OREANDA-NEWS. March 27, 2015. General Motors Chairman Tim Solso announced today that Erroll Davis Jr. would not be standing for re-election to the GM Board of Directors at the company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders in 2015. Davis joined the board in 2009.

“On behalf of the board, I thank Erroll for his significant contributions to GM over the past six years,” said Solso. “Erroll is committed to the success of the company and has always focused on what was best for all shareholders.”

Added GM CEO Mary Barra: “We have made tremendous progress since Erroll joined the board and we owe him our deepest gratitude for his dedicated service. I also appreciate his thoughtful leadership and support to me over the past year.”

Said Davis: “GM has gone through a number of challenging structural and managerial changes, and I now firmly believe it is in the hands of wonderful and capable leadership who can take the company to new heights.”

Davis served as Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools from July 2011 until his retirement in June 2014. From 2006 until his retirement in June 2011, he served as Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, the governing and management authority of public higher education in Georgia. From 2000 to 2006, Davis served as Chairman of Alliant Energy Corporation, and he held the offices of President and CEO from 1998 to 2005.

Davis is currently a director of Union Pacific Corporation. He was a previous member of several company boards including Amoco, British Petroleum, General Motors Corp., PPG Industries, and Wisconsin Power & Light.

Davis has received several honors and awards. Among them: inclusion in the “75 Most Powerful Blacks in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2005; one of the “50 Most Powerful Black Executives in America” by Fortune Magazine in 2002; the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business in 1993; and “Black Engineer of the Year” in 1988, awarded by U.S. Black Engineer magazine.  

With the addition of Linda Gooden last month, the retirement of Davis maintains the GM Board at 12 members.