mentor and leader across campus with the Michigan Community Scholars Program, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Beta Eta Chapter), the Program on Intergroup Relations, and the Center for Engineering Diversity & Outreach.
Her work has resulted in several awards, scholarships and honors including the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship, Spirit of Detroit Award, Barger Leadership Institute Fellows Program, INROADS Campus Champion Award, and Scholar Power Stellar Multicultural Performance Award. Chloe looks forward to continuing to combine her technical skills with her passion for social justice to serve her community. She is particularly passionate about introducing young minority students to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. She has used her experience to expose Detroit elementary-school students to STEM projects and concepts with the NSBE Summer Engineering Experience for Kids Program.
Chloe will be moving to Boston to work for Procter & Gamble – Gillette as a product supply engineer.