WARREN, Michigan — From the moment she started her career at General Motors Co., Kathy Gillespie never feared the unknown.
Instead, she sought it out. She wanted the difficult engineering jobs on systems covering the vehicle. She wanted to lead whatever programs came as an opportunity, from performance to electric vehicles. And top on her list: She wanted to be a chief engineer.
A year ago, she achieved that title for GM’s BrightDrop electric delivery vans. She’s now overseeing the launch of the Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 at the CAMI plant in Ontario. Gillespie, who’s never shied away from tough jobs, is up for the task of ramping up to an annual capacity of 30,000 BrightDrop vans this year. GM intends to reach 50,000-unit capacity by 2025.
