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H
oward Ungerleider
pursued a circuitous
career path across the
country and overseas on behalf
of a single company, moving
with his family nine times
before becoming the president
and chief financial officer of
Midland-based Dow Inc.
The journey resulted in an
impressive resume and the
qualifications for top-executive
management. It also under-
scored for him the responsibil-
ity to expand opportunities for
jobs and promotions to aspi-
rants from diverse backgrounds
— such as his own.
Growing up in a Houston
suburb after moving with his
family from New York, he
recalls a classmate who had
never met a Jewish person
and knew the religion only in
terms of inappropriate ethnic
stereotypes. In sixth grade,
he received an F on a math
test when a teacher refused to
reschedule a makeup due to his
absence on the High Holidays.
“Being the only Jewish stu-
dent in the school was certainly
one of the defining moments
toward understanding what
it’s like to be different from the
others,
” he said.
“That’s why I’m very passion-
ate about driving inclusion and
diversity inside Dow,
” he said.
“
As a human being it’s the right
thing to do. Everyone should be
able to live up to their full per-
sonal and professional potential.
And when I put on my CFO
hat, I can see it creates more
long-term value — the evidence
is overwhelmingly clear.
”
Serving Dow in several loca-
tions in the U.S. and overseas
before taking over his current
leadership role in Midland has
heightened his perceptions of
comparative business climates
in Texas, for example, overseas
and that of Michigan, his fami-
ly’s home for the past 14 years.
Among Ungerleider’s civic
28 | MARCH 10 • 2022
Dow President and CFO
Howard Ungerleider leads
Business Leaders for
Michigan.
Driving Michigan’s
Economy Forward
DORON LEVIN SPECIAL
TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Howard Ungerleider
COURTESY OF DOW