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Global Ties Detroit Welcomes Tom Cooney to Board of Directors

May 18, 2021

“With my 25 years as an American diplomat helping to build people-to-people ties and my native Detroit pride, I feel like I have been preparing to join Global Ties all my life!” Tom Cooney, VP for Global Public Policy, General Motors

Global Ties Detroit is pleased to announce the addition of Tom Cooney, Vice President of Global Public Policy at General Motors (GM) to our Board of Directors. Mr. Cooney, a former senior career Foreign Service Officer with the rank of Minister Counselor, brings a quarter-century of deep foreign policy experience from China to Latin America to the Board:

“Tom’s global network, international expertise, and professional experience will help pave the way for Global Ties Detroit to engage with some of the region’s greatest innovators, elevating our programs and exchanges to a higher level for our local and international participants. We are very excited to welcome him to the Board.” - Steve Rybicki, Global Ties Detroit Board Chair, President, Infinity and Ovation Yacht Charters, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Continental

Tom Cooney manages GM’s global, cross-cultural team of government relations professionals located in Asia, North and South America, the Middle East, Australia, and Europe. As a member of GM International’s Executive Leadership Team, he also supports the company’s transformation to an all-electric future through global footprint restructuring, negotiation of investment incentives, and close collaboration on a variety of other legal, communications, and labor-related issues.

Prior to returning home to Detroit and joining GM in 2019, Tom served as the Chargé d’Affaires (Acting Ambassador) and Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Argentina. While in Argentina, he advanced U.S. business, security, educational, and other diplomatic priorities. He was highly recognized not only by the U.S. State Department but also by Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri, who granted him Argentina’s highest foreign civilian honor -- the Order of the Liberator San Martin. Tom speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

Previous foreign policy and affairs positions Mr. Cooney held include: Deputy Consul General at Hong Kong and Macau; Foreign Policy Advisor of the U.S. Army, Pacific Command; Deputy Commissioner General of the USA Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo; and Chief of Public Affairs of the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai.

Tom is already actively involved in Global Ties Detroit’s exchange programs, sharing his insights and expertise with delegations around the world, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Recently, he spoke with leaders from the Malta Ministry for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development, where he shared GM’s vision for a world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. He has also met with delegations from Korea and Latin America. After his successful career in the foreign service, he believes in the importance of Global Ties Detroit’s mission and programs for the local and global community:

“As a diplomat who specialized in fostering citizen diplomacy, I helped manage the U.S. State Department International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) at several foreign embassies and even oversaw the selection of the international participants. Now I am on the receiving end. It’s such a rare privilege to be able to contribute to these exchanges at both ends of the process -- and get to show off the best of my hometown!” - Tom Cooney

Detroiters who immerse themselves in foreign cultures and then “come home” like Tom Cooney are an asset to Detroit and its place on the global stage. Furthermore, when the region’s leaders share insights, methods, and expertise with their counterparts across the globe, Global Ties Detroit becomes one step closer toward its goal of developing a robust, worldwide community of citizen diplomats, and with it, a more peaceful and prosperous world.

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