2008 GAC Speakers & Participants

	Kevin M. Butt General Manager, Chief Environmental Officer Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. Mr. Kevin Butt is the General Manager/Chief Environmental Officer of Environmental/Safety Engineering. He is responsible for the development of Environmental/Safety Programs and Regulatory/Legislative development for all of Toyota's North American operations. Prior to Environmental/Safety Engineering Mr. Butt was the Assistant General Manager of Body Production Engineering for Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc., (TMMNA). He is responsible for Body Engineering for all Toyota's North American manufacturing operations. Body Engineering consists of Welding, Stamping, and Painting Operations. Mr. Butt started working for Toyota in 1992. Prior to his career with Toyota, Mr. Butt worked for AK Steel Company where he was Manager of Environmental Affairs. Mr. Butt worked ten years in the Environmental Department for Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America prior to his recent assignment to Production Engineering. Mr. Butt has served as Chairman of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturing's Stationary Source Committee. He has also served in the same capacity for the Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers. Mr. Butt was appointed by Ms. Carol Browner, EPA Administrator to serve on EPA's Common Sense Initiative. Mr. Butt serves on several boards including the Wildlife Habitat Council, Newport Aquarium WAVE Foundation, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and several community boards including serving as President of the Georgetown College Men's Soccer Boosters Club. He has been a coach of various sports for 13 years. His wife, Claudia and two sons, Seth and Alexander, live in Georgetown. Mr. Butt has a Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Chemistry from Georgetown College.
	Pierre Boldt Arthur D. Little, Inc. Mr. Boldt is a Senior Manager and Head of Arthur D. Little’s Operations Management and Automotive/Manufacturing Practices in North America. As a leading, New York-based member of Arthur D. Little’s North American operations, Mr. Boldt’s professional background covers over ten years of internationally applied experience in Innovation, Product Development and Manufacturing Management in the Automotive, Electronics and other producing industries. His rich and diversified consulting expertise is focused on eight years in management of Process Improvement and Process Reengineering initiatives as well as a series of Restructuring and Turnaround successes. Mr. Boldt holds an M.Sc. in Mech./El. Engineering from FH Augsburg, Germany, and an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Glendale, AZ.
	Mark Manuel Vice President for Corporate and Community Development Bluegrass Community and Technical College Mark is the Vice President for Corporate and Community Development for the Bluegrass Community and Technical College. The college understands that opportunities to develop professionally and personally are a key factor in supporting a vibrant and growing community. In addition, the workforce within the community must meet the needs of local employers for sustainable economic development. Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s Corporate and Community Development group provides those opportunities for personal growth while supporting local business and industry through customized training, continuing education classes, personal enrichment opportunities, and a wide range of community education services. Mark’s experience includes process redesign, lean manufacturing implementation, organizational consulting, organizational redesign, strategic planning, and employee development in both the private and public sectors. He also teaches organizational behavior, organizational theory, and strategic planning. Mark's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky. He is a registered professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Mark can be reached at the address below: Bluegrass Community & Technical College 164 Opportunity Way Lexington KY 40511-2623 859-246-6673 (office) 859-509-9689 (cell) mark.manuel@kctcs.edu
	Linda Theisen VP, Global Purchasing and North American Sales Metaldyne In her role as vice president of global purchasing & North American sales, Linda Theisen is responsible for the procurement operation and materials management system throughout the Metaldyne organization. Her main focus is on the total acquisition cost from engineering design through strategic sourcing, procurement, planning, logistics and order fulfillment. She is also responsible for North American Sales. Prior to her current position, Theisen served as vice president of Commercial Operations- Powertrain Group where she was responsible for Sales, Purchasing, and Program Management activities within the Powertrain Group. She also held the position of vice president of Quality, Six Sigma and Process, leading Metaldyne’s quality initiatives, Metaldyne University, and the company’s focus on Six Sigma, including implementing process improvements in key operational and commercial areas. Before joining Metaldyne in 2003, Theisen served as vice president of purchasing for AutoAlliance International, a Mazda Motors/Ford Motor Company joint venture. Prior to AutoAlliance, she worked in various purchasing positions for Ford Motor Company, including director of interior and electrical purchasing for Ford Europe in London for two years. In this position, she oversaw $3 billion in annual turnover for Ford of Europe’s interior and electrical commodities. She has also worked as Ford Motor Company purchasing manager, powertrain operations; supervisor, strategic planning, purchasing; and buyer, production purchasing. Theisen holds a Master’s degree in Labor Relations as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging Engineering from Michigan State University. Theisen is located at Metaldyne Corporate Headquarters in Plymouth, Michigan.
	Lyle Otremba VP of Global Sales and Engineering Cooper-Standard Lyle Otremba has established himself as a dynamic and effective global leader during his distinguished 25-year career in the automotive industry. Currently Vice President-Global Sales and Engineering for Cooper-Standard Automotive’s $1.2B Body and Chassis Systems Division, he leads the worldwide development and implementation of the division’s commercial and technical solutions in automotive sealing, and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) controls for all markets and customers. All global customer and regional business units within the division report to him. Prior to joining Cooper-Standard, he was vice president-Business Development for FCI, a $1.6B global leader in electronic interconnect solutions, where he led the sales, marketing, and product development activities for the company’s automotive division. In other previous assignments, he was vice president-Automotive Channel-Europe for Thomas and Betts, a $3B leader in electrical and electronic interconnects; and vice president and general manager of Auttocom, a $35M joint venture plastics manufacturing company between Freudenberg-NOK and Mecaplast, which was formed under his leadership. Fluent in German, Otremba also served the Robert Bosch Corp. in Germany where he was product manager for electronic safety systems programs. He began his career as a sales engineer with Bendix Corporation in 1979. Otremba holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Detroit, and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Michigan State University. He also completed the Executive Program in General Management at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. Otremba is an active speaker to community groups and industry leadership forums.
	Ron Gettlefinger President UAW Ron Gettelfinger was elected to a second term as president of the UAW on June 14, 2006, at the UAW's 34th Constitutional Convention in Las Vegas. He was first elected to the union’s top leadership post at the 33rd Constitutional Convention in 2002. Gettelfinger is an outspoken advocate for national single-payer health care that would make health care accessible and affordable for every man, woman and child in the United States. In January 2006, he called for a “Marshall Plan” to renew America’s industrial base through incentives to manufacture energy-saving advanced technology vehicles and their key components in the United States. Under Gettelfinger’s leadership, the UAW has continued its fight for fair trade agreements that include provisions for workers’ rights and environmental provisions; and the union has loudly criticized the corporate global chase for the lowest wage which creates a race to the bottom that no workers, in any country, can win. For six years he served as the elected director of UAW Region 3, which represents UAW members in Indiana and Kentucky, before being elected a UAW vice president in 1998. A member of UAW Local 862 since 1964, Gettelfinger is proud to be called a chassis line repairman. The workers at Ford's Louisville Assembly plant elected Gettelfinger to represent them as committeeperson, bargaining chair and president. Ron is a graduate of Indiana University. He and his wife, Judy, are the proud parents of two adult children
	John Hoffecker Mangaging Director of Co-Lead of the Performance Improvement Practice of Alix Partners LLP John Hoffecker is a senior management consulting professional with extensive experience creating the strategies to deliver significant performance improvement and leading implementation programs to achieve tangible results. He has significant experience in the manufacturing and consumer products industries, with a specialty in the automotive industry. Prior to joining AlixPartners, John was the Vice President and Global Practice Leader for the Automotive and Aerospace industries for A.T.Kearney. Previously, he was the Vice President and General Partner of Manufacturing/Consumer Products for Booz Allen & Hamilton. In this position, he served leading consumer products and industrial manufacturing organizations and built the IT practice for one of their US business units. Prior to that, he served as the National Partner-in-Charge of Manufacturing, Retail and Distribution for KPMG International, where he led the performance improvement consulting business. John began his career as a systems engineer/account executive for IBM Corporation. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Michigan State University where he was an Honors College graduate. He has attended the Harvard executive education program, Burgenstock leadership training and Aspen Institute leadership training.
	Jerry Bricker VP And General Sales Manager Omron Gerald W. “Jerry” Bricker has more than 30 years’ experience in automotive components engineering, sales and marketing. For more than 20 years he has been involved in the sales and marketing of automotive electronic controls and electromechanical products. He has been general sales manager at Omron Automotive Electronics, Inc. since 1996. He is responsible for the sales and marketing management and applications engineering operations management for the Japanese automotive components supplier in North and South America. He is a corporate officer for the US subsidiary. Bricker was vice president of products at Intelligent Controls, Inc., from 1986 to 1995, and, before that, vice president of OEM sales at Maremont Corporation, from 1979 to 1986. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He is a member of the advisory committee to the Omron Foundation board of directors and serves on the advisory board of the Lutheran Social Services of Michigan Foundation. He received a Master of Business Administration from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Ill., in 1976 and a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1970.
	Mark Fields President of the Americas Ford Motor Company Mark Fields is executive vice president, Ford Motor Company, and president, The Americas, a position he assumed in October 2005. In this role, Fields is responsible for all operations involved in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America. Formerly, Fields served as executive vice president, Ford of Europe and Premier Automotive Group (PAG), where he led all activities for Ford's premium vehicle business group, and for Ford-brand vehicles manufactured and sold in European countries. Prior to that, Fields was chairman and chief executive officer of PAG. Fields joined Ford Motor Company in 1989. From 2000-2002, he was President and CEO of Mazda Motor Company, leading the company through a period of significant transformation. He previously held a number of positions in both South and North America, including Managing Director of Ford Argentina. Fields was named a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2000 and CNBC's Asian Business Leader - Innovator of the Year for 2001. He holds an economics degree from Rutgers University (USA) and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Graduate School of Business.
	Scott Paradise Vice President, Marketing & Business Development MAGNA Scott E. Paradise was appointed Vice President Marketing and Business Development for Magna International in July 2005. He is responsible for working with the Magna groups in supporting their global growth strategies. In addition, he is actively involved with the Magna groups and Senior Management from the OE’s in resolution of cross group issues and opportunities. He oversees the Magna Corporate North American marketing group and the Magna web-site. Paradise was previously Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Intier Automotive, an operating unit of Magna International. Prior to joining Magna in 1996 as Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Seating products, Scott accumulated diverse commercial and production management experience. This includes extensive experience in the heavy truck, agricultural, military, heavy equipment and off highway transportation sectors. His background includes the roles of Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Decorative Trim and Seating at Douglas & Lomason; in-plant manufacturing and management with Sealed Power heavy stamping operations; estimating and sales at Northern Engineering overhead crane manufacturers.
	Wade Houston Executive VP Houston-Johnson, Inc. Born in Alcoa, Tennessee, Wade Houston attended public schools in Alcoa and graduated in 1962 from Hall High School. In 1962, he became the first African-American player to sign a basketball scholarship at the University of Louisville. He graduated from the University of Louisville in 1966 earning a Bachelor’s Degree and later received a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology. During his attendance at the University, he was a three-year letterman in basketball and a two-year starter. Wade’s coaching and playing career began in 1966 as an assistant Coach at Ahrens High School. Following four seasons at Ahrens, he traveled to Strasbourg, France to coach and play professional basketball from 1970-71. Upon returning to the United States, he became the head coach at Ahrens High School and later Male High School in Louisville, Kentucky where his team played two state tournament championship games and won the 1974-75 Kentucky State Basketball Championship. Wade then began a long and successful association with the University of Louisville. He served as the Director of Corporate Relations before becoming a full-time member of the basketball staff. While at the University of Louisville, Wade was responsible for recruiting and recognized nationally as one of the premier recruiters in the country. His efforts were recognized and he was subsequently promoted to Assistant Head Coach. During his tenure, the University of Louisville’s Basketball teams appeared in four Final Four competitions, winning the National Championship in both 1980 and 1986. In 1990, Wade was inducted into the University of Louisville Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1999, Wade was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and the Male High School Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1989, the University of Tennessee hired Wade. He was the first black head coach in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). During his stay at the University of Tennessee, Wade’s teams participated in two National Invitational Tournaments and he was named NABC’s District 7 Coach of the Year, voted State’s Top Coach by the Tennessee Sportswriter’s Association, and listed in USA Today as an Honorable Mention selection for its “five best coaching jobs”. In March 1994, Wade resigned his position at the University of Tennessee and decided to devote his talents, resources, and energies to his expanding business interests. Wade’s interest and commitment to business began in the early 1980’s when he and his college roommate, Charlie W. Johnson, formed Big III Enterprises and opened a convenient type grocery store to service Louisville’s West End community. In 1982, they formed Johnson-Houston Corporation, a company which offered “just in time” delivery to the local Ford Truck plant and in 1987, they incorporated Houston-Johnson, Inc. In addition, in 1987, Johnson-Houston entered into a partnership with an Illinois-based company, Jupiter Corp. Transportation System, to form Active Transportation Company. While under their ownership, Active Transportation Company had the distinction of being the largest minority carrier of finished automobiles and trucks in North America. In 1994, Wade and his partners joined with Dennis Troha to purchase the remaining trucking entities of Jupiter Corp. Transportation Systems. What followed was a major organizational restructuring which included the formation of Dallas & Mavis Specialized Carrier Company (DMSCC). Wade became the president and chief executive officer of DMSCC, which was the largest minority owned transporter of heavy machinery, aluminum, steel, and military equipment in the U.S. operating over 900 trucks and trailers. In 1999, Wade and his partners formed JHT Holdings, Inc. with Wade serving as Chief Executive Officer. Under JHT Holdings, Inc. the partners owned and operated three major trucking entities – Active Transportation Co., Automotive Carrier Services Co., and Dallas & Mavis Specialized Carrier Company. In July of 2001, Wade and his partners sold their stock in JHT Holdings, Inc. to Dennis Troha, a former partner. Wade presently serves as Executive Vice President of Houston-Johnson, Inc. which is a logistics provider and warehouse management entity that coordinates specific just-in-time activities related to: inbound receiving, inventory control, storage, freight consolidation, facility management, container handling, parts sequencing, outbound dispositioning, time sensitive window coordination, and freight cartage and delivery. Aside from his business interests, Wade is, and has always been active in his community. He is active with The First Tee of Louisville, the African-American Business Alliance, and is a NAACP Life Member. He served on the boards of Old National Bank, the University of Louisville Athletic Board, the Kentucky Sports Authority, the Kentucky Center for African-American Heritage, the Kentuckiana Minority Business Council, and serves as PGA Community Relations Chair. In 2002, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Spalding University for his leadership in business and educational endeavors. More recently, Wade was profiled in Passing The Torch a compilation of stories and experiences of Louisville’s pioneering leaders and the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame Laureates. He regularly gives his time to the community by giving speeches and motivational talks to various civic organizations and clubs. He is an active supporter of 100 Black Men of America and he is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He is one of the founders of the Black Coaches Association, a body of some 3,000 members, who have had a significant impact on the inclusion of minorities in administrative and coaching positions in high school, college, and professional athletics. He is very active in the Green Castle Baptist Church Sports Ministry. Wade is married to Alice Kean Houston, and the couple has three children: Allan, Lynn, and Natalie, and nine grandchildren.
	Greg Rasmussen Vice Presdient SKF Gregg D. Rasmussen serves as vice president for Car Business, North America and is based at SKF’s North American Technical Center in Plymouth, Mich. Rasmussen is responsible for sales and marketing of bearings and bearing systems related to passenger cars and light trucks, including the car corner, powertrain and steering businesses. He also is responsible for leading the activities related to application engineering, design, customer service, and the North American Technical Center, as well as the profitability for the sales division of SKF Car Business North America. Rasmussen has had an extensive career at SKF. He previously served as director of the truck business at SKF in Plymouth; global segment director and national sales manager at the SKF Industrial Division; and, business manager at the SKF Electrical Division. Rasmussen received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a minor in Business Administration from The University of Michigan in 1980. He has been a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) for 25 years. Rasmussen also serves on the 2006 Board of Governors for the Original Equipment Suppliers Association’s (OESA) Sales and Marketing Committee. In addition, he is an adjunct professor in the Masters in Engineering Management program at the University of Detroit Mercy.
	Tom Watson VP Engineering & Technical Planning ArvinMeritor Tom Watson is the vice president of Engineering and Technical Planning within ArvinMeritor’s Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) business group. In this position, he is responsible for leading the global engineering team charged with transforming ArvinMeritor into a leading global systems integration company. Prior to joining ArvinMeritor in 2007, Watson spent 18 years at Ford, eight of which were spent leading global systems integration of hybrid electric vehicles. Watson was named “Engineer of the Year” by Design News for his efforts in leading the Escape Hybrid team to deliver best-in-class fuel economy and emissions for an SUV. Prior to his career at Ford, Watson worked at Chrysler Corporation. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois. Watson serves on the board of Ingenieurgesellschaft Auto und Verkehr (IAV) GmbH, an engineering services firm. ArvinMeritor owns 10 percent of IAV GmbH. ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier global supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the motor vehicle industry. The company serves light vehicle, commercial truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and certain aftermarkets.
	Greg Fischer Chairman and Founder of Iceberg Ventures Greg Fischer is chairman and founder of Iceberg Ventures, an investment firm, and Chief Executive Officer of Dant Clayton Corporation. At age 25, Greg co-invented the combination ice and beverage dispenser and launched a small family business, SerVend, which became a large global company and received a national award for business excellence. Greg is a board member and past chairman of the Louisville Science Center and a member and past chairman of the Bluegrass Young President’s Organization. Additionally, he currently serves on the University of Louisville Board of Overseers and on the boards of many companies. He also founded Roads to You Louisville, a crosscultural exchange of young musicians from around the world. Greg and his wife Alex, a physician, have been married 20 years and have four teenage children. They live in Louisville, Kentucky. A complete biography can be found at www.gregfischer.com.
	Barry Jaruzelski Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Leader Industrials & Tech Practice New York Executive Summary Main Industry Focus:, Industrials & Engineered Products, High Tech Other Vertical Market Experience: Electronics, Chemicals & Aerospace Functional Focus: Innovation, Product & Vertical Integration Strategy Professional Experience 20 years consulting experience at Booz Allen -- Managing Partner, Technology Practice -- Chief Marketing Officer -- Member, Board Audit Committee -- Member, Partner Compensation Committee Equity Research, PaineWebber Consulting, Harlan Brown & Co. Education BS, University of Pennsylvania -- Economics & Marketing -- Chemical Engineering MBA, Columbia Business School Language English Nationality United States
	Pat D'Eramo Vice President Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc. Pat D’Eramo was named Vice President at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc., (TMMK) in June 2006. He is responsible for Body Operations, Plastics, Paint and Vehicle Assembly. D’Eramo joined TMMK in November 2001 as General Manager of Body Operations where he led all Body Weld & Stamping production, engineering, pilot and maintenance activities. D’Eramo is also the current Project General Manager of the Floor Management Development System (FMDS). Prior to joining TMMK, D'Eramo accumulated 16 years with General Motors. Three of those years were spent as a manager at New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI), Toyota's joint venture with GM. D’Eramo also held several positions within the Saturn Corporation as a Facilities/Equipment Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, and Manager of Polymer Module (molding plant). He was also Plant Manager of the Metal Fabricating Division of General Motors Canada. Other responsibilities included the launch of a new facility as well as product and work practices at Saturn Corporation. D’Eramo serves on the Executive Board of Kentucky’s State Chamber of Commerce. D'Eramo holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University (1986) and Master's Degree in Manufacturing Management from Kettering University (1989). He and his wife have three daughters and reside in Lexington.
	John Wright Chief Operating Officer, InterChez Logistics Systems, Inc John Wright has over 17 years of logistics and transportation management experience. His current position of Chief Operating Officer for InterChez Logistics Systems, Inc. includes strategic planning and operational management responsibilities for the company's sales, customer management and technology development functions. Wright has also held Director and Senior Management level positions for Collins & Aikman, Delphi, Ryder, Manugistics and the National Transportation Exchange. In these positions he directed the development, selection and implementation of leading edge Transportation Management Systems (TMS). Wright has engineered and implemented logistics networks that support JIT operations and strategic customer service initiatives for several fortune 500 companies. Through these efforts he has enabled his customers to meet and exceed logistics cost savings targets and service goals. Wright current lives in Rochester Hills, MI with his wife and three sons.
	Todd Bryant Plant Manager, Kentucky Truck Plant, Ford Motor Company Todd Bryant is the Plant Manager, Kentucky Truck Plant, Ford Motor Company. He has held this position since March, 2006. Bryant has responsibility for leading the Kentucky Truck Plant in the production of F-250 – 550 Super Duty pick up trucks. Kentucky Truck Plant is the sole producer of Super Duty Pick up trucks for Ford Motor Company. Prior to this assignment, Bryant, 41, had been Director of Manufacturing Business Offices with Advance Manufacturing and Engineering since January, 2005. Previously, Bryant had been Plant Manager, Oakville Assembly Plant, since January 2003. He joined Ford at Ontario Truck Plant in 1989. During his career at Ford, Bryant has held numerous leadership positions at Ontario Truck Plant, General Office, Michigan Truck Plant, Oakville Assembly Plant, and Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering. Todd is an avid golfer and hockey player. Bryant, a native of Canada, holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Kinetics from University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

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