Trine adds 3 alumni to Board of Trustees

The Trine University Board of Trustees voted to add three distinguished university alumni to its membership at its January meeting.

John Councellor, a 1969 mechanical engineering graduate, Crystal (Hardesty) Sattler, a 2002 chemical engineering graduate, and Sarah (Howe) Waidelich, J.D., a 2010 mechanical engineering graduate, were named to the Board.

“It’s always a pleasure to welcome fellow alumni to the Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Rick L. James, chair of Trine University’s Board of Trustees. “As beneficiaries of the quality education provided at Tri-State and Trine, I know John, Crystal and Sarah each bring a passion for the university to continue to grow and impact the lives of even more students.”

 “Each of these distinguished alumni has excelled in their professional career and personal lives,” said Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., Trine University president. “We are proud of their accomplishments and honored that they have agreed to provide leadership and insight to guide the future success of Trine University.”

John Councellor

A member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, Circle K and Student Government during his time at Tri-State, Councellor went on to become president of First Metals and Plastics in Columbus, Indiana.

He also had a successful career in commercial real estate through managing strip malls, rental/leasing properties and resale ventures.

He is a member of the Indiana Society of Plastics Engineers and has served his local community through the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Bartholomew County, Columbus Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus and Sons of the American Legion.

He and his wife Diana have been married for several decades and have seven children.

The couple generously provided financial support for the Councellor Connection Lounge in Trine University’s Steel Dynamics Center for Engineering and Computing.

Crystal (Hardesty) Sattler

Crystal (Hardesty) Sattler was inducted into the Trine University’s Athletic Hall of Fame for basketball and tennis in 2007. While a student, she was a member of Skull and Bones and was crowned Homecoming Queen in 2001.

She previously served on the university’s Engineering Advisory Committee.

Currently, she is the API Organic Synthesis Lead at Pfizer Inc., where she has worked for 18 years.

In that role, she leads a team of four senior managers across eight organic synthesis operation buildings at Pfizer, managing an annual capital allocation of $30 million to $40 million.

In prior roles, she served the company as production support engineer, front-line supervisor, Quality Operations manager, and Senior Manager of Compliance for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).

She and her husband, Kenneth, a 2004 Trine alumnus, have three sons. Crystal is highly involved in the Kalamazoo 4-H program with her children.

Sarah (Howe) Waidelich, J.D.

The university honored Waidelich for her outstanding achievements in athletics, academics, leadership and character during her time at Trine with the Cheryl Coons Award.

As a student, she was a member of the women's basketball team, earning recognition on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. She also served as student body president and was a member of the Kappa Sigma Alpha Sorority and Tau Beta Pi, The Engineering Honor Society.

Waidelich went on to earn a Juris Doctor at the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in the top 10% of her class. She contributed as an associate and contributing editor to the Michigan Law Review and served as a judicial intern for Judge Stephen J. Murphy III, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan.

She is currently a partner at Honigman LLP in Detroit as an intellectual property attorney. She has had significant involvement in high-profile patent litigation cases with successful appeals to the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court.

She has completed substantial pro bono work for child welfare cases.

In 2018, Trine University honored her with its Distinguished Service Young Alumna Award.

Her husband, Jonathan, is also a mechanical engineering graduate from Trine and serves as co-owner and engineer at Advanced Machine Innovations LLC. The couple has two sons.