Reeshemah (Rae) Ross Howard is an accomplished leader, recognized for delivering goal-oriented results.
From the University of Michigan, Rae holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration Degree with Finance concentration.
Currently, she is a Facilities Contract and Supplier Relationship Analyst. Most recently, she was the Emerging ESG Sustainability Strategies Manager responsible for developing strategy and determining measurements for circular economy, nature, packaging and sustainable materials at General Motors. She launched the first ever Sustainability Symposium for GM employees to share and learn about sustainability initiatives within the corporation.
Previously, she was the ESG Strategies Mission Leader, Global Resin Commodity Manager and the Interior Overhead Systems Commodity Manager at General Motors, responsible for creating vision and deliverable action plans for the resin and interior overhead systems buying teams. In addition, she led the development of the corporate materiality assessment that appeared in the annual sustainability report and the 2021 S & P Global (Dow Jones Sustainability Index) submission where GM achieved platinum status and ranked in first place.
Throughout her career, Rae developed and implemented new paint technologies, resolved throughput concerns, managed multi-million-dollar contract negotiations and built high performance teams.
As subject matter expert for phosphate, electrocoat and primer surfacer paint layers, Rae created material specifications, validated paint materials including preparation of Design and Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA and PFMEA) and launched leading technologies in vehicle plants.
She also solved throughput issues using Red X and Design for Six Sigma methodologies.
Additionally, Rae headed the Paint Creativity Team and aided in realization of over $50M in savings for technical project improvements.
As a manager, she guided the Interior Garnish Trim and Overhead Systems teams to success in supplier relations enhancements and business metrics. While the Resin Commodity Manager, Rae collaborated to design the first ever resin employee training class and was named by Plastics News to Women Who Break the Mold.
Besides her professional accomplishments, Rae started a monthly story time program for elementary school youth at the Pontiac Public Library and youth empowerment workshop at Mount Clemens Middle and High School. She serves on the Pontiac Public Library Board and is a member of the American Numismatic Association Exhibits Committee. Previously, she served as the treasurer in the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment and corresponding secretary in the Theta Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
She encourages youth participation in science, technology, engineering, art, and math fields. She also served as a coach and mentor for an elementary school robotics team. She is a highly sought after speaker. Her awards include Women of Color Technology All Star Award, Society of Women Engineers Consistent Contributor, and Plastic News Women Who Break the Mold.