The Governor of Michigan has appointed Donna L. Bell, Ph.D. to Michigan’s Black Leadership Advisory Council. According to the Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Dr. Bell, who received the top Women of Color Technologist of the Year Award in Detroit in 2018, will represent Black leadership in technology. Her term expires on December 31, 2022.

Of the 16 individuals appointed by the governor, they will represent Black leadership in various fields, such as economics, law, public policy, education, health and wellness, the environment (including environmental justice) and agriculture, community safety and preparedness, arts and culture, and media and communications.

Currently, Dr. Bell is working on Autonomous Vehicles (AV) at the Ford Motor Company. She is director, AV & Mobility Strategy for Ford.

The Black Leadership Advisory Council was created by Governor Whitmer's Executive Order 2020-163 as an advisory body in the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

"The election of William Patrick to the Detroit Common Council in 1957 made him the first Black councilmember since the 1800s," the Executive Order said. "The consequences of the lack of Black voices in decision-making were severe: Black businesses were lost; Black families dislocated, and investment in Black communities lagged. Now, with the unequal effects of COVID-19 – including staggering differences in both the infection and death rates – and incidents of police violence rippling through Black communities across America, we must ensure that the voices of Black Americans are heard at all levels of government, including the governor’s office."

The Council will act in an advisory capacity to the governor and develop, review, and recommend policies and actions designed to eradicate and prevent discrimination and racial inequity in Michigan. To accomplish this goal, the Council is charged with:

The Council will advise the governor and develop, review, and recommend policies and actions designed to prevent and eradicate discrimination and racial inequity in Michigan.

Donna L. Bell grew up on Prairie Street in Detroit. In elementary school, she wanted to be like her dad, a carpenter, so she chose woodshop over home economics. Later, she became fond of math and her mother ensured she took part in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, camps, and events that would help expand her young mind.

"Growing up, I wasn’t exactly sure where my love for STEM would lead," she said during her acceptance speech at the 2018 Women of Color STEM gala. "Unfortunately, in the world we live in, there aren’t too many paths laid out for an African American girl from Detroit interested in learning about how things worked. So, I decided to forge my own."

That path included taking the bus on 14th Street in Detroit’s Boston Edison District to Cass Tech, waiting through 4 or 5 buses, sometimes in knee-high snow, before one would pick her up. At Cass, she studied Business Administration.

"When I decided I wanted to study computer science, (my mother) recommended I consider electrical engineering. I didn’t know what computers were but was excited to find out. A degree in electrical engineering would allow me the flexibility to work on computers or any other electrical devices that piqued my interest," she said.

"My mother was insistent I remain close to home and I did, attending Lawrence Institute of Technology here in Michigan. Our family was not able to pay for college, so I secured funds through scholarships, grants, and loans," she added.

After graduating, Bell went on to work for Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan.

"I was given tasks like soldering, wire stripping, creating wire circuit boards, and testing prototype computers," she said during her acceptance speech at the Women of Color STEM awards gala. "During my first year there, I married my husband Greg and we began growing our family. After 3 years at Dow, Greg and I decided it was time to move back to Detroit. I put my resume out to various companies, and Ford called me back. I started out at Ford in the newly created Electrical and Electronics Engineering organization as an Electrical Systems Engineer.

At Ford, Bell was encouraged to go back to school to complete her master’s in engineering. She earned two master’s degrees in engineering, one in Electronics and Computer Control systems and the other in Engineering Management. Later, she went back to school to work on a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering.

Since then, Dr. Bell has worked on many first-to-Ford technologies: generic electronic modules that combined many different functions, electrical systems for the award-winning Taurus, the first to industry sync infotainment system, fuel-efficient stop-start technology, and MyEnergi Lifestyle, a real-life solution to improving CO2 emissions.

She was also given an opportunity to improve quality for Ford’s electrical systems on a global scale, starting with delivering the newly designed Sync system to our customers. According to JD Power, we improved quality more than any other OEM.

While in Palo Alto, she was responsible for leading the Research and Innovation Team in migrating to a 150,000 sq ft facility that would easily house more than 300 people. The facility would be the first of its kind at Ford and allow cross-functional teams to work collaboratively on human center designs. The aim: to deliver Ford’s vision of introducing smart vehicles for a smart world.

"I haven’t made it this far despite being a black woman. I’ve made it this far because I’m a brilliant Black woman. It is an honor and privilege to be this year’s ambassador for Women of Color around the world," she said.