Career Highlights

- MBA 1969, Western Michigan University
- BS 1962, Purdue University
- Honorary Doctorate 2002, Engineering Administration
- President and CEO (Retired), Siemens Energy and Automation
- Outstanding Mechanical Engineers award (OME), 1991
- Distinguished Engineering Alumni award (DEA), 1991

Biography

When Tom Malott enrolled at Purdue University, he viewed the co-op Program as a way to gain some practical work experience while pursuing his undergraduate degree in the School of Mechanical Engineering. It turned out to be a decision that would help shape his life.

Mr. Malott’s co-op assignment took him to Ross Gear and Tool Company (now TRW CSS) in Lafayette where he worked for Buck Hudgens, who oversaw the company’s Experimental Lab. Mr. Malott was able to participate in the development of a new steering system that allowed vehicle directional control via hydraulic linkage rather than the standard mechanical means.

Mr. Malott was considered a full-fledged team member on the project and was exposed to testing methods, model and test equipment making, electronic measurement and teamwork. He functioned as a true engineer while taking a full-semester course load at Purdue and credits his experience at Ross Gear and Tool Company for making it easier to approach the course work from a practical perspective.

Mr. Malott holds numerous patents and his career highlights include executive positions with Parker Hannifin Corporation, Ransburg Corporation, and Siemens Energy and Automation, where he retired as president and CEO in 2000.

In 2002, Mr. Malott and his wife, Sandra, established and endowed “The Thomas J and Sandra H. Malott International Opportunities Fund in Engineering” to provide the School of Mechanical Engineering with a competitive advantage relative to other engineering schools by offering both an innovative global perspective and the ability to educate students who share this global perspective. Through this fund, the School of Mechanical Engineering launched the Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education (GEARE), a College-wide program with partner universities in China, Germany, India, and Mexico. As a result of the Malotts’ generosity, the percentage of Mechanical Engineering students graduating with international engineering experience has increased from 2% in 2002 to more than 30% in 2010.