Team Detroit

They say there are two things you can’t pick: your family and your neighbors – much less your family’s neighbors. As it turns out, Sharon Wacker was lucky on all fronts.

Sharon grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, the city the Ford family has called home for generations. While her father initially wanted her to be in banking, she was lucky enough that a few of her neighbors worked for Ford. It was their love of cars that helped guide her path. So when Sharon looks back on those early years, it seems like it was a forgone conclusion that somehow her career would be aligned with Ford. Not that it started out that way.

To the contrary, her career began in politics. Sharon worked on the advance team for the Secretary of the Treasury and lived in Washington, D.C. She travelled the world for the Secretary gaining invaluable experiences. But four years of politics was enough for her (as it is for many of the presidents our country has elected) and upon her return to Michigan, one of her goals was to find a way to help Detroit regain its grandeur. That, and she’d had enough of politics, at least the Washington, D.C. kind. Who could blame her?

Since her return Sharon has blazed a trail to the top. Prior to her current position at Team Detroit, she worked in Strategic Planning and on the Events and Alliances Team before moving over to Account management. It was there that she led the Ford Truck business to new heights, made notable by the fact that this was accomplished during one of the lowest points in automotive sales history. Her current role includes helping lead Ford to a greater foothold in the American marketplace.

Sharon lives in Grosse Pointe (as if there was any doubt) with her 17-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. When not working, she can often be found recruiting one of her neighbors’ kids to get into the auto business.

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