Carla Bailo Named Incoming CEO By Center for Automotive Research Board

September 29, 2017 – The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Board of Directors announced today that Carla Bailo has been appointed as CAR’s incoming President and Chief Executive Officer. Bailo will assume her new role later this fall through a coordinated transition with current President and CEO, Dr. Jay Baron.

“Now is the ideal time for Carla Bailo to become CAR’s next Chief Executive Officer,” said CAR Chairman and CEO Jay Baron. “With her proven credentials in leading research and development and her expertise in mobility, Carla is the perfect individual to guide our organization through unprecedented changes in our industry.  Our Board has selected a strong and dynamic leader and I am confident that she will thrive in today’s environment, where rapidly developing technologies present exceptional opportunities for vision, creativity, and leadership.”

“Considering the disruption in the industry today, CAR is well poised to research and support our industry and government partners in all areas of mobility,” said Bailo.   “I have been involved with CAR for several years while working in the industry and am very much looking forward to working with such a talented team as well as leading CAR through the new era of mobility.”

Ms. Bailo is a leader in engineering and vehicle program management with 35 years of experience in the automotive industry.  She is the 2016-2018 vice president of automotive for SAE International, a global association of more than 138,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries.  Bailo will join CAR later this fall transitioning from Ohio State University where she is currently assistant vice president for mobility research and business development.  She has helped the University accelerate sustainable mobility and transportation innovation, while integrating related research and education across Ohio State’s academic units. She has also helped coordinate Ohio State’s involvement as the primary research partner for Smart Columbus, a $140 million program to transform central Ohio into a premier transportation innovation region.

Prior to joining Ohio State in 2015, she served as senior vice president of research and development for Nissan North America, Inc. Ms. Bailo was responsible for vehicle engineering and development operations in Michigan, Arizona, Mexico and Brazil, managing a $500 million budget and 2,500 employees. In this role, she improved the efficiency of Nissan’s R&D functions.  She also spent 10 years at General Motors, working in various divisions within the industry including product development, program management, quality, and product planning and profitability including involvement in all phases of automotive new model development from advance planning through to product launch.

High Res Image Downloads:

• Carla Bailo
• Jay Baron

For additional information or interview requests please contact CAR’s communications team:

• Brian Esterberg – Vice President, Corporate Relations & Communications | [email protected]
  O: 734.929.0466 | C: 248.894.0001
• Katie Ramsburgh – Senior Communications Manager | [email protected]
  O: 734-929-0486

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The Center for Automotive Research is a non-profit organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Its mission is to conduct research on significant issues related to the future direction of the global automotive industry, organize and conduct forums of value to the automotive community and foster industry relationships. For more information, visit the CAR website: www.cargroup.org.