Education:
B.S., electrical engineering, General Motors Institute; M.S., engineering management of technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
What drew you to the auto industry?
Two things: my interest in science, math and technology, and I lived in Detroit. And in Detroit, most of the people I knew worked for General Motors or Chrysler.
First automotive job: Co-op student at the General Motors Tech Center in 1981 supporting the plant infrastructure, engineering and manufacturing teams.
Big break: Moving into powertrain software engineering at General Motors.
What is the major challenge you’ve faced in your career?
When I was single and newly out of college, my first big decision point was: Was the company I was working for the right company? I questioned whether it was the right company to use my skills. After my first year of employment, the economy was suffering; I think we might have been in a recession at that point, and General Motors was going through a head count reduction. I had to make a decision. Was I at the right company in the right field? I knew I wanted to pursue automotive engineering. I had to make that decision based on the recession.
You’ve been in the industry 39 years. What has been the most important change you’ve seen?
Introduction of electrified powertrains. That’s huge. When you go to a battery-electric vehicle, it represents a 180-degree difference from when I started my career and what’s underneath the skin of a vehicle.
What work achievement are you most proud of?
It has to be the Chevy Volt. The [2005-13] Chevrolet Corvette is my second. Before I worked on the Volt, I worked on many programs that involved the Corvette. At the time, GM used the Corvette as the vehicle to introduce new technology. All of my efforts went into the Corvette. Then I moved to the Volt. When I see a Volt or a Corvette going down the road, I think: “That’s mine.” Those are my babies.
What do you struggle with?
Time and wanting to get everything done to perfection. I never thought of myself as a perfectionist, but I have very high expectations of the product I am working on, of the people I am working with and of the community that I live in. Settling for less is what I struggle with.
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