News & Opportunities

2019 Board of Directors and Officers Announced

AWAF announces its new executive team and board of directors for 2019:

Executive Officers
President: Susan Rokosz, Ford Motor Company
VP of STEM: Catherine Koch, K-Tec Systems Inc.
VP of Career Enhancement: Kellie Treppa, ON Semiconductor
VP of Industry Outreach: Vanessa Miller, Foley & Lardner LLP
VP of General Counsel: Lisa Zimmer, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP
Secretary & Golf Co-Chair: Kim Ziomek, Woco Tech USA
Treasurer: Jean M. Stenger, CPA, DKSS

Board of Directors
Alliances Chair: Jeeva Nadarajah, Pillar Technology
Coaching Co-Chair: Jennifer Dudley, AAM
Coaching Co-Chair: Susanne Cordes-Hoelterhoff, Team Essenz Coaching & Consulting
Corporate Sponsorship Co-Chair: Amy Allison MacDonald, General Motors
Corporate Sponsorship Co-Chair: Stacey Eeman, Arch Global Precision
Marketing Co-Chair: Michelle Blakeley, FordDirect
Marketing Co-Chair: Patricia Price, Aquent LLC
Membership Co-Chair: Dawn Dorsch, DENCAP Dental Plans
Membership Co-Chair: Kathryn Smith, Olin Brass
Mentorship Co-Chair: Marion Wells, Human Asset Management
Mentorship Co-Chair: JaRhea Bowles, Borg Warner
Professional Development Co-Chair: Corinne Smereka, Schoolcraft College 
Professional Development Co-Chair & Golf Co-Chair: Sherry Muir Irwin,The Hunter Group LLC
Programs Chair: Anju Bhalla, AT Kearney
Scholarship Co-Chair: Jane Bishop, Retired from General Motors
Scholarship Co-Chair: Juliann Tilley, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

And at the helm as AWAF's new President for 2019 - 2021 is Susan Rokosz.  Sue is the Principal Environmental Engineer at Ford Motor Company, a member of AWAF since 2008 and has served on the board since 2012.  Along with this depth of experience, Sue brings a level of passion and exuberance that will shine through her presidency. 

In addition, changes have been made to the executive roles and some committees to better reflect the changing needs in the automotive industry and AWAF members' needs.  New executive roles are the VP of STEM and VP of Career Enhancements. AWAF has combined VP of OEM, Suppliers and Alliances all under the VP of Industry Relations. The events committee will be called program committee. The coaching and mentoring has been separated into two committees to increase our work in both these areas.  An alliance committee had been formed to help support the VP of Industry Relations.

These changes and the new board is effective January 2019 and will be reflected by that time on all communication. 

Special thank you to our outgoing president Linda Taliaferro who has served for the past two years. Her leadership and vision has guided AWAF in the past two years has made AWAF in a stronger position financially and strategically.

If interested in serving on a committee please contact our administrative office at [email protected].