GM's Mary Barra to Advise Donald Trump on Economic Policy Issues

DETROIT, MI — President-elect Donald J. Trump has named General Motors CEO and chairman Mary Barra to his new President’s Strategic and Policy Forum, a group of some of America’s most highly respected and successful business leaders who will advise him on job creation plans.

The group of 16 business leaders will be chaired by Stephen A. Schwarzman, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Blackstone.

In a statement, Trump said members of the group will be asked to share their “unique vantage points in the private sector” on how government policy and regulations affect economic growth, job creation and productivity. Trump said he put together the forum to get direct input in a frank, non-bureaucratic and non-partisan manner.

“This forum brings together CEOs and business leaders who know what it takes to create jobs and drive economic growth,” Trump said. “My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating, and expanding right here in America.”

The first meeting of the advisers will be held at the White House during the first week of February. Other members include:

• Paul Atkins, CEO, Patomak Global Partners, LLC, former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission;
• Toby Cosgrove, CEO, Cleveland Clinic;
• Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co;
• Larry Fink, chairman and CEO, BlackRock;
• Bob Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company;
• Rich Lesser, president and CEO, Boston Consulting Group;
• Doug McMillon, [resident and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.;
• Jim McNerney, former chairman, president, and CEO, Boeing;
• Adebayo “Bayo” Ogunlesi, chairman and managing [artner, Global Infrastructure Partners;
• Ginni Rometty, chairman, [resident, and CEO, IBM;
• Kevin Warsh, Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Economics, Hoover Institute; former member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;
• Mark Weinberger, global chairman and CEO, EY;
• Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO, General Electric; and
• Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize winner, vice chairman of IHS Markit;

Under Barra’s leadership, GM is focused on strengthening its core business of building cars, trucks and crossovers while also working to lead the transformation of personal mobility through advanced technologies such as connectivity, electrification, autonomous driving, and car sharing.

In 2016, Forbes named Barra the “World’s Most Powerful Woman in Business” and No. 5 among the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.” In 2016, Barra was ranked first for the second consecutive year on Fortune’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business.” In 2014, she was named to TIME’s list of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World.”

Barra is a member of The Business Council, Stanford Board of Trustees, and General Dynamics board or directors. She received her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business after receiving a GM fellowship in 1988.

Barra began her career with GM in 1980 as a General Motors Institute (Kettering University) co-op student at the Pontiac Motor Division and graduated with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering.

Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors