Keynote Speakers

RALPH GILLES

President and CEO, SRT Brand and Motorsports and Senior Vice President, Product Design, Chrysler Group LLC

Ralph Gilles is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Street and Racing Technology brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. He also leads the company's Product Design Office as Senior Vice President, a position he was named to in June 2009. From humble beginnings in New York City born to Haitian immigrant parents, Ralph Gilles always had a passion for cars and began drawing vehicle concepts at a young age. He graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan in 1992 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in industrial design. That year he joined Chrysler Corporation as a designer and since then has held various leadership positions within the Company. In 2002, Gilles received an Executive MBA from Michigan State University.

Gilles is extremely active inside and outside of Chrysler Group LLC. He serves as the executive sponsor of the Chrysler African American Network (CAAN) in addition to playing a leading role with The Chrysler Global Diversity Council. He also serves on the boards of The Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Mich. and The Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital Regional Medical Center in Pontiac, Mich. At his alma mater, The College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit, Gilles serves on the Board of Trustees.

Gilles has earned numerous academic and industry awards, including: The Michigan State University Eli Broad Graduate School of Management Young Alumni Achievement Award, The Automotive Hall of Fame Young Leadership & Excellence Award, NV Magazine Innovation Award, Black Engineer of the Year President's Award and N'Digo Foundation N'Design Award. Gilles was also featured in Fortune Magazine's 40 under 40.

RALPH E. JOHNSON
(Ross BBSA Alumnus)

Director of Operations and Administration, Social Sector Office, McKinsey & Company Inc.

Ralph is Director of Operations and Administration for McKinsey's Social Sector Office. In this role, he oversees the recruiting, human resources, finance, and administrative functions for the global SSO. Ralph began his McKinsey career as a consultant from 1992 through 1997. He left McKinsey in 1998 to serve as General Manager of the Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) Welfare Reform Agency. In that role, Ralph built and ran the 750 person agency that developed and executed the plan for helping 27,000 families move from welfare to work. Ralph rejoined McKinsey in 2001 as the Director of Professional Development and Administration for the Americas Operations Practice. Ralph started his professional career at General Motors Corporation where he worked for 10 years as an Engineer and General Supervisor.

Ralph received his MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in 1992. While at RSB, he was President of the Business School Student Government and Parliamentarian of the Black Business Students Association. Since graduating from RSB, he has maintained his connection to the School. He served as Chair of the RSB Alumni Board of Governors and as Chair of the Annual Fund. He currently serves on the RSB Advisory Board, and he is a member of the UM Alumni Association Board of Trustees. Finally, Ralph is a frequent speaker to MBA classes, and student and alumni groups.

Ralph holds Bachelors degrees in Industrial Engineering from Kettering University and Business Administration from Aquinas College. Ralph, his wife Lisa, and their children, Janae and Cameron, live in Cleveland. He is active in the community there, where he serves on several non-profit and community boards. Also, he is an Ordained Deacon and an Associate Minister at Mt. Olive Baptist Church.