Women in Mobility Celebration

“I am where I am because...”

From right opportunities, right mentoring, to being at the right place at the right time...from perseverance, passion to people-skills. It takes more than what we know and more than what we see, to become a force to reckon, as a woman in leadership roles. KPIT technologies, a global technology company earnestly champions the cause of diversity & inclusion to encourage little girls with dreams today, to turn into women with vision of tomorrow. Interactions with women leaders globally who have paved the way for future generations highlight the best of role models for our talented women across the world.

We would like to invite you to share your inspiring insights, thoughts and experiences to further enrich our cause of diversity & inclusion and contribute towards our vision of a better, balanced world in the future. All COMVEC registered attendees welcome to attend.

• Fireside chat with women industry leaders
• Q&A from audience
• Networking and interacting with industry talent

Moderator: Jayada Pandit, KPIT Americas 

Michelle Chaka

Senior Vice President for Safety and Regulatory, Torc Robotics

Michelle Chaka serves as the Senior Vice President for Safety and Regulatory for Torc Robotics. She has over 25 years of safety and regulatory experience gained from a wide variety of roles at General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, and Locomation. Chaka’s extensive experience provides a solid safety, regulatory, and engineering foundation, and she is well-versed in automated technology and data analytics. As a proven safety leader, she has delivered innovative products/programs from concept to production and worked with the larger safety community to advance safety for all road users. Furthermore, Chaka led automated driving research projects sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA) and which NHTSA published to provide the learnings to all stakeholders. Chaka holds a Master of Science in Automotive Engineering Technology from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University.

Joan Wills (BSEE, MSEE), Executive Director, Cummins Electronics at Cummins Inc., is currently responsible for development and support of electronics hardware, software tools and sensors across Cummins product lines. Prior to this Ms. Wills led Power Systems Engineering for Platform 3 products: engine systems 38-91L displacement both diesel and natural gas varieties and gensets roughly 1-3MW. She was also Chief Engineer and Program leader for Cummins range of TierIV High-Horsepower engines. Prior to this role she led Technology Strategy and Planning for Cummins working with the Chief Technology Officer and global Technical Leaders to set long-term technical investment direction. She has 14-years of experience in the development of control systems for automotive applications including diagnostic and control algorithms for various subsystems of diesel and spark-ignited engines. She holds 19 US patents.

At the invitation of the Secretary of the US Department of Energy, Ms. Wills serves as a US Ambassador in the Clean Energy & Empowerment (C3E) initiative to advance the careers of promising women in the field of clean energy. Ms. Wills is active in SWE, SAE and IEEE and was a 2017-2018 member of the World Economic Forum Global Futures Council on Energy.

Ms. Wills joined SAE International in 2008.

Ms. Wills received her Master of Science (MS), Electrical and Electronics Engineering at The Ohio State University; the MIT Sloan Executive Certificate, Strategy and Innovation at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science (BS), Electrical and Electronics Engineering, from the University of Dayton.

Joan Wills

Executive Director, Cummins Electronics at Cummins Inc.

Catrina Mitchell

Vice President - Cab, Chassis, & EES, Navistar Inc.

Catrina Mitchell is a Vice President within Navistar, a leading North American commercial truck and bus company, heading the design and development of the vehicle Cab, Chassis, and Electrical Wiring Systems. An energetic and results driven leader with 20 years+ experience in the transportation industry and a proven track record of developing and executing complex strategic initiatives that positively impact the bottom line. Catrina has a diverse accomplished background, and she has demonstrated exemplary leadership in various design and managerial roles within the product development and operations organizations. As Chief Engineer of Brakes Catrina led the development of the next generation hydraulic and air brake control systems, as Chief of Material Cost Reduction she delivered over $120M in vehicle material savings over two years, and as Director of Product Improvement she executed a 40% reduction in part number variation.

Catrina was awarded Navistar’s 2020 Nettie Fowler Woman of Influence Award and selected to complete Traton’s Management Excellence Program for rising leaders. Catrina is the current President of ICAAN, who’s vision is to champion the advancement and development of African Americans at Navistar and within the broader community. She is a loving wife, a dedicated mother, a compassionate mentor, and an active advocate of DE&I initiatives.

Catrina has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a M.B.A. from DePaul University.