Snyder picks William F. Pickard to fill out term as WMU trustee

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced June 22 that he has appointed Dr. William F. Pickard of Bloomfield Hills to serve as a trustee on the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees.

Pickard, founder and chairman of Global Automotive Alliance and a 1964 alumnus of WMU, will serve through 2020, finishing out the eight-year term now vacant due to the death June 1 of Ronald E. Hall of Detroit.

"William brings decades of experience to the board, and I am confident he will do substantial work to ensure the success of the University," Snyder said in making the appointment.

William F. Pickard

A well-known Detroit entrepreneur, Pickard has spent the past three decades building business success. In 1999, he launched Global Automotive Alliance LLC, a company that operates six manufacturing entities with eight plants in four states and Canada. 

In 2002, he was honored by the Detroit News as Michiganian of the Year for his mentorship of new entrepreneurs and his leadership at Global Automotive and with a variety of civic, community and business organizations. In 2010, Hour Detroit Magazine honored him as a Detroiter of the Year for leadership and philanthropy, particularly in the areas of the arts, education and entrepreneurship.

Pickard is a member Business Leaders for Michigan and serves on the board of the National Urban League. He is on the executive board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and he also serves as a trustee of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

Pickard, who was honored in 1980 as a WMU Distinguished Alumnus, also earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan and a doctoral degree from Ohio State University. He has taught at U-M's Ross Business School and at Wayne State University.

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