OREANDA-NEWS. General Motors Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn received the Black Engineer of the Year Award at this year’s Becoming Everything You Are (BEYA) STEM conference.

Some 6,500 conference attendees – students, educators and industry representatives –watched Saturday evening as GM Board of Directors member Errol Davis and Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain Mark Reuss, presented the top award to Welburn. He is the first African American to lead a global automotive design organization.

BEYA’s 29th annual conference was the first time a GM employee has received the top honor. Seven GM professionals took home awards this year, including the Most Promising Scientist recognition awarded to Justin McDade.

The three-day conference focused on networking and careering building with a focus on the importance of hiring military veterans.

GM’s support of the BEYA STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math, conference dates to 1988. 

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands.