2010 Honorary Degree
Daniel C. Lewis
Doctor of Technology
Daniel C. Lewis has distinguished himself as a thought leader in the global transportation, defense, and aerospace industries.
From Silicon Valley to the World Economic Forum in Davis, Switzerland, Lewis has made friends and clients for life in every corner of the world.
A well-known and highly regarded expert, he speaks regularly at major international conferences and leading business schools. He has lectured and presented papers in the fields of operations management, business, and economic forecasting. Lewis was recognized as one of the top 25 most influential consultants by Consulting magazine in 2004.
His career at Booz & Co., the oldest management consulting firm in the world, spanned more than three decades. A senior partner before his retirement in fall 2009, Lewis served as vice president from 1984-98 and as president of the worldwide commercial business from 1998 to 2008. During his tenure at Booz & Co., Lewis led the company's commercial business, the operations practice worldwide, and the engineered product and consumer product practices. As president for a decade, Lewis made a number of strategic acquisitions in Japan and the Nordic region and opened multiple offices in China, Russia, and the Middle East. During that time, Booz & Co.'s business increased 8 percent annually, and the firm's sales surpassed $3 billion.
Over a 16-year period, Lewis worked with 20 of the world's largest airline companies on large-scale cost reductions, preparation for impending deregulation, sustainability strategies, and operations integration and restructuring. He led a massive transformation program for a major commercial aerospace company, which fundamentally changed the client’s approach to business and at the same time delivered a 30 percent improvement in cycle time and a 25 percent reduction in costs.
Lewis' educational credentials include an associate of applied science degree in aviation technology and a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership, both from Purdue, and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Lewis has received many accolades for his contributions to his profession and to higher education. He was awarded a distinguished alumni award from Purdue's College of Technology in 2003 and was a Fairleigh Dickinson Pinnacle Society honoree in 2009. He serves on a number of civic and professional boards, including the advisory council for the Salk Institute for Biological Research and the dean's executive council for the College of Technology at Purdue.
Lewis resides in La Jolla, Calif., with his wife, Martina. He has three sons residing in West Lafayette, Ind., Rockford, Ill., and Osaka, Japan, and a stepdaughter who resides in Laguna Nigel, Calif.
