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North Central College
North Central College’s 10th president, Troy D. Hammond, is on a yearlong Inaugural Tour to meet alumni and talk about the importance of alumni engagement and his vision for the College’s “brilliant future.” As part of his tour, President Hammond will speak to alumni across the country and around the world via two interactive webcasts on Wednesday, February 20 at 12:00 p.m. CST and 4:00 p.m. CST. During each webcast, viewers can electronically submit questions to President Hammond.
Agenda:
12:00 p.m.
Introduction, Rick Spencer, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement
Remarks, President Troy D. Hammond
Question & Answer Session
Speaker: Dr. Troy D. Hammond, President
Dr. Troy D. Hammond became the 10th president of North Central College in January 2013 at age 45. A scientist, teacher and entrepreneur, he was named to the post in October 2012 after a nationwide search.
Hammond holds a Ph.D. in experimental atomic physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was mentored by Dr. David Pritchard and Nobel Laureate Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle. As a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, he studied atomic properties while leading a team of graduate and undergraduate researchers. Today, Hammond holds 47 worldwide patents and patent applications representing 11 unique inventions and has published extensively about physics, nanotechnology, polymer electronics, solar power and other energy technologies.
Prior to joining North Central College, Hammond was president of the energy services business at BlueStar Energy in Chicago (2010-2012). With his expertise in renewable energy technologies and sustainability, he provided commercial, industrial and institutional customers with energy efficiency services.
A native of Kokomo, Ind., Hammond graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in mathematics from Milligan College in May 1989. He has said that his experience there “opened my eyes to what a quality education in the liberal arts can do for a person and what it did for me.”
He continued his education at Georgia Tech, where he earned a second undergraduate degree, a B.S. in physics in 1990. Earning a prestigious National Science Foundation fellowship paved his way to the doctoral program at MIT (1991-1996). There, Hammond met his wife Sharlene, who holds a chemistry degree from MIT and is a certified nurse practitioner. The couple served as resident assistants in an MIT residence hall.
Hammond’s first position after graduate school was with McKinsey & Company, a leading management consulting firm (1996-2004). As an associate principal, he worked in the company’s Pittsburgh and Auckland, New Zealand, offices, serving senior executives in a wide range of industries across the globe on critical business issues.
Hammond later joined Plextronics, Inc., (2004-2009), a small technology company in Pittsburgh, and helped build it into a global leader in printed electronics.
His credentials include teaching as an adjunct professor of business at Milligan College (2004-2009). He developed and taught the course Quantitative Methods for Business for a newly established M.B.A. program.
Residents of Naperville since 2010, Troy and Sharlene Hammond are parents of four children—Adonay, Dillon, Karina and Gabrielle—all students in Naperville Community Unit School District 203.
Moderator: Rick Spencer, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Rick Spencer is vice president for institutional advancement at North Central College, overseeing Alumni Relations and Development, the Office of Marketing and Communications, Fine Arts and Community Development. He was named to the post in 1992 and since then has been an integral part of the College’s trajectory of growth.
Spencer and his staff have played a major role in the doubling of square footage on campus, including a successful fund-raising effort for the $30 million Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center and several other major capital campaigns.
Under his tenure, the endowment has increased 10-fold, which has led to substantial scholarship support and 13 endowed faculty chairs. Prior to his role in institutional advancement, Spencer was vice president for admission and financial aid at the College. He joined North Central College in 1982 as director of admission and financial aid, following one year as director of admission at Westminster College (Fulton, MO), and six years working in admission and coaching football at Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), his alma mater.
In addition to his degree from Augustana, he holds a master’s degree in educational administration from Western Illinois University. A native of Naperville, he and wife Patricia have two sons, Brad ’04 and Tyke ’06.