In the world of electric vehicles, GM teams have been blazing a trail for ensuring everything meets the quality standards that is expected by our customers. The role of Vehicle Electrical Systems Manager (VESM) now exists at all GM North America plants, but at Factory ZERO, Orion Assembly and Spring Hill Assembly, there was an opportunity to step into uncharted territory.
For Shuantia Brown, Shanika Hurst and Esterlene Dukes, this was an opportunity to set the stage and transform the role into what it would mean for an all-electric future. These three engineers, each with 20+ years of experience, were ready and excited to become leaders in the field, inspiring others along the way.?
‘Teach them to fish’
From coordinating to problem solving, their roles are so much more than making sure our customers get their products. They are working every day to empower their teams to learn and teach others about electric vehicle systems and be bold in their work and their career.?
“To be effective, my team needed to integrate with other functions so we could troubleshoot issues,” explained Shanika Hurst, a vehicle electrical systems manager at Orion Assembly plant, who has been with GM for 25 years. “It must be a collaborative effort so we can respond to issues we are seeing in the industry.”
A passionate tutor, Shanika emphasizes the importance of learning, especially for our employees so they are confident in their work with every vehicle, every day.?
Our teams support programs that help increase the diversity of our employees and leaders by educating employees and making programs more accessible.
“You always need to make sure folks know what you are interested in and capable of,” said Shuantia Brown, a general assembly production shift leader at Factory ZERO, who has 22 years of experience with GM. “Making sure you have the right mentors or coaches…someone that when you are not in the room, they can speak for you and how the team would benefit.”
Shuantia lives this philosophy by mentoring and coaching, both internally and externally to GM, knowing that by guiding and encouraging our youth (and coworkers), we will achieve further success.
Hard choices
Being bold can sometimes mean you have to use your expertise in an area other than one in your comfort zone. For Esterlene Dukes, a vehicle electrical system manager at Spring Hill Manufacturing most of her 33 years with GM was spent in the electrical test labs.
“I had an opportunity, but it meant leaving behind an area I knew I could be an expert in,” she said. “Understanding how to use your skills to make things better is what she shares with her co-workers, as well as young ladies and girls who are looking at engineering or STEM fields for their future career.”
They are inspiring others to embrace similarities and diversity to create innovation that blazes a new trail.
Check out the video below to hear from Shuantia, Shanika and Esterlene as they talk about their passion and dedication to leadership.