News & Opportunities

2021 AWAF Award Winners Announced

The AWAF Awards are designed to celebrate and honor the achievements of women and change champions who live the AWAF mission of advancing and empowering women in the automotive industry. 

Lisa Lunsford will receive the Industry Achievement Award. This award honors a woman who has made an outstanding contribution for at least ten (10) years in the automotive industry while also making a difference by promoting and supporting her fellow women to achieve their automotive career aspirations.

Lisa is the co-founder and CEO of GS3 Global, a tier one manufacturer headquartered in the metro-Detroit area and founded in 2010. The company, a supply chain integrator, specializes in metal form manufacturing and assembly. Under Lunsford’s leadership, the company has experienced phenomenal growth, and was ranked among the top 50 largest woman-owned businesses in Michigan by Crain’s Detroit Business in 2017.

Lisa has been an active advocate for diversity within the automotive industry while implementing a culture of learning and individual development among her employees. As CEO and a woman of color, Lunsford has prioritized creating a diverse workforce that focuses on education and empowerment. GS3 provides employees with mentoring and resources that provides access to opportunities to enrich the community and to lessons that inform and inspire the organization. As the company continues to grow, Lunsford has expanded GS3’s diversity initiatives, including online and on-site youth engagement as well as sharing knowledge and perspectives through industry and regional panels and seminars.

Since her early days in the industry, she has continually served in mentorship roles in the educational sphere, especially for young women pursuing STEM careers and aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as to her own team. She has previously served on the board of the Detroit-Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) and The Children’s Center and continues to contribute financial support. She is currently involved in the Detroit Public Schools Community District as a mentor.

In 2020, Lunsford was named the first chair of MICHauto’s Board of Directors, and she has leveraged that role to advance the public conversation on workforce readiness preparation for students and young adults training at all academic levels, and in the workplace, to diversify their skill sets. Lisa regularly takes part in programs that provide scholarships for women in engineering and other automotive-related fields, and actively supports the nationwide Manufacturing Day movement.

Lauren Morrison will receive the Emerging Leader Award. This award honors a woman who has been in her career 10 years or less and has demonstrated outstanding performance, as well as leadership in her professional work and the community. Lauren has been in the automotive industry for 8 years. She is currently a Multicultural Marketing Specialist at Stellantis and previously held the position of Market Planning and Analysis Manager. She is a board member of the Stellantis African Ancestry Network Diaspora (STAAND), where she co-leads the Communications committee and serves on the planning committee for all staple events. Lauren is the secretary of Stellantis Toastmasters and has won several Toastmasters local and regional speech contests in 2021. Most recently, Lauren successfully spearheaded the chartering of STAAND Toastmasters - where she also serves as the Vice President of Education. Lauren further encourages internal development as a member of the Stellantis Women's' Alliance Career Committee where she leads the Lean In Circles initiative. Lean In Circles is a space for women with common goals to network, create tangible goals, and put measures in place to ensure those goals are met. Aside from her job as a Multicultural Marketing Specialist, Lauren is also a member of a Diversity & Inclusion work stream at Stellantis where she collaborates with cross functional teams to ensure diversity is represented across dealers, suppliers, and consumers

Prior to Stellantis, she was employed at Ford Motor Company where she was named a fellow in Ford's 2017 Thirty Under 30 class and also served as the company's spokesperson for the Magic City Classic Parade for 2 years and was named Zone Manager of the Year in her market area in 2015. 

The Women of Magna Employee Resource Community, Women’s eXchange Leadership Team will receive the Group Achievement Award. This is given to a group of 4 to 6 women who working together have made an exceptional contribution to the automotive & mobility industry. This includes exemplary teamwork and leadership exhibited and the significance of the accomplishment. This group is led by Shaun Hintz, Chair; Stacey Burroughs, Vice-Chair STEM; Lisa Ross, Vice-Chair; Christina Pace-Bonello, Treasurer; Tara Sangster, Secretary; and Anna Jozkowicz, Europe Liaison. This ERC group strives to empower, develop and recognize its female employees and attract new female talent to Magna. Started in July 2020, this group has created a peer mentorship structure, works with and supports organizations like AWAF to encourage STEM activities and has plans to increase networking events and brand ambassador opportunities throughout all of its key regions.

Jim Tobin will receive the Change Champion Award. This award recognizes a man or company who has contributed significantly to the acceptance and advancement of women in the automotive industry.

Throughout his nearly 40 years in the automotive industry, including more than 18 years with Magna, Jim Tobin has been a model of leadership, integrity and hard work. Jim is a highly admired leader at Magna and across the automotive industry.

Under Jim’s leadership as Chief Marketing Officer, Magna took important steps with respect to diversity and inclusion. Jim was the executive sponsor of Magna’s Diversity and Inclusion Program. He helped start the Women at Magna Group, and he funded all diversity programs from his own corporate budget.

By the end of his tenure, several women earned key roles at Magna’s U.S. Corporate Headquarters, which Jim oversaw, including Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Vice President of Marketing, and Executive Director of Government Affairs.

Jim retired at the end of 2020, but he remains actively involved in the community being part of Focus: HOPE Advisory Board and is Magna’s champion for the Detroit Cristo Rey High School and Loyola High School work study programs. 

The awards will be presented at the 2021 AWAF Holiday Affair on December 2nd.