Robert Carl Stempel (July 15, 1933 – May 7, 2011)[1] was chairman and CEO of General Motors (GM) from August 1990 to November 1992.

During his teen years, he worked as a mechanic in Bloomfield, New Jersey, to earn his college tuition by fixing his fellow students' cars.

[3] He received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1955[2] where he had been a tackle on the football team.

[3] He attended night classes[3] and earned an MBA from Michigan State University in 1970[2] and later received an honorary doctorate from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

[2] He was a member of the board of directors and chairman of the National Industrial Advisory Council to the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc.; the National Minority Supplier Development Council; and the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association; the Highway Users Federation and the United Way of Southeastern Michigan.

[2] In 1978,[2] Stempel was appointed general manager of the Pontiac Motor Division where he worked on the Fiero – which used a plastic-body/space frame technology that became integral to GM's subsequent minivans and the Saturn lineup.

[8] Subsequently, ECD formed joint ventures with Texaco Energy Systems Inc., GE Plastics and Belgium-based N.V. Bekaert S.A.

[3] At the time of his death, Stempel served on the board of directors of Envia Systems, a Newark, California-based company that provided GM's battery engineering team with access to advanced lithium-ion cathode technology delivering higher cell energy density and lower cost.