DETROIT – With her company under siege, General Motors CEO Mary Barra hasn't been seen much out in public. But Tuesday night, she was honored by the Michigan Women's Foundation and took time to address the controversy surrounding her company and where she goes from here.
Local 4's Carman Harlan emceed the event. Barra was the special honoree for breaking glass ceilings for women everywhere. Before she took the stage, she sat down only with Local 4 to talk a little about the firestorm surrounding the ignition switch recall.
"When you shattered that glass ceiling, you shattered it for all of us," said the presenter. "We celebrate your success as our success. We want to thank you for all you've done for women, for Detroit."
"Being here for me is -- we've come a long way, we're a company that serves our customers and the industry and we're putting new vehicles on the road. I believe in the company, you're going to be faced with challengers and we're dealing with it head on and we're going to move forward."
When she took the podium Tuesday night to receive her award, the crowd of 800 got to its feet.
"Being here for me is representing the men and women of General Motors," Barra said. "It is really humbling to be leading this company and to reflect on what we've been through. This award does serve as a milestone."