Christine Hoeche Wall

Executive Director, Distribution Business Centers of Excellence,
Cummins Inc. (retired)
BSME 1980

"Do what you say you will do."

FOR HER TRAILBLAZING SPIRT DEVELOPING A CONSISTENT FRAMEWORK IN TECHNOLOGY PLANNING, APPLICATIONS ENGINEERING AND FIELD SERVICE THAT ALIGN COMPANY TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES WITH CUSTOMER NEEDS, FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGING HOW ENGINEERING AND MARKETING WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE PRODUCTS MEET THE END-USER'S REQUIREMENTS AND STRATEGIC GROWTH.

Christine Wall spent 35 years excelling at building and leading high-performing global teams for Cummins, Inc., manufacturer of diesel engines and power systems. In locations ranging from Houston, Texas, to Singapore, Wall led teams whose sophisticated knowledge of mechanical and control systems and their markets provided power to oil and gas markets and to commercial marine markets. Her responsibilities spanned advanced technology planning, applications engineering and field service.

Wall was a key participant in an industry-government diesel fuel task force involving the Engine Manufacturers Association, American Petroleum Institute, and the U.S. EPA to define future fuel quality specifications to enable low-emission engine technologies, as an author (Christine Hobbs) of the Phase I Report for the Heavy-Duty Engine Workgroup. The resulting fuel specifications were implemented nationwide in 2006 and subsequently copied around the world.

Wall also was key in Cummins' diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. She led the creation of the company's childcare center which was recognized with several awards. She also established a customer/parent council for the definition and implementation of the center.

Wall credits Purdue with teaching her how to solve problems. "I learned problem solving that involved a mix of hands-on and analysis," she says. "It was important to me to understand the hardware associated with the problems to be solved. Pure analytics was not for me. I really wanted to understand the workings of mechanical systems and didn't mind getting dirty doing it!"

Her attitude and achievements earned her recognition as a Purdue University Outstanding Mechanical Engineer in 2012.

Asked what she is most proud of among her professional accomplishments, Wall points to achievements that will stand the test of time: "Having a lasting positive impact on people, process and product — seeing them succeed into the future. Knowing how to identify talents and enable best performance in bringing together and retaining the people, resources and connections needed to approach a problem and to deliver robust solutions."

Wall says she hopes that Purdue's current mechanical engineering students will see the versatility of their degree and take full advantage of the vast opportunities it enables: "At Purdue I came to believe that a mechanical engineers can do just about anything! I was able to move from engine development to engine research to customer support to leading the implementation of new functions and facilities for Cummins with an international scope. There are so many paths to choose in engineering school and in a career."

Now retired and living in Sea Ranch, California, Wall is chair of Action Network, her community's resource center for families. She also volunteers as a certified tax volunteer and is active in the education and biological monitoring functions of the Coastal Stewardship Task Force. She also serves on Sea Ranch's Energy Committee to help the community reach its goal of zero carbon by 2030.

Career Highlights

2015-2021 Executive Director, Distribution Business Centers of Excellence, Cummins Inc.
2009-2015 General Manager, Distribution Business Centers of Excellence, Cummins Inc.
1998-2009 Executive Director, High Horsepower Customer Engineering, High Horsepower Engine Business, Cummins, Inc.
1997-1998 Project Manager, Cummins, Inc.
1993-1997 Manager of Corporate Technology Planning, Cummins, Inc.
1989-1993 Technical Specialist in Engine Development, Cummins Inc.
1987-1989 Regional Service Manager, Cummins, Inc.
1980-1987 Senior Engineer, Engine Development, Cummins Inc.

Education

1980 BS Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University