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from everywhere
else in
the country,”
says Glenn, who
remains con-
nected as a member
of the MSU
Alumni As-
sociation. Given
his passion about
the water industry,
does Glenn aim
to become known
as the state’s water
king? “Well, you
know, the United
Nations recently
designated March 22
as the World Water
Day,” he notes with laughter.
“Guess what day my birthday is?”
Ryan Devlin
RYAN DEVLIN:
RISING TELEVISION STAR
Television viewers have noticed
an actor who is playing major
characters in two ABC shows. In
the sitcom Cougar Town, he plays
Smith, a young lawyer who gets involved
with actress Busy Philipps.
In the drama Brothers and Sisters,
he plays a law student who catches
the eye of a professor portrayed
by Calista Flockhart. Previously,
he played the husband of Mandy
Moore in Grey’s Anatomy. This
rising star is Ryan Devlin, ’03. “It
pays the bills doing what I love,”
says Devlin. “I’ve always loved
acting and did theater productions
since I was 10 years old.” At
MSU Ryan majored in hospitality
business because, as he puts it, “a
degree from MSU in hospitality
business—the top HB school in
the nation—is a great safety net.”
Born in Lansing, who grew up in
Grand Rapids, and says his college
choice was easy. “I was born with
green and white blood,” he notes.
“I chose MSU because the great
mix of academics, beautiful campus
and great parties!” At MSU,
he was very active with MSU
Telecasters, where he did grunt
work like running the camera
and hanging the lights to learn
about the business. “It was also
just a ton of fun to pull together
student TV shows with little time
and resources,” Ryan says, adding
“Fortunately not too many people
were watching.” Ryan also worked
as an R.A. in Akers Hall. He was
a member of the Izzone and had
a prime seat when MSU won the
2000 NCAA championship in
Indianapolis. “What shaped me
the most at MSU was the Spartan
Spirit,” he says. “In my freshman
year I was in the Brody complex
and made some incredible friends
who I still stay in touch with.
You make your own community.
We moved to a house on Beal
Street—it was like Animal House
with triple secret probation.” Ryan
promptly adds that his house also
emphasized academics.
GRACE LIEBLEIN:
HEAD OF GM MEXICO
In 2009, when the company
faced a financial crisis, General
Motors tapped the first
Hispanic woman ever to lead
GM de Mexico. The selection of
Grace Lieblein, MBA ’87, to be
president and managing director
turned out to be fortuitous.
Lieblein combines managing
skills with engineering experi-
ence—she was the chief vehicle
engineer for GM’s midsize
crossovers, such as the Buick
Enclave, which was endorsed
by Tiger Woods. She has since
turned the company around and
put it on solid footing. “GM
has re-structured globally and
reduced the number of brands,”
explains Grace. “In Mexico, we
came out much stronger. The
crisis forced us to focus—and
that’s what we did. Our cost
structure is down, our portfolio
is where we want it, and we
have the best team anywhere
in the world. I am very
optimistic.” A native of Los
Angeles, Grace graduated from
Kettering University, Flint, and
was working as an engineer in
Lansing’s Oldsmobile company
when she decided to pursue
her MBA at MSU. “Both my
husband Tom and I majored in
materials and logistics management,”
she recalls. “It was great.
Last December, Grace
Lieblein launched the Buick
brand in Mexico. She is seen
here by the headquarters of
GM de Mexico. The vehicle is
a 2010 Buick LaCrosse.
We studied things like purchasing
and distribution, that we
directly were able to apply at
work. It was very helpful.” Before
taking charge of a company
that employs 11,000 people
and sells some 160,000 cars a
year, Grace showed great skill
launching the midsize luxury
crossover line—the Buick
Enclave, GMC Acadia and
Chevy Traverse. “We launched
in 2007,” she says. “They have
sold very well, both in the U.S.
and in Mexico. Even today,
whenever I see one of those cars,
I get a ting and think—that’s my
car.” After two years, Grace has
stabilized the company’s market
share. GM de Mexico now
ranks second in new car sales.
And in 2010 she introduced the
Buick brand into Mexico. “We
introduced just two cars—the
Enclave and the LaCrosse,” she
says. “We are very new, but we
are doing very, very well.”
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