In this episode, Dayna Johnson, President of the Society of Women Engineers, speaks with Michele Sullivan, speaker, author and social impact advisor. They discuss Michele’s experience as a speaker and her new book, Looking Up: How a Different Perspective Turns Obstacles into Advantages.
Michele Sullivan
Michele L. Sullivan is a globally recognized leader and advisor in social impact, TED speaker, and author.
During her 30 year career at Caterpillar, she served as President of Caterpillar Foundation and Director, Corporate Social Innovation, Caterpillar Inc. Throughout her time with the Foundation, Michele has transformed it from merely transactional to global and strategic. This strategy places the human need first, not as an afterthought of profit. Michele is well known for her global expertise and sustainable and collaborative approach to philanthropic investing.
Michele strongly believes monumental and sustainable change in our largest global challenges can only happen through partnerships and collaboration between public, private and non-profit entities. This strategy resulted in the Caterpillar Foundation’s transformation into one of the most influential corporate foundations, and ultimately, the launch of the Foundation’s collaborative impact platform known as Together.Stronger.™
Michele was honored to give a TED Talk at TEDWomen 2016, becoming the first Caterpillar employee to do so. In her talk, she speaks candidly about the challenges she has overcome in life, highlighting the importance of acceptance and helping others succeed in the face of their unique challenges.
Michele was named by Inside Philanthropy as one of the 50 most powerful women in philanthropy and also served as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She is also a member of the ONE board of directors and currently chairs the Greater Peoria Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Advisory Board. Michele earned her MBA from Bradley University.
Dayna Johnson
Dayna Johnson, P.E., is the Emerging Technology Programs and Operations Leader at GE Gas Power. She joined GE in 2012 as a commercial manager, leading large teams through the bidding process to develop proposals for high-voltage electrical substations. Her performance in that role earned her a position in GE’s Accelerated Leadership Program. Prior to joining GE, she worked as a civil engineer, designing water and wastewater projects for rapidly growing communities in the Chicago suburbs.
She holds a B.S. in civil engineering and a Master of Engineering Management from Valparaiso University, and she is a licensed professional engineer, and LEED accredited professional.
Johnson has been an active member of SWE since joining as a collegiate member in 2000. She has served as Chicago Regional Section president and section representative and as Region H lieutenant governor and treasurer. She was previously the awards and recognition committee chair and WE11 local host committee co-chair. She was also engaged as a governance task force member and a senator before joining the Board of Directors. She received the SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award in 2011 and the Emerging Leader Award in 2018.
