ISR leader and auto exec to speak at Dearborn ceremonies

David Featherman, director of the Institute for Social Research (ISR), and Chris Theodore, vice president of advanced product creation at Ford Motor Co., will give commencement addresses at U-M-Dearborn Dec. 21.

Featherman (Photo by Philip Dattilo)

Featherman will speak at an afternoon ceremony for graduates of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters and the School of Education. Theodore will speak at a morning ceremony for graduates of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Management.

Featherman, professor of sociology and psychology in LSA, was appointed director of ISR in 1995. Previously, he served as president of the Social Science Research Council in New York City.

He received his master's and doctoral degrees in sociology and social psychology from U-M. His research spans the fields of demography, social psychology, human development and gerontology. He has written or co-authored six books and dozens of papers about socioeconomic inequality and social mobility in Western industrial nations.

In 1990 he received the Distinguished Career of Research award of the American Sociological Association, Section on Aging and the Life Course. In 2001, U-M Press published his most recent book, co-edited with Maris Vinovskis, "Social Science and Policymaking: A Search for Relevance in the Twentieth Century."

Featherman is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a 1978-79 fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and a former Guggenheim fellow. He serves on various national and international advisory boards and boards of trustees.

Theodore (Photo courtesy U-M-Dearborn)

Theodore is responsible for creating a strategic design vision for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products and brands; developing new products and features; bringing together technology, marketing and trends with concepts and show vehicles; and facilitating a stable cycle plan and platform selections.

Theodore also leads the Ford Performance Group, including the Special Vehicle Team, and Ford Motor Co.'s advanced product activities throughout North America.

He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from U-M in 1972, a master's degree in mechanical engineering from U-M-Dearborn in 1975 and an MBA from Michigan State University in 1989.

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