OLS grad named Outstanding Young Alum

Jon Simpson, OLS ’00, was one of two Purdue graduates who received the 2008 Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the Purdue Alumni Association September 6.

President of the Purdue Club of Chicago, he also served as Class of 2000 Representative on Purdue Alumni Association’s board of directors, and the Campaign for Purdue Chicago Steering Committee.

Simpson enjoys staying active with and giving back to the University that helped him gain confidence and taught him the importance of teamwork. A native of Madison, Indiana, Simpson developed self-confidence through his student organization responsibilities: Purdue Student Union Board, Alpha Tau Omega, and PAA student ambassadors.

“Being from a small town, Purdue gave me confidence to get involved in the classroom, on campus, and in the community.” Once he settled on his major, his confidence about his future also increased. The teamwork component of his degree program helped prepare him for current responsibilities as manager of continual improvement in Midwest Operations for ThyssenKrupp Materials, North America.

“In my job, I have to take the lead of a team who may not know each other and bring them together for continual improvement,” Simpson says. “That’s a good component of OLS: it’s not just your ideas, it’s more the ideas of the team and the folks who do the job every day.”

He looks forward to continued contact with the College of Technology and the University.

“I really have been pleased with how the College of Technology staff and administration want to keep connected to their alumni. They provide meaningful interactions,” he says.

Simpson lives in Mundelein, Illinois, with his wife, Barbra.

The Young Alumni Award honors people age 32 or younger that have given outstanding service to the university, the Purdue Alumni Association, or a local alumni club as well as citizenship activities.

Nominations are open https://www.purduealum.org/Services/Programs/Awards/tabid/103/Default.aspx for the 2009 awards.