GM DIVERSITY NEWSLETTER

GM's “Diversity Behind the Wheel” Events Spotlighted at 2008 North American International Auto Show

Rolling Out interviews GM's Rick Wagoner,
chairman and CEO, at the North American
International Auto Show

DETROIT – The power of General Motors diversity was on full display at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), held Jan.12-15 at Detroit’s Cobo Center. GM Diversity Communications hosted 40 diversity media outlets from across the country, as well as local college students, to showcase how GM leverages the talent of its diverse workforce to bring new, exciting and innovative products to market.

“The driving force behind the newest line of products is an extraordinary and diverse team of GM product designers and engineers,” said Crystal Hickman, manager of GM Diversity Communications. “Our goal is to offer a unique perspective on the auto industry and how our products and work tie directly back to a variety of communities.”

GM Diversity Behind the Wheel panel discussion
focusing on diverse designers

The diversity media and students experienced GM design and innovation through GM’s “Diversity Behind the Wheel,” a series of specialized one-on-one interviews with senior-level executives, a panel discussion with subject matter experts from multicultural backgrounds, and tours of the GM Design Center and OnStar Command Center.

The panel discussion featured a team of six designers and engineers who each talked about their individual roles in helping GM respond to the changing wants, needs and tastes of the marketplace. Participating were:

Stephan Franklin – lead digital sculptor, Cadillac Provoq Concept
Hoon Kim – lead exterior designer, Cadillac Provoq Concept
Gretchen Darbyshire– interior design manager, Cadillac Provoq Concept
Chris Webb – color and trim, Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept
David Rojas – lead exterior designer, HUMMER HX Concept
Sangyup Lee – exterior design manager, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

OnStar gave the diversity media a behind the scenes look at its operations and an opportunity to learn how one button provides safety and security to more than 4 million subscribers. By using cellular technology and Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites to link the vehicle and driver to the Command Center, OnStar brings together emergency service providers, wireless telephone and satellite technologies with the press of a button.

Product walkaround with Nancy Libby,
communications manager, Chevrolet

The command center, also known as the nerve center to OnStar subscribers, monitors performance of the OnStar three call centers in the U.S. and Canada, providing information based on severe weather conditions and national news events. The glass-enclosed control room features four large wall mounted screens that is reminiscent of the control center aboard Star Trek’s USS Enterprise.

To top off an exciting week at the NAIAS, the diversity media were treated to a rare tour of the GM Design Center to observe the creation process of an automobile from concept to physical form. Attendees got an upclose look at a clay machine as designers molded clay interior for a future vehicle in the background.

In addition, GM designers and engineers gave the media product walkarounds of some of their latest creations on the NAIAS show floor and access to press conferences that took place throughout the week.

Buick Celebrates Black History Month Focusing on African American Lives

Building on the widespread acclaim of AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006) and OPRAH'S ROOTS (2007), AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 will again journey deep into the African-American experience to reveal the triumphs and tragedies within the family histories of an all-new group of remarkable participants. Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. returns as series host, guiding genealogical investigations down through the 20th century, Reconstruction, slavery and early U.S. history, and presenting cutting-edge genetic analysis that locates participants' ancestors in Africa, Europe and America.

"These discoveries about our ancestors are fascinating stories that everyone, regardless of race, can identify with and draw inspiration from," said Gates, Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. "They're stories that together offer a new understanding of not only the African-American experience, but also of race in America."

Joining Professor Gates in the new broadcast are poet Maya Angelou, author Bliss Broyard, actor Don Cheadle, actor Morgan Freeman, theologian Peter Gomes, publisher Linda Johnson Rice, athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, radio personality Tom Joyner, comedian Chris Rock, rock 'n' roll legend Tina Turner and college administrator Kathleen Henderson, who was selected from more than 2,000 applicants to have her family history researched and DNA tested alongside the series' well-known guests.

Buick is a proud sponsor of AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2. AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 airs Wednesday, Feb. 6 and again on Feb. 13, from 9-11 p.m. EST on PBS. In celebration of Black History month, Rod Gillum, GM vice president, Corporate Responsibility & Diversity and Ed Welburn, GM vice president, Global Design, will host a special event with Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Monday, Feb. 11 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American Hsitory in Detroit.

For more information about the series, please visit www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/aal2/.

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