“The Leonhard Center is a beacon for engineering education enhancement at Penn State to achieve the goal of graduating engineers who can become world-class wherever their careers may lead them. It also has set the standard at Penn State and at many other institutions on how to effectively bring the many university interests together to effect needed change.”

Arthur Glenn

Vice President, Retired
General Electric Co.

Art was employed by General Electric for 35 years in many different roles in Aerospace and Medical Systems. He was named corporate Vice President after heading the Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance businesses during their rapid growth in the 1980’s. He retired from GE in 1993 and was President and Chief Operating Officer of Air and Water Technologies, a $600 million environmental systems and services company for three years. He is a business strategy and marketing consultant with Burdeshaw Associates.

He was a commissioned officer in the US Army, serving two years as a research project officer at the Air Defense School, Ft. Bliss, TX. His first job after graduation was as a research engineer in large, liquid-propellant rocket engines.

His interest in engineering education started at Penn State Great Valley where he was founding chair of the Advisory Board, and served in that role for six years. He served nine years on Penn State College of Engineering Industrial and Professional Advisory Council, and was Council President for one year. He is in his eleventh year as a member of the Leonhard Center Advisory Board.

Nationally, Mr. Glenn was active in the National Science Foundation engineering education reform program, having served as an advisor to the ECSEL coalition, as a member of the selection committee at NSF, is a reviewer for the Foundation Coalition and the University of Texas, El Paso programs, and as chair of the Gateway Coalition Visiting Committee. He was a member of the Accreditation Board on Engineering and Technology Industrial Advisory Council.

He is a member of the Schreyer Honors College External Advisory Board where he has served for seven years. He is the founding chairman of the recently formed External Advisory Board for the Center for Sustainability. He has participated in the American Indian Housing Initiative for the last five years on the Northern Cheyenne Native American reservation to build green demonstration buildings. He serves in the Distinguished Alumni mentoring program, and mentors teams in business strategy development and engineering consulting.

A 1956 honors graduate from Penn State with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, he was named Outstanding Engineering Alumnus in 1990, and an Alumni Fellow in 1996, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus in 2005. He is a member of the Laurel Circle of the Mt. Nittany Society. A teaching award has been established in his name by the Penn State Great Valley Advisory Board. He was named an Outstanding Alumnus of State College High School in 1995.

Art is married to Betty (nee Wilton) PSU 1957 and they have two children and four grandchildren.