Mary Teresa Barra (née Makela; born December 24, 1961) is an American businesswoman who has been the chair[1] and chief executive officer (CEO) of General Motors since January 15, 2014.

[3] Prior to being named CEO, Barra was executive vice president of global product development, purchasing, and supply chain.

They lived in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, and had two children, including a son named Reino,[8] called Ray.

Barra's father, Ray, married a second-generation Finnish American named Eva Pyykkönen.

Barra graduated from the General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) in 1985, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

[16] When Barra took over as chief executive of General Motors in January 2014, she became the first female head of an automobile manufacturer.

[17] During her first year as CEO, General Motors issued 84 safety recalls involving over 30 million cars.

[19] Barra and General Motors also came under suspicion of paying for awards to burnish the CEO and corporation's image during that time.

[20] The recalls led to the creation of new policies encouraging workers to report problems they encounter in an attempt to change company culture.

[24] Her decision was criticized by President Donald Trump, who threatened to remove the company's government subsidies in response.

"[42] In December 2016, Barra joined a business forum assembled by then President-elect Donald Trump to provide strategic and policy advice on economic issues.