The 2015 MICHauto Summit will be held this Wednesday, September 30th, from 7:30 am to 5 pm at Cobo Center in Detroit.

MICHauto is an effort spearheaded by the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with industry and other state and local partners in Michigan, to grow and retain the automotive industry in Michigan. MICHauto's pillars include business attraction, talent, advocacy, communications and mobility (including connected and autonomous vehicle development). All of these elements will be in play at the annual summit, with an emphasis on mobility.

Building off the theme "The Connected Culture: Shaping Michigan's Automotive and Mobility Future," the Summit will focus on how Michigan is positioning itself as the center for advanced mobility and connected vehicle technology. Recognizing the need for a strong talent pipeline driven by a culture of innovation, the Summit is intended to explore how the state can utilize its brainpower, infrastructure and automotive heritage to connect consumers to the automobile.

Scheduled speakers include:

  • Charlie Ackerman, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Bosch Corporation LLC
  • Rose Bellanca, President, Washtenaw Community College
  • Richard Garrity, Vice President and General Manager, Vertical Solutions, Stratasys
  • Rick Haas, President and Chief Operating Officer, North American Technical Center, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
  • Jason Koch, President and Co-founder, Telogis
  • Sandy Kronenberg, CEO, Service.com
  • Harry Lightsey III, Executive Director, Global Connected Customer, Pubic Policy, General Motors Co.
  • Andreas Mai, Director, Smart Connected Vehicles, Cisco Systems Inc.
  • Rick Snyder, Governor, State of Michigan
  • Suzanne Seitz, Vice President, Total Rewards, CooperStandard
  • Kirk Steudle, Director, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
  • Peter Sweatman, Director, University of Michigan Mobility Transformation Center (MTC)

There have been a lot of recent developments in this space in Michigan, including the M-City development in Ann Arbor on the University of Michigan campus and the Smart Transportation Corridors initiative of the Michigan Department of Transportation.

For those wanted to catch up efficiently with the latest in this area, the Summit promises to be a useful one-day immersion.

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