LTU graduates and their family members and friends gather for Winter Commencement on Dec. 4, 2021.
LTU photo / Matt Roush

SOUTHFIELD—Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, physician, former executive director of the Detroit Health Department, and progressive political activist, will be the featured speaker at Lawrence Technological University’s two Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 7.

El-Sayed will speak to graduates and their families at both ceremonies. The 10 a.m. ceremony will celebrate LTU’s College of Engineering graduates. and the 1 p.m. ceremony will honor LTU’s Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, and Business and Information Technology graduates. Approximately 500 students are eligible to receive degrees or certificates at the two ceremonies, to be held at LTU’s Don Ridler Field House (building 15 at www.ltu.edu/map.)

El-Sayed is a physician, epidemiologist, educator, author, speaker, podcast host, and publisher of The Incision newsletter. He was also a 2018 Michigan gubernatorial candidate. He is a regular commentator on TV news networks and has published three books, including “Healing Politics” and “Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide,” with Dr. Micah Johnson.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, physician, former executive director of the Detroit Health Department, and progressive political activist, will be the featured speaker. 
File Photo.

He is a Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and a Senior Fellow at the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, teaching at the intersection of public health, public policy, and politics. In addition, he is a Scholar in Residence at Wayne State University and American University. He is formerly the health director for the city of Detroit and, at the time, was the youngest serving director in a major US city.

At the 1 p.m. ceremony, LTU will confer a doctorate degree, honoris causa, on Daniel Winey. Winey earlier earned three degrees from LTU—a Bachelor of Science in architecture in 1974, a Bachelor of Architecture in 1975, and a Master of Architecture in 2015. Winey has spent the past 30-plus years with the San Francisco-based global architectural firm Gensler, rising from studio director to COO, and working for the firm worldwide. He has helped the firm establish offices throughout the United States, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Thailand, India and Australia. In recent years, Winey was responsible for rebuilding offices in Dubai and the Abu Dhabi. He provided leadership for some of Gensler’s most important projects, including the Shanghai Tower, a vertical city and the tallest building in China. He is passionate about designing livable cities, sustainable buildings, and the principles of sustainable urbanization.

LTU will also present two Alumni Achievement Awards. Michael G. Darga will be honored at the 10 a.m. ceremony. Darga, who earned a Bachelor of Science in construction engineering from LTU in 1985, is a partner at Giffels Webster, a Detroit-based civil engineering and community planning firm. He helped design Ford Motor Co.’s green redevelopment of its Rouge Plant, and worked on the first protected bike lanes in the city of Detroit. He has presented at many national conferences, sharing his perspective on stormwater management and innovative paving techniques with the American Concrete Paving Association. Darga is also a founding member and financial contributor to LTU’s new Construction Safety Research Center, and has volunteered for many charitable organizations.

Shannon Dare Wayne will receive the Alumni Achievement Award at the 1 p.m. ceremony. Dare earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial management from LTU in 1998 and a Master of Science in industrial operations in 2003. She has worked for Ford Motor Co. for 25 years and is currently the budget manager for vehicle embedded software and connectivity. Previously, she worked in planning and strategy for the Middle East and Africa region. Dare Wayne also was recently elected to Milan City Council and will serve the second half of her term as Mayor Pro Tem. Dare Wayne also chairs the advisory board of LTU’s A. Leon Linton Department of Mechanical, Robotics, and Industrial Engineering, and is a member of the global industry advisory board of the Industrial Engineering Operations Management Society International.

Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 private, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.