Three Delphi Women Named Among the Auto Industry's Elite
11 September 2000
Three Delphi Women Named Among the Auto Industry's Elite
TROY, Mich., Sept. 11 Delphi Automotive Systems
announced today that three of the company's executives have been
named among the "100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry."
Karen Healy, vice president, corporate affairs and facilities; Barbara
Sanders, director, advanced development group, Delphi Interior Systems; and
Mary Schafer, director, global production control and logistics, are among the
award winners named by Automotive News.
The awards program recognizes women in the automotive industry who have
distinguished themselves as leaders in their fields and who serve as role
models for others. Automotive News will honor Healy, Sanders and Schafer with
other awardees at a dinner at the Ritz Carlton in Dearborn, Mich., on
Sept. 19. In addition, the winners will be featured in a special section of
the Sept. 11 issue of Automotive News.
"Karen, Barbara and Mary have all been instrumental in Delphi's drive
toward the cutting edge of technology and strengthening our position as the
world's leading automotive supplier," said J.T. Battenberg III, chairman, CEO
and president of Delphi. "Everyone at Delphi values the unique perspective
and talent they bring to their work. But it's also rewarding to see them
recognized by their industry peers outside of Delphi."
The three Delphi honorees' distinguished backgrounds reflect a myriad of
corporate, community and personal achievements:
Karen Healy
Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Facilities, Delphi Automotive
Systems
Healy oversees all communications activities including media, government
and employee relations. She is a member of the Delphi Strategy Board -- the
company's top policy-making group, executive champion for the corporate
affairs task team and chairman of the Delphi Foundation. Healy is also
responsible for management of Delphi's facilities worldwide, overseeing real
estate, environmental activities and facilities maintenance repair.
With nearly 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, Healy began
her career with General Motors (GM) Corp. at the former Fisher Body Division,
where she held a variety of positions in personnel, labor relations and
communications. Her most recent significant achievement was in leading
internal and external communications initiatives during the separation of
Delphi from GM in 1999.
Healy graduated from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.,
with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She resides in Beverly Hills, Mich.,
with her husband and two children.
Barbara Sanders
Director, Advanced Development, Delphi Interior Systems
Sanders oversees research and development for all new products, materials
and manufacturing processes for Delphi Interior Systems. Examples of
innovative technologies that Sanders has helped identify and position as
leaders in the marketplace include the power sliding door, power lift gate and
side and head airbags.
She began her career with GM in 1972 as an experimental physicist for the
GM Technical Center and held a variety of engineering and management
positions.
A highly involved member of the community, Sanders belongs to a variety of
professional and civic organizations, including: the National Coalition on
Engineering Education; the National Research Council Committee; the
Engineering Society of Detroit; the F.I.R.S.T. Competition National Judge's
Panel; and the RPI School of Engineering Advisory Board. Sanders serves as a
motivational speaker at numerous student activities and is also the recipient
of several awards, including Professional Engineers magazine's "Top 20
Minority Engineers of the 1980s" and the "U.S. Black Engineer of the Year in
1988."
Sanders earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Southern University in
Louisiana, and a master's degree in physics from Rutgers University in New
Brunswick, N.J. She resides in Troy, Mich., with her husband and son.
Mary Schafer
Director, Global Production Control & Logistics, Delphi Automotive Systems
Schafer oversees Delphi's worldwide production control and logistics
activities and is in charge of executing Delphi's focus on lean material and
information flow, cost reduction and improved speed of delivery. She began
her career 23 years ago as a plant operations supervisor at the Grand Rapids
Trim Plant in Grand Rapids, Mich., and has held a variety of positions,
including chief product engineer, project engineer and director of direct ship
operations and seat assembly for Delphi Interior Systems. Recently, Schafer's
team successfully launched a third party logistics alliance, which will bring
great cost savings to Delphi.
A long-time community service leader, Schafer counsels families on
adoption and is currently developing a foundation that will serve middle class
families to help make adoption an affordable process. She has also served on
a number of nonprofit boards, including: the YMCA in Grand Rapids, Mich.; the
board for battered women at the YMCA in Dayton, Ohio; and the board of
directors for 4C's Community Coordinated ChildCare and Junior Achievement.
Schafer earned a master's degree in management from Stanford University in
Palo Alto, Calif. She resides in West Bloomfield, Mich., with her husband and
three children.
Multi-national Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy,
Mich., USA, Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a world leader in mobile
electronics and transportation components and systems technology. Delphi's
three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal & Electrical
Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communication -- provide comprehensive
product solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has approximately 216,000
employees and operates 179 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 41 joint
ventures, 53 customer centers and sales offices and 31 technical centers in 39
countries. Delphi can be found on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com