MOMENTUM - April 2024 - 17

SAE NEWS
Presidency, one of my focus areas is diversity, equity, and
inclusion (DEI).
When it comes to solving the global issues engineers face
today, diversity of gender, background, and thought is critical
to produce the best decisions through inclusive discussions,
debate, and objectivity. Solutions must be holistic in nature and
take into consideration current and future consequences. We
have seen several great inventions and ideas turn into
problems many years later. With the right mindset and
consideration of future unintended consequences, the outcome
can be much better-not only for our generation, but many
generations to follow.
This will require an entirely new mindset when it comes to
development processes in industry. Further, it will require a
new way of educating future engineers, as well as continuing
education for current engineers. This systematic shift in
thinking is one area that SAE can, and should, support and
develop.
As a lifelong advocate of education and continuous
learning, I will always strive to learn more about how we can
better support our membership. I will be listening and talking
at every event I attend, every meeting I join, and every personal
conversation I have with our members. SAE can do more to
support our membership, faster and more comprehensively,
with our offerings and engagements. As SAE President, I will
seek your frank and honest feedback when we have the
opportunity to discuss.
Speaking of education: we must have more young people
interested in joining us with a STEM career. Yes, engineering is
hard, but we need to encourage them to never give up. We
can volunteer in so many ways to mentor and tutor those who
are struggling. We can help them understand the engineering
standards we've created and how to apply them. We can
support them at SAE events and help them create their
entries in the SAE competitions. We can point out what was
great with their design, even if they didn't win-or even finish.
If we show up and encourage, we can inspire students to
continue their career. I welcome so many of you to join me in
attending as many events as possible and offer your valuable
advice.
Technology is racing forward in so many areas of our
industries. Autonomous vehicles have taken a step backward,
and perhaps rightly so, as the technology wasn't ready for
mass deployment. What happened with Cruise wasn't really
technology, but it was a lot of public policy, law, and
regulation. We need all elements in order to deploy such a
sophisticated system; this means, as engineers, we must work
with government, insurers, and other stakeholders to
succeed. Again, I revert back to how we are educating
engineers and the need to be more well-rounded in our way
of thinking.
Technology doesn't solve problems; rather, we need to
understand the problem fully, then use technology to solve it.
Cybersecurity is just a fact of life that will only require more
thoughtfulness in the future. Artificial intelligence is brilliant
and downright frightening. Neither of these is going away;
MOMENTUM
An exemplary career
Carla Bailo is a leader in engineering and vehicle program
management, with 42 years of experience in the
automotive industry.
Currently, Bailo is the president and CEO of ECOS
Consulting, LLC. She also acts as an independent director
on the corporate boards for SM Energy, Advance Auto
Parts, Vesuvius LTD, and eVE Mobility SPAC. Formerly, she
held the role of president and CEO at the Center for
Automotive Research (CAR). At SAE International, she held
the title of vice president of automotive from 2017-2019.
Prior to joining CAR, Bailo was he assistant vice
president for Mobility Research and Business Development
at The Ohio State University. Before that, she gained 25
years of experience with Nissan North America, Inc., where
she served as senior vice president of research and
development, as well as 10 years at General Motors.
Bailo has an M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from
the University of Michigan and a B.S. degree in mechanical
engineering from Kettering University. n
rather, they're moving forward at incredible speed. I'm not sure
anyone is thinking about unintended consequences
thoughtfully enough at this stage, but we must. SAE must
consider both in our work and discussions.
It's going to be quite a year, and one that I look forward to
embracing and giving my best effort for the organization. Truly,
I feel blessed with this opportunity to make a difference and I
don't plan to waste a single moment. n
By Carla Bailo, 2024 President of SAE International.
April 2024 17
https://sae.to/tomorrowtoday198
MOMENTUM - April 2024

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