11/12/03

RETIRED GM CEO TO SPEAK AT AU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

AUBURN -- John F. "Jack" Smith Jr., retired chairman and CEO of General Motors Corp., will be the Lowder Visiting Executive in Residence at the Auburn University College of Business on Tuesday (Nov. 18.).

Smith will lecture on "Looking Back, Looking Forward: GM's History, GM's Future" at 11 a.m., CST, in the Lowder Business Building, Room 125A. His presentation is free and the public is invited.

Due to capacity limitations, reserved seating is required. For more information, call 334/844-2203.

Smith, who began his career at GM in 1961, is often heralded as the man who saved the automaker. Under his leadership -- he was CEO from November 1992 to June 2000 -- the company launched a major reorganization, improved operating efficiency and increased market share.

Smith, 65, a native of Worcester, Mass., retired in May 2003.

Founded in 1908, GM is the world's largest vehicle manufacturer and employs 340,000 people globally in its core automotive business and subsidiaries. Today, GM has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in more than 190 countries.

Smith was appointed president of GM in April 1992, and the title of chief operating officer was added a month later.

Earlier, he was vice chairman with responsibility for international operations. Prior to that, he had been executive vice president in charge of GM's international operations beginning in June 1998.

Smith received his bachelor of business degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1960 and earned a master of business administration degree from Boston University in 1965.

Smith quickly rose through the ranks after joining GM in 1961 at the Fisher Body facility in Framingham, Mass.

He is a member of the boards of directors of Delta Air Lines, The Procter & Gamble Company, and Swiss Re. Smith also is a special advisor to GM and is a member of the President's Export Council.

The Robert and Charlotte Lowder Visiting Executive-in-Residence program provides students and faculty with an opportunity to interact with prominent executives for an open exchange of views on current issues and to gain insight into the business world.

The program is made possible through an endowment by Robert and Charlotte Lowder of Montgomery. Lowder, a 1964 graduate of the AU College of Business and a member of the AU Board of Trustees, is CEO of Colonial BancGroup.

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CONTACT: John Jahera Jr., Interim Dean & Colonial Bank Professor, 334/844-4832; or Dina Kanellos, External Affairs, 334/844-2203.