2022 HENAAC Awards

Education: Master’s, Business Administration, Centenary College of Louisiana; Bachelor’s, Industrial Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso.  

Imelda Siegelson knew she wanted to be an engineer after a career day in 7th grade.  She proudly came home and announced it to her parents who, while receiving minimal education in Mexico before emigrating to El Paso, Texas, celebrated her passion and called her school counselor the next day to inquire about extracurricular programs and summer camps to nurture her ambitions. 

After graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1999, she accepted an offer from General Motors at its Shreveport, Louisiana manufacturing facility.  In a few short years, she rotated through every department at Shreveport while also pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.  After rising to coordinator overseeing paint operations for multiple vehicle lines including the Hummer H3 and the Colorado/Canyon midsize truck, she was promoted to Senior Industrial Engineer at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee manufacturing complex in 2012.

Mrs. Sielgelson has distinguished herself at Spring Hill by combining her technical expertise with her extensive business planning and leadership experience. She was responsible for leading over 100 employees to produce vital induction molding components for various vehicle programs, driving significant improvements in performance metrics.  Her contributions have been particularly critical to the Chevy Equinox, and she was instrumental to the launch of the revolutionary Cadillac Lyriq electric vehicle.

Mrs. Siegelson also served as the lead for implementing GM’s global manufacturing system across the entire complex. She became a subject matter expert, leveraged her internal networks, and coordinated a successful achievement of the calibration standard for the facility.

Outside of General Motors, Mrs. Siegelson is the sitting Vice President of the Southern Automotive Women’s Forum, a non-profit organization that promotes education, scholarships, and the personal and professional advancement of women in the automotive Industry. She’s volunteered for the All Girls Auto Know program for middle school girls, and she’s active with the GM Women and the GM Latino Network employee resource groups.