James J. Padilla
James J. Padilla, Director, retired from The Ford Motor Company as President and COO in July 2006. During his 40 year career at Ford, Mr. Padilla served in a number of progressive senior management roles, including Group Vice President, Global Manufacturing and Quality; COO and Chairman of Ford’s Automotive Operations; Group Vice President, Ford North America; and Ford’s Executive Vice President and President of The Americas, where he was responsible for all operations in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America. Mr. Padilla holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Chemical Engineering and a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Detroit - Mercy. He was appointed a White House Fellow serving as a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in 1978 and 1979.