James P. Hackett
James “Jim” P. Hackett
TERM AS TRUSTEE
June 1, 1998 - Present
BIOGRAPHY
Jim Hackett is President and Chief Executive Officer, Ford Motor Company, as of May 22, 2017. He also is a member of the company’s board of directors.
Prior to serving in this role, Hackett was chairman of Ford Smart Mobility LLC. Before joining Ford Smart Mobility, Hackett was a member of the Ford Motor Company Board of Directors starting in 2013. Hackett was vice chairman of Steelcase, the global leader in the office furniture industry, from 2014 to 2015. He retired as CEO of Steelcase in February 2014, after having spent 20 years leading the Grand Rapids-based office furniture company.
Hackett is well known for his creative management approach to business. Through an equity investment by Steelcase in IDEO, an international consulting firm, Hackett forged a unique business relationship with its CEO David Kelley to foster design innovation at the office furniture company. At that time in 1996, IDEO specialized in the design of a number of consumer products, office equipment, medical instrumentation, furniture and computers including design of the first “mouse” for early Apple computers.
He was interim director of athletics at the University of Michigan from October 31, 2014 to March 11, 2016 where he led the search for a permanent athletic director appointed in January 2016. He played center on the University of Michigan football team prior to graduating from the university with a bachelor’s degree in 1977.
Foundation Trustee Jim Hackett (right) chats with Historian Jon Meacham following his presentation at the William E. Simon Lecture at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum on July 13, 2013. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert M. Humphries)