By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) has named Dean Case, a consultant at Motivo Engineering and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) SoCal volunteer, as its newest Allyship Spotlight honoree.
Learn how Case supports women in the industry and promotes the ally mindset in the SEMA News interview below.
SEMA News: What do you do to support the ally mentality and women's empowerment?
Dean Case: I like to assist others in launching their careers. I meet many young women on Baja SAE and Formula SAE teams who have the skills and passion, but often lack the connections. I help make those connections.
SN: Can you share your favorite experience being an ally?
DC: Two of my favorite stories are helping Grace Hackenberg and Abby Hempy.
Grace was an engineering student at Smith College. The Smith College engineering program is quite new, very small and excellent in quality. I hosted Grace and a few of her classmates at Watkins Glen for a race weekend. At the end of the day, we sat and talked. Grace asked if I thought they should try building a Formula SAE car. I said you have the brain power, but not the facilities required. I suggested the Grassroots Motorsports $2,000 Challenge as an alternative. I suggested a crowdfunding approach and helped her raise $8,000.
She built a great car and placed well at the competition. Since this was a great story, I pitched it to a journalist at The Wall Street Journal. Grace and the car landed in The Wall Street Journal which led to her first job out of college. Since then, she has moved on to working on the Arrow McLaren INDYCAR team.
Two years later, Abby reached out to me. I had briefly met her in 2018 when she was an undergrad at the University of Minnesota where she was on their FSAE team. It was 2020 when she reached out to me and she was now a grad student at Michigan Tech, and was wondering how, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she might land a motorsports job. I suggested the GRM $2,000 Challenge and told her I had a template that worked. When I posted her crowdfunding announcement to LinkedIn, a longtime industry friend at NASCAR research and development reached out to Abby and suggested she stop by the NASCAR Charlotte shop on her way to Florida. Abby impressed the folks at NASCAR enough to be hired. She was a part of the Garage 56 Le Mans effort but has since left to get her PhD in engineering. I deserve no credit for them landing those positions, but I will take credit for shining a spotlight on talent to help open doors.
SN: Why do you feel that being an ally is important?
DC: The opposite of being an ally is being the enemy. Everyone should want to be an ally to good people.
SN: What have you found to be the most important/valuable part of being an ally?
DC: Being available to talk and being honest. I never want to talk someone out of motorsports, but I want them to understand what the sport really is.
SN: How long have you been in the industry?
DC: Since 1986; I started with Mazda, then Ford, then Nissan, and have been freelance since 2006.
SN: What advice do you have for those that want to become an ally?
DC: Go visit a school. Make yourself available. On the engineering side, think beyond SAE. Reach out to Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).
SN: How does someone spread the ally mentality?
DC: I have found success in holding SAE events that showcase women in the industry and sport.
Fill out an SBN Ally Spotlight form to highlight how you or a colleague is being an ally to women in the automotive specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates are eligible to be featured on SBN's social media and in SEMA News.
