The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) has announced the appointment of a new chair to the CAR Board of Directors. Dr. Andrew Brown Jr. has been appointed board chair effective Oct. 1, following the retirement of Dr. James Jacobs.
“I look forward to continuing to enhance CAR’s ability to contribute and grow in our global automotive and transportation industry,” said Brown.
Brown has been a CAR board member since 2015. He retired as vice president and chief technologist for Delphi Automotive, where he was inducted into the Delphi Innovation Hall of Fame. Brown’s accomplished career has included serving as the site selection manager on the prestigious Saturn Project, chair emeritus of Convergence, and, more recently, the 2010 SAE International chairman and president. He is a member of the National Academies, where they appointed him chair of the board on Energy & Environmental Systems and chair of Committee on Fuel Consumption Reduction for Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicles. He has participated on the Cummins Science & Technology Council and currently served on the Deere & Company Global Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (GTIAC).
He has served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate. For several years, he has been a Technology & Innovation Judge for PACE, CES, and the National Academy of Medicine.
“Andy’s history of leadership and experience in the automotive & transportation industry makes him an ideal person for this role. I look forward to working closely with Andy to ensure CAR helps to enable a safer, more sustainable automotive industry. We greatly appreciate Jim’s guidance over the past 12 years, including his tenure as board chair. We wish him well in his next chapter.” said Alan Amici, CAR president and CEO.
Jacobs has been a CAR board member since 2010 and assumed the role of board chair in 2020. Jacobs assumed the presidency of Macomb Community College on July 1, 2008. Prior to his appointment, he concurrently served as director for the Center for Workforce Development and Policy at the college and as associate director, Community College Research Center (CCRC), Teachers College, Columbia University.
