ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. — DURA Automotive Systems announced today the honorees of the company’s 2011 Leading Women program. The recognition program was initiated in 2011 to identify and honor top women contributors from DURA and Global Automotive Systems (G.A.S.) locations around the world and heighten awareness of their impact on the success of the enterprise.
"We are pleased to introduce our latest employee recognition program celebrating the accomplishments and leadership of women across our organizations," said Jeff Stafeil, CEO of DURA Automotive and G.A.S. "Collectively, women at DURA represent a small percentage of total employees; however their influence on both company culture and leadership is significant and until now, largely unrecognized."
Through a company-wide nomination process across all locations, candidate applications were submitted to the company’s executive team. Each honoree demonstrated leadership in areas such as manufacturing, customer service, innovation, environmental stewardship, process improvements, community involvement and education. Fifty-eight Leading Women were selected to be recognized in the annual program. In addition, 18 of these honorees were chosen to be recipients of the prestigious Diamond Award, presented by Lynn Tilton, CEO and principal of DURA’s parent company, Patriarch Partners. Diamond Award winners were flown to the Detroit area from around the world to attend an awards ceremony and tour the company headquarters.
"The Diamond Award recognizes exemplary performance and truly impressive contributions of the top honorees," said Tilton. "It was a great honor for our executive team to interact with these outstanding women and recognize their efforts and accomplishments. Their leadership has been a driving force in the impressive performance of our automotive portfolio. It is my honor to lead a company that has created a culture where women are inspired to strive for excellence and are recognized for their accomplishments."
The following 58 employees received recognition for their contributions as Leading Women across forty-five locations in seventeen countries:
Suzanne Adams – Moberly, Mo., USA
Sylvia Ansley – Fremont, Mich., USA
Cheryl Bester – Milan, Mich., USA
Kathy Birney – Rochester Hills, Mich., USA
Shirley Brashaw – Stockton, Ill., USA
Lynn Bryant – Lawrenceburg, Tenn., USA
Cassie Burd – Fremont, Mich., USA
Nancy Campolong – Rochester Hills, Mich., USA
Marie-Anne Cara – Bievres, France
Lacrimioara Cazacu – Timisoara, Romania
Louise Clock – Dundalk, Ontario, Canada
Elodie Darrieutort – Bievres, France
Martina Dohnalova – Koprivnice,Czech Republic
Kimberly Fietz – Milan, Mich., USA
Laura Flanagan – Fremont, Mich., USA
Pat Grenoble – Stockton, Ill., USA
Prissma Guerrero – Monterrey, Mexico
Gaby Hansknecht – Plettenberg, Germany
Marie Harbackova – Blatna, Czech Republic
Vanessa Herrera – Matamoros, Mexico
Simone Hertzer – Gehren, Germany
Linda Hodges – Fremont, Mich., USA
Lavonne Hysell – Fremont, Mich., USA
Jessica Leon – Matamoros, Mexico
Linda Lesnau – Roseville, Mich., USA
Karina Martins – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Darlene McMann-Stringer – Dundalk, Ontario, Canada
Raluca Mihu – Timisoara, Romania
Jeanette Perkins – Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, USA
Angela Pinkard – Milan, Mich., USA
Annette Pohl – Plettenberg, Germany
Sonia Reis – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Angeles Reyna – Monterrey, Mexico
Jennifer Ringler – Fremont, Mich., USA
Jennifer Robbins – Stockton, Ill., USA
Enriqueta Rodriguez – Monterrey, Mexico
Dinorah Rubio – Queretaro, Mexico
Eliece Ruth – Milan, Tennessee, USA
Cynthia Saenz – Matamoros, Mexico
Belinda Santana – Matamoros, Mexico
Susane Schinzel – Gehren, Germany
Beate Schroeder – Plettenberg, Germany
Jamie Stratford – Rochester Hills, Mich., USA
Rhonda Theus – Rochester Hills, Mich., USA
Sible Thomas-Chacko – Rochester Hills, Mich., USA
Tammy Turk – Milan, Mich., USA
Verena Umbach – Daun, Germany
Sabine Urselmann – Dusseldorf, Germany
Nancy VanSolkema – Rochester Hills, Mich., USA
Chandarom Vetsmany – Bievres, France
Gabriele von Wysocki – Dusseldorf, Germany
Ann Marie Walsh – Rochester Hills, Mich., USA
Anja Wiegmann – Einbeck, Germany
Yolonda Wilson – Milan, Mich., USA
Mira Wilson – Roseville, Mich., USA
Lorie Wright – Stockton, Ill., USA
Chris Zoet – Fremont, Mich., USA
Cindy Zou – Shanghai, China
DURA and G.A.S. are accredited with the Women’s Business Association and have received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council Great Lakes Certification Committee, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).