Barra appoints inclusion advisory board members

DETROIT — General Motors CEO Mary Barra has appointed an inclusion advisory board as part of GM's commitment to take action against racism and discrimination following nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd while in police custody in May in Minneapolis.

Barra will chair the board, and on Monday she named 11 other members.

"The board will guide our work to improve diversity and inclusion in our company, with the ultimate aspiration of making GM the most inclusive company in the world," Barra wrote Monday in an internal memo obtained by Automotive News.

The board includes four members from outside the company:

• Tonya Allen, social justice advocate and CEO of the Skillman Foundation, a Detroit foundation focused on education and economic wellbeing for children.
• Dennis Archer Jr., CEO of Ignition Media Group, president of Archer Corporate Services and son of former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer.
• Arden Hoffman, chief people officer at Cruise, GM's self-driving subsidiary.
• Todd Ingersoll, CEO of Ingersoll Automotive, GM Minority Dealer Advisory Council member and chairman of the Buick-GMC dealer council.

The eight other members, including Barra, are GM executives:

• Mark Reuss, president
• Dhivya Suryadevara, CFO
• Kim Brycz, senior vice president of global human resources
• Matt Tsien, chief technology officer
• Craig Buchholz, senior vice president of global communications
• Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of global manufacturing
• Telva McGruder, employee resource group at-large member and director of workplace engineering and operations solutions.

The first official board meeting will be next month, Barra said. The board will focus on plans to support words, deeds and culture rooted in inclusion and racial justice, she said.

"We have a lot of work to do as a board and as a company, but this is an encouraging start," Barra said. "Please continue the dialogue with one another and in your own social circles, because dialogue leads to understanding, and understanding leads to change. Together, we will do this."

Earlier this month, GM designated $10 million to support organizations that promote inclusion and racial justice, starting with a $1 million donation to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

GM will determine recipients for the additional funding with input from its employee resource groups and the inclusion advisory board.