Visteon Engineering Director To Receive Women's Automotive Association International Professional Achievement Award

WAAI will present the award on September 16, 2004, at the Eighth Annual WAAI Professional Achievement Award Dinner at the Detroit Athletic Club. Founded in 1995, WAAI is dedicated to the development and recognition of women leaders and the education and support of all persons, without prejudice, who have an interest in the automotive industry.

Ryntz has been with Visteon since 2000. A globally recognized expert in automotive plastic coatings, she leads Visteon's Advanced Materials Engineering group in delivering innovative materials solutions for an array of Visteon products. Ryntz and the Advanced Materials Engineering Group have been involved with such first-to-market innovations as Visteon's Long Life Filtration System, winner of a 2004 PACE Award, and a negative thermoformed full instrument panel.

"It's a great honor for me, and for Visteon, to receive this award," said Ryntz. "Recognition of one's work is always gratifying, and I hope that this achievement award, as well as the other efforts of WAAI, inspire others to reach for their own definition of professional achievement and success."

Ryntz has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Wayne State University, a doctorate in polymer/organic chemistry from the University of Detroit, and a master's in business administration from Michigan State University. She joined Ford Motor Company's Mt. Clemens Paint Plant in 1985 and moved to DuPont Automotive Coatings when that company purchased the Ford paint facility. In 1989, Ryntz joined Akzo Coatings, Inc. and served as technical director for plastics and industrial finishes. She rejoined Ford in 1992 as a senior technical specialist in the Plastics & Trim Products Division.

She is one of the leaders of Women in Visteon, an employee resource group that provides opportunities for career development and learning to balance work and family life.

An adjunct professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Detroit Mercy, Ryntz has also taught at the University of Wisconsin, and Kent State University. She was the Technical Chair for the Detroit Society for Coatings Technology from 1988-1994 and served as Chair of the Younger Chemists Steering Committee for the American Chemical Society from 1988-1990. Ryntz has held numerous positions with the Federation of Societies of Coatings Technology (FSCT) including her current post as secretary-treasurer.

A prolific lecturer and author, Ryntz has published more than 75 articles, edited or co-authored three books, and been awarded 28 patents. Her honors and awards include a Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings from the American Chemical Society, a George Baugh Heckel Award from the FSCT for outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the field, and the Engineering Society of Detroit's Gold Award for Outstanding Contributions to Advancing the Knowledge of Science and Engineering.