Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of global manufacturing at General Motors (GM), will receive the top honor of the evening during a live BEYA gala event. Johnson is being honored for playing a key role in developing GM’s COVID-19 response.

At the start of the pandemic, he helped transfer engineering and manufacturing resources from vehicle production to mask and ventilator production. These masks and ventilators then went to frontline health workers in need. He later took the lead in developing the automaker’s return-to-work strategies and safety protocols. His efforts allowed GM to reopen its plants as well as other operations safely.

Click here to watch the awards ceremony on YouTube.

Johnson leads GM’s Global Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, and Labor Relations organizations. He previously served as GM vice president of North America Manufacturing and Labor Relations. Before that, he served as vice president of operational excellence, where he worked to develop and execute an enterprise-wide cultural transformation with a focus on process discipline, continuous improvement, and waste elimination. Under Johnson’s leadership, a team of Lean Six Sigma experts developed a training initiative and coached employees in projects that improved the company’s operational efficiency.

Johnson began his career at GM in 1980 at the Fisher Body Plant in Euclid, Ohio. H has served in many leadership roles including a long list of manufacturing and quality roles in North America and abroad.

Throughout his career, he has served as a mentor to many young professionals as well as played an active role in community organizations, and he is currently on the Kettering University Board of Trustees. Additionally, Johnson is a founding member of GM’s Inclusion Advisory Board. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial administration from Kettering University and a master’s degree in manufacturing operations from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

On Sunday, Feb. 14, please join the encore presentation of episode 23 of High-Tech Sunday with 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Gerald Johnson

High-Tech Sunday’s weekly program is produced by and for Career Communications Group’s community of alumni and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, thought leaders, and aspiring students, to bring a concentrated discussion around technological advancements and achievements based on universal moral principles.

The one-hour podcasts are streamed every Sunday. They can be accessed through the Women of Color Facebook and CCG YouTube pages, ​in addition to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, TuneIn, and Spotify.