Barbara J. Samardzich (ENG 1985)

2004 Alumni Achievement (Merit) Award

Ford Motor Company named Barb Samardzich vice president of product development, Ford of Europe. She oversees all product development activities in the European region. It’s a critical position, considering Ford will launch 20 new or significantly freshened vehicles before 2014. Samardzich, who earned her master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon in 1985, had been vice president of Ford’s global product programs.