Chuck Stevens ‘83 describes his Kettering University (then General Motors Institute) experience as foundational for two reasons.

One, it provided him with a rigorous and exemplary education. Secondly, at just 23 years old, he was able to get a broad view of the auto industry at his co-op at General Motors (GM) Buick Motor Division in Flint, Michigan.

“Because of the rigor of the Kettering experience, I developed a strong work ethic,” Stevens said. “I was tested repeatedly during my years at Kettering so I knew what it would take to be successful.”

Over the last 30-plus years, Stevens has climbed the ranks at GM and is now the executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) of GM. Stevens is responsible for leading the company’s global financial and accounting operations.

For his exceptional career and contributions to Kettering, Stevens was honored with the 2016 Distinguished Alumnus award at the Alumni Awards Ceremony.

“To be considered for this kind of award was very humbling for me,” Stevens said. “To be able to look back and say that the experiences that I had when I was 18 years old could be so foundational for my career success is a great capstone for me.”

A Flint Experience

Stevens was born and raised in the suburbs of Flint. He graduated from Atherton High School and based his college decision on finances.

“Quite honestly, it was pure economics,” Stevens said. “I came from a relatively modest family. My options for a college education were limited from a financial standpoint.”

His uncle had previously attended Kettering and explained the value proposition of Kettering. Stevens was enamored with the idea of working while studying in order to support himself throughout his education. As a result, Kettering was the only school that he applied to and considered at the time.

“Freshman year was an eye opening experience. The rigor and difficulty exceeded my expectations,” Stevens said. “It instilled a huge amount of discipline and work ethic in me because that’s what it took to be successful.”

During co-op terms at Buick, Stevens was exposed to a variety of departments including manufacturing operations, material controls and logistics. However, it was the finance functions of each of these departments that most attracted him and guided his career trajectory.

Stevens remained at Buick full-time after graduating from Kettering in 1983.

“I never considered any other alternative,” Stevens said. “I was born and raised in Flint. I studied and worked in Flint. That’s where my family was. It was quite an easy decision.”

Kettering Across Generations

Stevens has a decorated global career at GM that has led him to his current position. In 1993 he moved to GM’s corporate headquarters. The following year Stevens was appointed finance director of GM Shanghai and was instrumental in the creation of the SAIC and GM joint venture. He held several leadership positions in GM’s Asia Pacific region from 1994 through 2005 including in China, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. He returned to North America in late 2006 as CFO for GM Canada and became CFO of GM de Mexico in 2008. In January 2010 he served as the CFO of GM North America before being named the executive vice president and CFO of GM in January 2014.

Stevens credits three guiding principles for his success: a highly developed sense of personal accountability and responsibility, the ability to partner and collaborate with other departments and businesses and building a track record of getting results.

“GMI was largely about getting results,” Stevens said. “There were high expectations and if you didn’t meet those results, you were encouraged to seek happiness elsewhere.”

Stevens views the experience and exposure for both co-op students and employers as crucial to ensure a match between performance and expectations from both perspectives. The co-op model is valuable to both students and employers as it develops a collaborative relationship between the two that can add value upon graduation.

“Co-op is the enduring value proposition,” Stevens said. “It’s proven itself because, to this day, it continues to develop strong students and strong graduates who can make a difference in a company immediately upon graduating.”

Kettering has changed since Stevens attended the school but it has done so in a manner he believes has broadened its reach in order to develop a long-term value proposition.

“I would encourage any young people looking for a way to really accelerate their opportunities to strongly consider Kettering University,” Stevens said. “That’s because I think there are a number of success stories similar to mine -- or certainly better than mine -- that are underpinned by the five years I spent at Kettering. It was a game-changer for me.”