In a world where technology and innovation are at the forefront, the journeys of these five remarkable women at General Motors is nothing short of inspiring. From Cammi Siu’s serendipitous discovery of her passion for engineering to Kelly Gaynier’s childhood love for math and puzzles, each path reveals a unique blend of determination, curiosity, and the pursuit of excellence. Read on to learn more about the lives, achievements, and ambitions of our Manufacturing Engineering team.
1. Tell us about your career journey. What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering?
Cammi Siu, Product Interface Manager: I got lucky! Math always came easier than other subjects and I always had an interest in new technology. However, I went into university undeclared, tried out multiple majors, and finally decided that I could settle on making gadgets like cell phones and jumped into electrical engineering. When I first thought of automotive, it didn’t seem like I had made it into gadgets. However, when my daughter came to Bring Your Child to Work Day and surmised that cars are basically computers on wheels, I appreciated that we make really advanced, large, complex systems that most people aspire to own.
Carrie Guynn, Director Manufacturing Engineering: My career has been made up of a healthy balance between engineering and manufacturing operation assignments. It’s been a fantastic journey allowing my interests in problem solving and project management to combine with the passion I have for leading people. I have 24 years at General Motors made up of experiences in process engineering, front line supervision, quality, and operations management. I currently lead an engineering team as the Director of Castings, Fabrication and Execution.
Evelyne Santos, Sr. Quality Manager: Growing up I always looked up to my mother and two older sisters. My mother had a successful career as a Professor in Engineering at a Federal University in Brazil. She encouraged us to explore different fields, and to learn other languages.
At the age of sixteen, I was doing well in high school in my native country Brazil and was presented with the opportunity to temporarily move to the United States as an exchange student. When I was in school in the U.S., I quickly learned that doing well in Math and Physics classes would lead to making friends, helping me overcome my limitations with speaking English at a beginner’s level. The experience of overcoming challenges and leveraging my strengths to accomplish something that was meaningful to me in my one-year-experience in an American high school made me feel like I could conquer the world. Upon returning to Brazil, inspired by my mother’s career path and motivated by the positive experience in my science classes in high schools in Brazil and in the U.S., I decided to pursue a career in engineering, and at the same time I set a personal life goal to explore career opportunities outside of Brazil.
Joselyn Castillo, Process Engineer Supervisor: Growing up, I was always interested in putting things together and making them work. As I got older, I became more curious about understanding how things worked and being able to solve problems others could not (probably driven by my competitive nature). When I was in school, it was obvious that I preferred math and science classes as they were more hands-on than reading and memorizing. As college major discussions came up, the only option that neared a "hands-on" approach for me at the time was engineering. I knew it would be tough, and my inspiration throughout all of this was the surprised face that people would make when I mentioned Mechanical Engineering as my major, or comments that if it was too tough, I should just change majors. Therefore, my drive to complete it grew and made me who I am today.
Kelly Gaynier, Casting Integration Lead: I’ve always enjoyed math, optimization puzzles, and generally solving problems and “mysteries.” When I was younger, this came out in various ways like reading Nancy Drew books and completing math problem puzzle books. Based on these interests, I decided to pursue engineering. I grew up in the South-East Michigan area, so automotive was the most obvious industry to join after college.
2. What brought you to GM?
Siu: I got an internship with GM through my university career fair, probably because I waited in line twice so that I could talk to the female engineer that rolled up in the Pontiac Solstice. During my internship, I got to tour multiple facilities and received an offer to one, our vehicle electrical development and validation space, that I thought looked exciting.
Guynn: I had always been interested in working for General Motors as I was growing up. Several of my family members, including my father, worked for General Motors over the years which inspired me.
Santos: A few years into my first job in manufacturing as a Quality Engineer at Gillette in Brazil, the country was facing a difficult political moment and I had concerns with economic instability and safety. At the age of 24 I decided to pursue my dream of exploring career opportunities outside of Brazil, so I sold my car to cover the expenses for the application process of a ‘skilled worker’ work visa to Canada. A year later, I got the immigrant visa, resigned from my job, left my native country, and started a new life in Canada. In Toronto, I joined a job search club, where I learned about an opportunity for an internship for adult immigrants. After a lengthy selection process, I qualified to participate in a select group who could apply for a one-year “Internship for Internationally Qualified Professionals” in companies like General Motors of Canada. I was selected by GM for a Production Supervisor position, and after the internship ended I was offered a contract position, which led to a full time position a few years later.
Castillo: I was always drawn to the designs and gadgets that new cars had. However, I never saw myself in the automotive industry until I had a three-month internship that stemmed from a conference I attended, which changed my whole view of the company. As an intern, I had the ability to travel and work on real projects, which gave me an experience where I really saw myself working for GM full time. If I had to pinpoint what made the difference, it was a combination of the people I met and the experience I received early on. I'm from Miami, so I never thought I'd end up in Michigan working!
Gaynier: I came to GM because of what I heard about the culture and the many opportunities that existed within the organization. At the time, I was living down south, and a family circumstance came up that I believed I could best support back in Michigan. I had heard from friends about the positive culture and opportunities at GM, so I decided to apply for a position, which started my journey at General Motors.
3. Why is it an exciting time to work in the automotive industry, and more specifically in manufacturing?
Siu: I’m excited to contribute to the largest change in automotive technology in the last 100 years and manufacturing is how we go from a nice concept on paper to delivering dreams in our customers’ driveways.
Guynn: The automotive industry and manufacturing specifically is an exciting space to work because there are many ways to contribute. One can contribute through engineering roles, quality roles, floor operations roles, and finance roles to name a few. All have continuous improvement opportunities in my experience and that keeps things interesting and challenging. Additionally, it’s an exciting time in the industry with the transition from internal combustion powered vehicles to electrically powered vehicles!
Santos: It is very exciting to be part of the All-Electric future transition we are experiencing at General Motors. In manufacturing engineering, we are responsible for the manufacturing processes and equipment for the RESS battery, Rechargeable Energy Storage System, among other key components of electric vehicles. It feels incredibly rewarding to contribute to the changes that are happening in the company right now.
Castillo: When I used to think of manufacturing, the first word that came to mind was legacy. After being in the industry for more than 8 years, my favorite part of my job is being able to work with the plants on process improvements. It's an exciting time to be in the automotive industry because change is happening, and fast. As we work toward an all-electric future, our propulsion manufacturing specifically is one of the most impacted areas in how we think about designing lines, how we think about working together, and how we exceed customer expectations. I have the opportunity to be part of something from the beginning, bring about real change, and make decisions that impact many people.
Gaynier: It’s an exciting time to work in automotive, and specifically manufacturing, due to the new technologies in the automotive market, as well as the pace that change is occurring. This provides the opportunity to be part of new challenges and developing solutions for products that people drive every day.
4. How would you describe the work culture at GM?
Siu: The work culture at GM has been continuously improving since I was hired in. We have a lot of talented people that are focused on both results and how we achieve those results through our behaviors. In manufacturing engineering, we are full of grit and work hard, collaborating with both product engineering and our production operations teams, to deliver manufacturing systems to be proud of.
Guynn: Fantastic and getting better every day! Treating people with respect is practiced regularly in my experience. Creating a diverse and inclusive environment is a priority which allows people to contribute fully and have fun doing so!
Santos: The culture I experience today at GM is inclusive, supportive, collaborative, diverse and forward thinking. Our leaders have done a great job promoting initiatives to drive diversity and inclusion. I have been with GM since 2007 and I can say I am very happy to see the strides we have made when it comes to diversity.
Castillo: I've been fortunate enough to work with people who have really had a passion to continue to live GM behaviors to enable our culture. The first word that comes to mind is EVolving. I think the culture we have now is not what we had 10 years ago and will be different within the next few years. We're adapting as we see new generations come through and learning from the past to understand what is working and reflect on what is not so we can improve it.
Gaynier: I would describe the work culture as supportive, exciting, and dynamic. The teams I have been a part of work together to make improvements and solve problems, and truly have fun doing so. We support and challenge each other while working to accomplish our goals and have had plenty of fun and laughs along the way. I’ve learned a lot professionally and personally from many great people.
5. What is the most innovative product you’ve had the chance to work on while at GM?
Siu: The most innovative product would be what I focus on now, which are battery cells and fuel cells. As we march toward our mission of zero emissions, both are at the heart of our electrified vehicles.
Guynn: There are so many! The Volt is a favorite from several years ago. Currently, my team works on many innovative products within the engine and drive unit spaces.
Santos: In my current role in Manufacturing Engineering, I have the opportunity to work with my team on a variety of electrification products; having contributed to the development and implementation of manufacturing processes, specifically in quality and maintenance initiatives, for the manufacturing of Electric Drive Units, Electric Motors, Battery Modules and Packs, including the manufacturing of some of the components for autonomous vehicles.
Castillo: I've had the amazing experience of working on several projects both in ICE and EV indirectly. Most recently are the Hummer, LYRIQ, and Chevy Silverado.
Gaynier: From my perspective (being newer to GM), I would consider every product I have worked on at GM to be innovative, because it was all new to me, and gave me different perspective from my previous experiences. I hadn’t previously had experience in engines or castings, but I’ve had the opportunity to work on both, to learn about new technologies, as well as continuous improvement for both in product or process.
6. If you could tell your younger self one lesson you’ve learned over the years, what would it be?
Siu: Ask. Ask questions to learn faster. Ask questions to understand others. Ask for what you want. Push your shoulders back, trust your gut, and ask.
Guynn: Networking is important not only to build relationships but also to share ideas, gain other perspectives, etc.
Santos: Be bold, take initiative, own your development, experience different jobs, and while learning from your mistakes, be kind to yourself. Some of the best career decisions I have made happened after I got rejected for positions I thought would have been perfect for me at the time. As I look back and reflect on my career, getting rejected for a job I really wanted made me step out of my comfort zone and take a job outside of my area of expertise, where I learned new skills, expanded my network, and developed skills that opened many doors for additional career opportunities. After that experience, taking on jobs outside of my comfort zone led to international opportunities, and it has helped me with my career growth and development.
Castillo: I am a huge believer that everything always happens for a reason. Therefore, embrace failure as a steppingstone to success rather than a setback. What you tell yourself and the thoughts you may have in the moment are crucial to how you dust yourself off and get back up.
Gaynier: Have a general plan in mind but embrace the unexpected…and believe in yourself while doing so. Many of the opportunities I have had in my career journey have been ones that were never on my radar, or in my “plan”. I fully believe in having a general career plan, but also be open to opportunities that have never crossed your mind – for me those have been some of the most exciting and where I have had the most personal and professional growth.
7. What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?
Siu: I seem to seek out and thrive in positions that put me outside of my comfort zone. From aspiring motorcycle rider to reluctant Chinese dragon dancer, to new mom on an international assignment, I appreciate opportunities to continue to grow.
Guynn: Most people know I enjoy sports and played softball for years. I no longer play softball but have started playing pickleball regularly. I enjoy it very much!
Santos: I am the first generation of immigrants in my family. I grew up in a large city in the middle of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil. I enjoy sharing stories of my life in Brazil with friends in the U.S. and Canada and enjoy sharing stories of my life experiences in the U.S and Canada with my family who remain in Brazil. I visit my family in Brazil as often as I can, and travelling back to the middle of the Amazon always reminds me that everything is possible, it comes down to determination, hard work, and believing in yourself.
Castillo: I played tennis in high school and one day hope to go to all four grand slam tournaments.
Gaynier: Over the past few years, my husband and I started snorkeling. We have been fortunate to travel to different places to snorkel and see corals, sharks, sea turtles, tropical fish, rays, etc. I can get lost for hours exploring. I can go to the same place multiple days in a row and see something new or from a slightly different perspective each time. Sort of like a challenge at work (or at home), and how a new day or slightly different perspective can provide an entirely different experience or view. It’s a reminder of how much there is to learn and explore, both personally and professionally.