“Competition among the nation’s engineering schools is every bit as intense as is competition among American companies. That means just ‘continuing as is’ won’t be good enough, Penn State Engineering would lose ground, students, capabilities, funding and reputation if we did not make innovations each year in teaching skills and techniques, laboratory resources, availability of minors, etc.–all of which help PSU produce ‘World-Class Engineers.’ The Leonhard Center serves as a catalyst for change, and I only wish I could have been an Envisioneer when I was in college.”

Walter L. Robb

Senior Vice President, Corporate Research and Development
General Electric Company

Dr. Walter L. Robb, now a management consultant and President of Vantage Management, Inc., was the General Electric Company’s Senior Vice-President for Corporate Research and Development until December 1992. He directed the GE Research and Development Center, one of the world’s largest and most diversified industrial laboratories, and served on the Company’s Corporate Executive Council.

Dr. Robb is a chemical engineer with a B.S. from Penn State and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, and joined GE with the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. He holds 12 patents dealing with permeable membranes and separation processes, and is the author of several published articles in professional journals.

Prior to returning to the GE - R & D Center, Walt headed GE Medical Systems for 13 years. He directed that organization’s growth into the world’s leading producer of medical diagnostic imaging equipment, turning it into a billion-dollar-plus per year advanced technology business with more than 10,000 employees worldwide. Under his management, GE introduced computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) scanners that are now established as the standards in diagnostic imaging.

Presently, Dr. Robb serves on the Boards of Celgene and Mechanical Technology, Inc. He is an Investor and Director of 10 start-up companies.

In 1987 he was presented with Pennsylvania State University’s Distinguished Alumni Award. In September, 1993, he received the National Medal of Technology from President Clinton for his leadership in the CT and MR imaging industry.