CORVETTE ACADEMY - Key Persons
Charles Muse was fascinated by cars growing up, spending time helping his father tinker on classic muscle cars. But after taking a ride in a small four-seat aircraft as part of an educational aviation camp, Muse's interests took off in a different direction. "That fed my interest and my curiosity as to how does this work? How do airplanes fly?" he says.
For a gearhead like Muse, it's also exciting that aerodynamics can help improve the performance of sports cars like Camaro and Corvette. "You need to increase drag in certain areas, like the front corners and rear spoiler, to be able to translate all the power produced by the engine to the ground while also being able to handle the vehicle under high speeds," he says. "It's a different approach, but still about manipulating and leveraging the forces of aerodynamics to get the most performance out of the vehicle."
As with many types of engineering, high-powered computer analysis helps aerodynamicists do their job, so more designs can be tested more quickly. "You can run computer-aided engineering analysis, make changes within a virtual tool, test those findings and changes in the wind tunnel, and subsequently evaluate that at the track," says Muse.
In addition to aerodynamic work, Muse has been fortunate to be exposed to many different areas of engineering within Chevrolet, including working with air-induction systems for trucks and future autonomous vehicle research. "There's a plethora of opportunity to do different things within the engineering world, to really be involved in the product on all fronts," he says.
And although his career keeps him grounded in the automotive world during the workweek, Muse still enjoys flying in his free time, renting light two- and four-seater planes from a Detroit-area club.
Erik Kennedy has an affinity for relationship building and for his 2021 Trailblazer RS. Both come in handy for his work as a community relations professional in the greater Milwaukee-Chicago area.
Erik Kennedy has an affinity for relationship building and for his 2021 Trailblazer RS. Both come in handy for his work as a community relations professional in the greater Milwaukee-Chicago area.
It's easy for Kennedy to devote so much of his personal time to community-focused work because it goes hand-in-hand with what he does professionally. As a self-described connector who enjoys being around people, he finds himself on the move often. "Having that reliable vehicle is much needed," he says.
Kennedy drives a 2021 Chevy Trailblazer RS, but his history with Chevrolet predates him even having a driver's license. His grandfather worked for the company, so "it's always been ingrained in me to support GM vehicles," he says. Before his Trailblazer, Kennedy owned a Chevy Malibu and a Chevy Cobalt. He upgraded to an SUV for style and capability purposes. "I wanted a really stylish car that really drives well," he says. "And since I live in Wisconsin, I wanted my next car to be all-wheel drive."
Kennedy's Trailblazer's black accents are eye-catching - "I think that's really cool" - but he also appreciates technological features like the remote start, color touch-screen, heated driver and front passenger seats, and automatic headlamps. The biggest advantage, however, has been the storage space his Trailblazer provides. "It's definitely given me more space to put stuff," Kennedy says.
COVID-19 has kept Kennedy from doing some of the community work that he loves in the way that he'd prefer, but his new Trailblazer has already made life more enjoyable. "I would say that pre‑COVID, I'd probably be driving more," he says. "But the miles I've driven to go hiking, or to restaurants such as San Giorgio Pizzeria Napoletana, or to see my friends, or to my F45 Training Lakefront Milwaukee workouts have been awesome."
Just like his prior Chevys, Kennedy's Trailblazer has helped keep Erik well in tune with the world around him.
Freddy Diaz represents his neighborhood so hard it's become part of his name. Southwest Detroit is home, so Diaz became SW Freddy.
Diaz has seen his neighbors come through the worst, when the city's population declined and the economy struggled. While the neighborhood is now on its feet, things were different when Diaz was growing up. "There were no resources. Detroit's up and coming now, but it was a very poor city for a long time," Diaz recalls.
At the time, things were bleak, but Diaz found inspiration in the art he would see on walls or underpasses, splashes of color on an otherwise dreary landscape. Diaz soon started putting up paint of his own. That love of art grew, and Diaz was accepted to the College for Creative Studies, a prestigious art school in his hometown. Yet he felt like he never truly belonged. He eventually dropped out, choosing to take the lessons he learned from fellow creators and using those to carve out a path in the fledgling field of street art.
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Jennifer Allen was ready to kick off her Fourth of July weekend when her drive to Great Falls, Montana, took a turn for the worse. Momentarily distracted by an itch on her foot, Allen began to veer off the road before losing control of her Chevy Colorado and crashing into a creek. "I pulled the wheel to the left to try to get back on the road, but I overcorrected and flew over the side," Allen recalls.
Because she was in a rural area of Montana, Allen didn't know how anyone would find her-until she heard the voice of an OnStar Emergency-Certified Advisor,† who requested an ambulance be sent to her location. "It was a scary situation," Allen says. "It was really a great comfort when that OnStar Advisor said, ‘We're here. We know where you are, and we'll get emergency vehicles to you.'"
Hertz CEO Kathy Marinello loves time with her kids-and they all share a love for Chevrolet.
Economics professor Ken Kuevibulvanich enjoys his 2020 Corvette year-round, no matter the season or weather in his Chicago-area home.
Job Titles:
- Chief Sustainability Officer at GM, Delves into the Future of the Company 's Electric Vehicles and the Innovative Path to Reach It.
Kristen Siemen, chief sustainability officer at GM, delves into the future of the company's electric vehicles and the innovative path to reach it.
Kristine Pankow has an unusual resume that includes two engineering degrees, an MBA, and modeling. She talks about being an "ethical hacker" and the importance of focusing on the things that matter.
Kristine Pankow has an unusual resume that includes two engineering degrees, an MBA, and modeling. She talks about being an "ethical hacker" and the importance of focusing on the things that matter.
Priyanka Mattoo is a comedy writer, producer, and television developer, in addition to being a mother of two. After she spends a week living with the Bolt EV, we check in to see how the versatile vehicle fits her non-stop lifestyle.
Priyanka Mattoo is a comedy writer, producer, and television developer, in addition to being a mother of two. After she spends a week living with the Bolt EV, we check in to see how the versatile vehicle fits her non-stop lifestyle.
Scout Bagley is all too familiar with the hardships low-income pet owners face today. One woman who received a free delivery from the 20-year-old Bagley's charitable organization told her, "Sometimes I go without eating, but the cats don't understand when I can't feed them."
Helping people keep their pets in the family is why Bagley started Kibble2Care when the coronavirus shut down much of her home state of Georgia this March. By mid-May, she had already helped feed over 230 animals from almost 140 families with more than a ton of donated pet food (2,408 pounds and rising).
Bagley explains that the idea of a pet food pantry came to her several years ago. "I worked at a local shelter and a few veterinarian clinics. We were getting in a lot of surrenders because owners who had fallen on hard times couldn't afford to keep their pets." Sadly, many animals left by their owners are euthanized, especially because stray animals must be kept at shelters for seven days, meaning surrendered animals often have less time.
Bagley, who was married this past November, says the pandemic gave her the opportunity to act on her idea. "When COVID came around and I got laid off from my job at the coffee shop, I thought there's no better time to do this than now." She knew families and their pets would be hurting.
Bagley turned to social media and put her idea out there. A friend suggested the name, and Kibble2Care was up and running. "Some of my regulars at the coffee shop supported me from the very beginning," says Bagley. Within just a week of her layoff, Bagley was distributing pet food to eligible pet owners in her hometown of Cumming, and across Forsyth and Dawson counties northeast of Atlanta.
GM engineer Telva McGruder is now the company's chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. The job is new, but her motivation to improve her community and world stays the same.
Teresa Moore's drive home from work was completely normal until a pickup truck suddenly pulled out into the road in front of her. Moore's Chevrolet Impala slammed into the truck's passenger side at highway speed. "I don't remember the impact. It must have knocked me out for a few seconds," Moore says. But OnStar Automatic Crash Response† had already detected the impact, and an Advisor had already called for help. "They said they had an ambulance on the way and they would stay with me until help arrived," Moore adds. "The ambulance arrived in about six or seven minutes."
Moore suffered multiple fractures-the bone below her knee was broken in 15 places-and required six surgeries after the crash, but has made an impressive recovery and now walks 5 miles a day. She says, "I am so thankful that OnStar was there for me so quickly. I would have felt alone." And after that experience, Moore and her husband have made sure they always drive a vehicle with OnStar: "I've looked at other cars and thought, no, they don't have OnStar."
Tim Baughman's background in emergency medicine helps him keep drivers, their crews, and spectators safe at IndyCar races. Baughman's Chevy Silverado helps him perform in his high-stakes role as director of track safety.
Tim Baughman's background in emergency medicine helps him keep drivers, their crews, and spectators safe at IndyCar races. Baughman's Chevy Silverado helps him perform in his high-stakes role as director of track safety.