FLINT – Marissa Peterson was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Management degree by Kettering University during Convocation services July 9 in Flint. She is the retired executive vice president for Sun Microsystems.
Peterson, who lives in Fremont, Calif., joined Sun in 1988 as a commodity manager and held several increasingly responsible positions including chief customer advocate and executive vice president, Worldwide Operations. During her career with Sun, she won the President’s Excellence Award, as well as the Silicon Valley Tribute to Women and Industry.
She emigrated from the Philippines in 1978 after winning a GM Fellowship to attend college. She was one of the youngest students ever to study at Kettering/GMI in the history of the institution. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering/GMI in 1983 and her MBA from Harvard University.
Peterson has won several honors and recognitions during her career, including the Kettering University Management Achievement Award, and she has given back to her alma mater by endowing the Marissa and Eric Peterson Scholarship for students at Kettering who demonstrate academic excellence and financial need. The Peterson Scholarship has been awarded 24 times since it was created.
She was named among 100 of the Most Influential Women in Business in 2003. She is a former member of Kettering?s Board of Trustees. Additionally, Peterson is a board member of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital of Stanford, Calif., and has been a member of the industry advisory council for Stanford University’s Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing. She has been involved in the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the Fremont Homeless Shelter and City of Fremont Youth Leadership Council.
Kettering University is the home of the country?s most advanced professional cooperative education program and is a national leader in the preparation of innovators and entrepreneurs.
For more information, click on Kettering.Edu
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