Dale Breen was Managing Director of the GRI from its founding in 1982 until 1996, eventually transferring the organization to Penn State where it flourishes today.
After serving three years in the Navy, Dale graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from Bradley University followed by a masters in metallurgical engineering from University of Michigan.
During a long and successful career at International Harvester as Director of Materials Research he also received his MBA from University of Chicago and was elected as a fellow to the ASM.
Dale traveled extensively overseas to understand the gear technology competitive landscape, eventually retiring from IH to launch Gear Research Institute to further US capabilities across any industry utilizing gear technology. He was a pioneer in cooperative, pre-competitive research and became world re-known in this field, receiving multiple patents, and publishing several books.