Claudia Wheeler

 

 

KEEP AMERICA ON THE ROAD

 

THE DESIGN, RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND MANUFACTURING OF ALL TYPES OF VEHICLES AND THEIR COMPONENTS BEGIN WITH AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS— RIGHT FROM THE INITIAL CONCEPT. BUT THEY ALSO MIGHT WORK ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM OF A PROJECT—THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. ELEMENTS OF ELECTRICAL, SOFTWARE, AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ARE UTILIZED IN THIS INNOVATIVE CAREER.

 

THE FOLLOWING ENGINEERS AND IT PROFESSIONALS FROM THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, HONDA, NISSAN, AND VOLKSWAGEN SHARE THEIR INSPIRATION FOR CHOOSING THE AUTOMOTIVE FIELD, THE CHALLENGES THEY HAVE OVERCOME, AND THEIR GREATEST CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS.

 

REALIZING A PASSION FOR INFO TECH AT HONDA

LYNNE Sueki, IT associate, senior manager of the consumer applications and services department at Honda, grew up in a small town where her dad was an engineer. “I was exposed to many test pilots and engineers that worked at NASA and the Air Force,” recalls Sueki. “When I was a kid, I remember hearing sonic booms and seeing test planes flying above our heads. So, it seemed natural to choose a major where I could follow in my father’s footsteps as an engineer.”

 

She chose aeronautical as her focus due to her fascination with aircrafts in her childhood surroundings and earned a bachelor’s of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

 

Sueki’s road to information technology (IT) was accidental. Her first jobs were related to aeronautical engineering. “I was a young engineer who was known to be ‘good with computers,’ and I ended up helping the more senior engineers code and troubleshoot FORTRAN, Unix, and database issues,” notes Sueki. “Then I started writing 4GL productivity and database applications that I saw lacking in our department. At the time, I didn’t even realize that I was doing IT. I was just trying to solve problems with programs.”

 

Although Sueki liked engineering, as it turned out, she loved IT and consulting, which she discovered while working with Cambridge Technology Partners, a systems integration consulting company. “It was a job that required a blending of all of my skills and passions, which pushed me forward in every aspect with each new client situation,” offers Sueki.

 

As an engineer, she had always admired Honda, but it was the opening of a perfect leadership role in Honda’s newly formed Business Intelligence team in its IT division that made Sueki leave consulting. The opportunity at Honda was one she could not pass up.

 

She has enjoyed the ride over the past ten years of her career at Honda, from her start building the Business Intelligence team, to managing enterprise teams, and now her focus as senior manager of the consumer applications and services department.

 

“The consumer area is completely fascinating since we not only get to work on the Honda and Acura websites that our consumers love, and learn more about our consumers through our customer database, but we get to work on building telematics capabilities for our vehicles,” says Sueki. “It’s a rewarding feeling to build a telematics team from the ground up with a great management team, and to watch its successful formula challenge status quo and deliver every single day.”

 

Sueki was one of the few Asians in her small town, the youngest child in her family, and one of the few women in engineering. “My greatest challenge was to not perceive those as shortcomings, but as differentiators,” explains Sueki. “Early in my consulting days, one of my managers had to push me to have the necessary confidence to speak boldly in client situations. I had to learn how to have a voice and overcome any fear, regardless of the situation.”

 

Sueki advises other women and members of minority groups to “embrace who you are and what makes you unique. Now I see every unique attribute and skill about me is something that allows me to stand out. When a person accepts and acknowledges who they truly are, then I think they can confidently pursue any career or life dream that they desire from an honest place.”

 

She can identify career and life achievements in every job in which she has worked along with her team members. But her greatest career achievement is the building of the Next Generation Telematics team within Honda. The team began with borrowed resources and many long days, nights, and even weekends.

 

“We worked like a start-up in the walls of a mature corporation,” details Sueki. “With a lean team, everyone had to wear many hats and do any task regardless of title. The dedication and delivery from the team is unmatched during my entire career and still continues today. With each vehicle delivery and mobile app download of HondaLink and AcuraLink, I personally know the great sacrifices that the team has made to deliver every feature. I have deeply learned from each team member’s blood, sweat, and tears, and I will always look on this point of my career with great admiration and joy.”

 

Honda opened its first U.S. plant in 1979 and has evolved into a company that directly employs nearly 28,000 Americans. Honda has 14 research and development facilities across the U.S. More than 100,000 workers are employed at authorized Honda automobile, motorcycle, and power-equipment dealerships in the U.S.

 

To look for a job, please go to http://corporate.honda.com/careers/find-a-job.aspx.

 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE AT NISSAN

MARY Berst, director of information systems (IS) at Nissan, started out with a business degree. She earned her bachelor’s of science in business with a concentration in accounting from Western Kentucky University. “In 1982, business degrees provided several avenues of entry for women wanting a professional career, and they required math and other technical skills,” recalls Berst. After graduation, she entered the financial planning and analysis arena, and held various roles of increasing responsibility, including an overseas assignment as business unit controller.

 

“In 2010, returning from Brazil, I took an opportunity in the world of IS, leading the back office/business areas of IS,” states Berst. “Today, the choice fields are science, technology, engineering, and math. All of these degrees provide an avenue into business as well as into other growth industries like IS.”

 

Berst credits her father for her inspiration. “My father graduated from Georgia Tech with a mechanical engineering degree, which opened doors for him in chemical engineering when clean air was a growing field,” details Berst.

 

According to Berst, one of her earliest challenges was being accepted in a male-dominated field. Her answer was to learn to play golf. “Once I played a few rounds with male co-workers, I was invited to the weekly golf game and to tournaments,” says Berst. “Not only did that knock down the barrier to inclusion, but my coworkers sought my thoughts and opinions on business matters. I continued playing golf when I joined a Japanese automotive company. While it helped while I was in the United States, other tactics were necessary to overcome the cultural barrier for women in a Japanese company. My U.S. male counterparts paved the way in meetings, deferring to me as the only individual who could answer.

 

“Respect for culture, hierarchy of others’ knowledge, and collaboration broke down many walls that have allowed for a successful 23-year career with Nissan,” she adds.

 

Berst advises women and members of minority groups to choose a growing field. “Understand the areas or jobs within that field that excite you, and enter your career with abandon,” she says. “Explore all areas within that company that interest and excite you. Network with others within your workgroup and in those areas of interest, and when the opportunity presents itself, apply. Getting your name out there is important to get to those next steps of your career.”

 

Berst has followed her mantra working in the automotive industry: Make a difference for the people, organization, and company. “Within the last four years, I took on the responsibility for a new IS organization that included five bright individuals who benchmarked other companies, and then created and implemented an information security roadmap that included monitoring, threat awareness, and requirements and training for vendors,” explains Berst. “That team is now ten people, and we have been recognized internally and externally for our role in this team’s accomplishments.”

 

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing within 13 facilities across the U.S. and staffed by over 236,000 employees globally. Nissan Motor Co. is Japan's second- largest automotive company.

 

Apply for jobs at the following website: http://nissan.jobs.

 

GAINING NEW SKILLS AT THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO.

WHAT inspired Ashley Strader to pursue engineering? Strader attributes it to an introduction to engineering class in high school.

 

“The class was very hands-on and included lessons on engineering design, and 3D CAD software,” states Strader, development engineer with research, development, engineering, and quality organization at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

 

She advises college students to get an early start on their career while in college through participating in internships and co-ops, whether a woman, a member of a minority group, or not. “You will gain relevant experience prior to entering the workforce full time.”

 

Finding a mentor within your career choice is also important. “A mentor will offer valuable insight to assist you as you begin to pursue your career,” adds Strader.

 

In her position at Goodyear, she has the opportunity to continuously learn and gain new skills. “There is a lot of room for growth within the company,” Strader says. “Plus, it’s rewarding to see a tire on the road that you have had a hand in developing.”

 

Strader is proud of her first tire design patent, her greatest career achievement so far.

 

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is the number-one tire maker in North America and Latin America and the second largest tire maker in Europe. With 69,000 employees worldwide, Goodyear has operations in most regions of the world, operating 51 plants in 22 countries. Goodyear's Research, Development, Engineering & Quality organization is responsible for delivering high-quality products and growing Goodyear's innovation capability globally. The technical organization consists of 2,200 associates worldwide.

 

For more information about careers at Goodyear, and to create your candidate profile, go to www.goodyear.com/careers/join/.

 

RACING TO THE FINISH AT VOLKSWAGEN

“MY parents wanted me to learn how to put back together everything I’d taken apart during my childhood,” recalls Jenny Sigelko, regulatory specialist-engineering and environmental office, Volkswagen Group of America. “As a child, I spent a lot of time taking things apart, so engineering seemed a logical career path.”

 

Sigelko has a bachelor’s of science degree and a master’s of science degree in mechanical engineering, as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology. “How humans work is just as interesting to me as how cars work,” she adds.

 

Interested in how racecars work, how they are built, and how to make them go faster, she finds people involved in racecar driving inspirational. “I knew I wouldn’t be a good driver, so being an engineer seemed a better way into a domain I loved,” Sigelko says. “If I had to pick a single person who inspired me, it would be racecar driver Alan Kulwicki. Though I never met him, he seemed to have the career path I wanted to take.”

 

Sigelko finds it challenging to be a woman in a male-dominated setting. “I spend most of my time being nearly the only woman in business settings,” details Sigelko. “I’ve had situations where it was assumed that I was the administrative assistant, not a completely capable engineer. I have even had people answer my coworkers when I asked a question.”

 

Sigelko cautions that the gender/ minority bias is not completely gone. “You will still run into those situations,” advises Sigelko. “But with experience and personal confidence you can navigate these situations. Speak up to your management, and if they are not interested in helping—find another job.”

 

In a previous job, Sigelko recalls that she was responsible for vehicle development. “It brings me tremendous pride when I see those vehicles on the road, and then even more when people tell me how much they love those cars and trucks,” explains Sigelko.

 

Sigelko enjoys that her current job comes with a wide variety of assignments in a wide variety of topics. “I truly enjoy learning things from both technical researchers and less technical policy committee members,” she says. ”I have boundless opportunities to do so. It is wonderful to be a part of an organization passionate about engineering; Volkswagen employs over 40,000 engineers, which is more than NASA.”

 

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., headquartered in Herndon, VA, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. VWoA’s operations in the U.S. include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, TN.

 

Visit http://www.volkswagengroupamerica.com/careers.html.