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Susan M. Cischke
Title: Group Vice President, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, Ford Motor Company
Susan M. Cischke (pron. "SIS-key") is group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, effective April 1, 2008.
Cischke is responsible for establishing Ford Motor Company's long range sustainability strategy and environmental policy. She will help develop the products and processes necessary to satisfy both customers and society, and serve as Ford's chief liaison with global organizations seeking solutions to the challenges of sustainability, environmental stewardship and energy independence.
In addition, Cischke is responsible for influencing future environmental and safety regulations and assuring that Ford Motor Company meets or exceeds all safety and environmental regulations worldwide. She is also responsible for establishing Ford's long term safety strategy, promoting aggressive standardization of product technology features delivering real world safety benefits. As Ford's chief safety officer, she leads the Driving Skills for Life program, a partnership between Ford Motor Company and the Governor's State Highway Traffic Association that teaches safe driving technique to teens.
Cischke was named senior vice president in April 2007. She has served as Ford's top environmental and safety officer since January 2001.
Prior to joining Ford, Cischke was senior vice president of Regulatory Affairs and Passenger Car Operations at DaimlerChrysler. She began her career at Chrysler Corporation in 1976 and held various engineering positions until 1994 when she was named general manager of Scientific Labs and Proving Grounds. In 1996, she was named vice president of Vehicle Certification, Compliance and Safety Affairs. Cischke serves on the board of the Chicago Climate Exchange and is a council member of the World Economic Forum. She is also a member of the University of Michigan College of Engineering National Advisory Committee, and the boards of the Ford Motor Company Fund, the Henry Ford Health System Foundation and Detroit Science Center. Cischke serves as the executive sponsor of the Professional Women's Network at Ford.
In 2008, the Automotive Hall Fame honored Cischke with its Distinguished Service Citation. In 1997, Cischke received the Horace H. Rackham Award for outstanding humanitarian achievements from the Engineering Society of Detroit, the first woman in the society's 102-year history to win the award. She has been twice named one of Automotive News 100 Leading Women and was chosen as one of Crain's Detroit Business Most Influential Women. Her community commitments include serving as a director of the Inforum Center for Leadership board and as chair of the Women's Initiative for the United Way of Southeast Michigan.
Cischke earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. She also holds master's degrees in mechanical engineering and management from the University of Michigan – Dearborn.