History Maker of Today: Cassandra Alston Posted by: Heather

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As we all know, February is Black History Month. Over the course of the month we will spotlight 3 present and future makers/great individuals who have helped, progressed, and are continuing to embody the great legacy of African Americans. Today's feature is a Purdue Alum, Cassandra Alston who received her BSME in 1988.

Cassandra Alston is a native of New Jersey and currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she is employed as the Executive Director, Global Workforce Diversity, Johnson Controls Incorporated. Alston received her bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering from Purdue in 1988, where she was also captain of the women’s basketball team.

In her role as the executive director for global workforce diversity, she develops and manages diversity initiatives across all business units for the Johnson Controls. Her work is focused on initiatives in diversity recruiting, retention, and engagement as well as the development of sustainable infrastructure and processes.

Previous to this role, Alston was vice president of operations for the Johnsons Controls Facility Management business unit where she managed the technical and operational team supporting all facility management accounts in the United States and Latin America. These support services included technical expertise, transition management, supply chain, safety, and call center operations.

Prior to joining Johnson Controls, Alston acquired a strong operations foundation in her roles as a consultant with Booz Allen and Hamilton in Chicago, senior operations director at Enron Energy Services, and as a plant engineer/analyst for Exxon Mobil in Houston.

She also holds an MBA from Northwestern University, where she was an Austin Scholar. Alston was featured in Ebony Magazine’s 50th Anniversary issue article “50 Leader’s of Tomorrow.” She also serves on the board of STEM Forward in Milwaukee and is a guest lecturer at Marquette University.

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