Automotive Hall of Fame Announces its 2024 Mobility Innovator and Distinguished Service Citation Awardees and 2024 Ceremony location - the newly renovated Michigan Central Station.

DEARBORN, Mich., June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Automotive Hall of Fame, the premier institution for honoring and celebrating individuals and their impact on the automotive industry, has named its 2024 Mobility Innovator awardee – Chris Urmson, CEO and co-founder of Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR) – and Distinguished Service Citation awardee – Julie Fream, retired President and CEO, MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers. These individuals will be celebrated along with the previously announced 2024 Automotive Hall of Fame Inductees during the Hall's annual event to be held September 19, 2024.

"We are excited to recognize both a Mobility Innovator and a Distinguished Service Awardee this year," said Automotive Hall of Fame President Sarah Cook. "In their own unique way these individuals have had a profound impact on the mobility industry, one through innovative new technologies and the other for supporting the automotive supplier industry."

Additionally, the 2024 Induction Ceremony will be held at the iconic Michigan Central Station, which was recently reopened after an extensive six-year renovation by Ford Motor Company.

Cook added, "As the epicenter of innovation, Michigan Central uniquely captures the amazing history of Detroit and the collaboration and advanced technology that will be needed to propel the automotive industry forward."

2024 Mobility Innovator Awardee

The Mobility Innovator Award recognizes the outstanding work individuals have accomplished by introducing new technologies and services that are redefining mobility. The 2024 Mobility Innovator Award recipient is Chris Urmson who is being recognized for his work on self-driving technology.

Chris is widely regarded as one of the earliest pioneers and leaders in the self-driving industry. Aurora's mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly and broadly. Chris has 20 years of experience leading automated vehicle programs, which started when he was the Director of Technology for Carnegie Mellon's DARPA Grand and Urban Challenge Teams. After the DARPA Challenges, Chris helped found and lead Google's self-driving car program (now Waymo). In early 2017, he co-founded Aurora with Drew Bagnell and Sterling Anderson. He has authored over 60 patents and more than 50 publications. He earned a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University and Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering from the University of Manitoba.

2024 Distinguished Service Citation Awardee

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals who have had a significant positive impact on the industry or their respective organizations. This year's awardee is Julie Fream, retired President and CEO, MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers (formerly known as OESA) and Board Member of Blue Bird Corporation and Corewell Health.

Over her 40-year career, Julie worked at various OEMs and suppliers. For the most recent 10 years, she led MEMA-OE, championing industry challenges and opportunities on behalf of all automotive suppliers. Her leadership was pivotal for the supplier community during recent industry issues, including COVID and the semi-conductor shortage. During her time at MEMA-OE, she also served on the supplier councils at Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Stellantis.

Event Details

The Automotive Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at the Michigan Central Station in Detroit. For event sponsorship information, please contact Margarite Fourcroy at mfourcroy@thedrivingspirit.org or 313-240-4000, ext. 103.

About the Automotive Hall of Fame

Automotive Hall of Fame (AHF) is a non-profit organization that honors and celebrates the automotive/mobility industry's leaders and innovators through awards and programs that challenge young and old alike to higher levels of personal achievement. Founded in 1939, the Automotive Hall of Fame has honored 755 awardees from around the world, who have impacted and influenced the automotive and mobility industries.

The Automotive Hall of Fame is located at 21400 Oakwood Blvd in Dearborn, Michigan and is open to the public Thursdays – Sundays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. You can also visit the Automotive Hall of Fame online at automotivehalloffame.org or on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Editor's Note: Images for awardees are available upon request.

Media Contact
Shelly Otenbaker, WayPoint Marketing, 1 248-506-6696, shelly@waypointmc.com

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SOURCE Automotive Hall of Fame