RACINE, Wis. — To provide for the future succession and an orderly transition of its board of directors in light of ordinary retirements, Modine Manufacturing Co. has appointed two new directors to its board. The appointments are effective following the company’s 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, subject to shareholder ratification at that time.

Joining the Modine Board are Dr. Suresh Garimella — R. Eugene and Susie Goodson Distinguished Professor at Purdue University and Jefferson Science Fellow, U.S. Department of State — and Mary Petrovich — general manager of AxleTech International.

Commenting on the appointments, Modine Board Chairman Gary Neale said, "We are delighted that these highly experienced individuals have agreed to serve on the Modine Board, and we look forward to welcoming them as directors in July. Their experience and insights — ranging from research and development of thermal microsystems, high-performance compact cooling technologies, energy efficiency and renewable and sustainable energy systems to global vehicular supply, operational excellence, strategy development and the intricacies of the light vehicle and off-highway markets — will prove invaluable as we continue to transform our company and pursue our global growth objectives."

Garimella is the R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., director of the Cooling Technologies Research Center within Purdue’s School of Mechanical Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, and Jefferson Science Fellow with the U.S. Department of State, in which capacity he provides advice and guidance on science, technology and engineering considerations in the formulation of U.S. foreign policy. In addition, he serves as a consulting member of the Technology Committee of Modine’s board.

Garimella is a world-renowned expert in the field of heat transfer, with numerous patents, research grants and other scholarly and scientific contributions to his name. He earned his bachelor of technology degree in mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; his masters of science degree in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University; and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Petrovich is the general manager of AxleTech International, a supplier of off-highway and specialty vehicle drivetrain systems and components that was formed as a result of the acquisition of the original Rockwell off-highway axle business from ArvinMeritor in 2002, at which point Petrovich was brought in to lead the company. Prior to joining AxleTech, Petrovich held various senior leadership positions with Dura Automotive — Driver Controls Division and AlliedSignal Friction Materials, holding responsibility for Operations, Supply Base Management, Information Technology and E-Business.

Petrovich earned her bachelor of science degree in industrial and operations engineering from University of Michigan and master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.