Warrendale, PA – The SAE Foundation will honor Roger Penske with the prestigious Industry Leadership Award which will be presented at the SAE Foundation Annual Celebration Tuesday, May 14, 2019. Mr. Penske has been chosen for his guiding impact in the automotive and transportation industry and for his philanthropic support, especially in the Detroit, Michigan area.
Mr. Penske serves as chairman of Penske Corporation, a $30 billion dollar, global transportation services company which includes Penske Automotive Group, Penske Truck Leasing and Team Penske.
Mr. Penske has had a profound impact on the renaissance and revitalization of Detroit. Since the early 2000s he has joined with other individuals, corporations and philanthropic organizations in the revitalization of the city. He served as chairman of the 2006 Super Bowl committee, a catalyst for the Clean Downtown program that also created jobs for the disadvantaged. He also championed the purchase of over 100 emergency management vehicles and police cars for the City of Detroit. His leadership and involvement continued with the inauguration of the QLine, while the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear was launched in 2007 at his direction.
The transformation experienced by Mr. Penske’s leadership in the revitalization of Detroit is not limited to the city. His concern for the future of Detroit extends to area youth. “The young people of the community represent our future. The investments we make in STEM education will help to ensure that our city, state and our important industries will have the human capital resources they need both now and in the future. I am honored to receive the SAE Foundation’s Industry Leadership Award,” commented Penske.
SAE’s education programs are an integral part of the science, technology, engineering and math curriculum in Detroit public schools and has impacted more than 60,000 students over the past 28 years. SAE, with its industry partners, provides students with hands-on, integrated STEM learning experiences and teach skills such as critical thinking, teamwork and communication.
“Roger was a natural choice for our Industry Leadership Award,” commented Lori Gatmaitan, Director, SAE Foundation. “Roger’s passion and commitment for youth and STEM education mirrors our commitment to provide a solution for student engagement, participation and achievement in STEM. SAE’s STEM graduates have the solid foundation to perform tomorrow’s technical jobs for companies like Penske Corporation.”
Watch our video from last year’s SAE Foundation Gala:
About the SAE Foundation
The SAE Foundation increases student participation and achievement in science, technology, engineering and math through educational programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™. SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International’s core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development.
Source: SAE Foundation