Impact

Retired Brig. Gen. Dana H. Born receives Distinguished Alumni Award

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Graduate School alumna Dana H. Born received the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Board of Trustees. This award is the University's highest honor presented to its alumni, and Born was one of eight alumni to receive the award this year. 

Born received her doctoral degree in psychology, with emphasis in industrial and organizational psychology, from Penn State. A retired brigadier general with 30 years of service in the U.S. Air Force, Born is currently co-director of the Center for Public Leadership, faculty chair of the Senior Executive Fellows Program, and lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) of Government. 

Born previously served two terms as the dean of the faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) where she was also a professor and the head of the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department. Her distinguished career included service as commander for the 11th Mission Support Squadron at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. during 9/11, and in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

According to Regina Vasilatos-Younken, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School, "Dr. Born personifies the ideals that are associated with Penn State’s highest honor. Recognizing her as a Distinguished Alumna is a fitting tribute to an individual who has continuously achieved success throughout her career, even as she transitioned to opportunities in new fields of endeavor."

Born has been the recipient of many senior-level military awards, including the Secretary of the Air Force’s Eugene M. Zuckert Award for Outstanding Management Achievement, Air Force Association’s Hoyt S. Vandenberg Award for outstanding contributions to aerospace education, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and Active Duty Service Women Veterans Award. Born is also the recipient of the HKS’s 2017 Innovation in Teaching Award.

Born received a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and leadership, and graduated with distinction from the USAFA. She received a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Trinity University (Texas) and a master’s degree in research psychology from the University of Melbourne.

Born is also a recipient of the Penn State Alumni Association’s Alumni Fellow Award. and an honorary doctorate in humane administration from Simmons College. She serves as a governing trustee on the USAFA Falcon Foundation, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and president of the Massachusetts Women’s Forum.

Born was honored alongside her fellow Distinguished Alumni Award recipients at a special ceremony on June 2 at the Penn Stater.

Last Updated December 17, 2018