Joseph Bittorf

Joseph L. Bittorf is a college instructor at Northern Illinois University in the College of
Engineering and Engineering Technology. He teaches under-graduate and graduate courses in
Industrial and Systems Engineering and Industrial Management. Prior to teaching at Northern
Illinois University, he was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for National
Manufacturing, a privately held company founded in Sterling. National was a leading
manufacturer of home and builders’ hardware products with operations in Illinois, Canada and
Mexico. Joe is a fourth generation descendant of the founders of National Manufacturing.
Joe is a graduate of Montana State with a BS in Industrial Engineering, and a graduate of
Northern Illinois University with a MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering. He also attended
the Executive Development Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern
University. Prior to working at National, Joe worked at Weyerhaeuser and Honeywell.
Joe resides in DeKalb, IL, and has three sons. He has served as a member of the Sterling Local
Chamber Board, Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, the Sterling Park District Commissioner,
and the ETC Partnership Chair for Sauk Valley College and Whiteside Area Career Center.
Joe sponsors several scholarships, which benefit students at the College of Engineering and
Engineering Technology. Joe believes that scholarship support of students is vital to their
continued success.