Meet the Staff

Michael Davenport

Executive Director, A/SP

Michael Davenport is executive director of the Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP). In this role Davenport will facilitate technical research projects to ensure steel remains in the forefront and the best solution for efficient weight reduction, fuel economy, vehicle range, environmental stewardship and added value to the OEM.

He has extensive experience in Body-In-White (BIW), closures, sealing, exterior and vehicle assembly. Most recently, Davenport worked as director of application engineering at U.S. Steel where he was responsible for developing, directing and leading the product applications department teams that are the single point of contact with OEM and Tier 1 engineering organizations. Prior to his role at U.S. Steel, Davenport moved through the ranks at FCA (formerly Chrysler Corporation) with positions in product development, management and technical leadership. In his last role, he was the BIW Manager with design responsibility for the upperbody department.

Davenport holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technology University and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Oakland University.

John Catterall

Board Secretary, A/SP

John Catterall is the Board Secretary for Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP) and leads A/SP’s Training and Design teams. Catterall’s career has spanned more than four decades in automotive engineering, most recently as vice president of American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Automotive program. Prior to that, he served as executive director of the Auto/Steel Partnership.

Catterall’s last position at General Motors was global innovation manager for body systems, and for more than 16 years he was the global technical lead for chassis and body systems. Prior to GM, his career experience included execution of global collaboration projects, as well as management, co-ordination and technical leadership with companies, such as Autokinetics Inc., Desktop Engineering International Inc, Hartwick Professionals Inc., Lexel Engineering, HW Structures, Austin Rover and Leyland Vehicles (the latter three are in the UK). He holds degrees in mechanical and production automotive engineering from Bolton Technical College and Leyland Technical College in England.

Kathleen Hickey

Communications, A/SP

Kathleen (Kate) Hickey manages the Technology Transfer Team for the Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP) which entails the dissemination of project results to members as well as public communications..

Kate has been involved with the work of steel industry consortiums, such as WorldAutoSteel and the UltraLight Family of Research, for many years.  In those roles, she has had the responsibility of crafting the many technical reports and communications that have been used by engineering professional around the world to understand the research results of these programs.

Kate is a graduate of Wayne State University’s School of Public Relations and Communications.

Eric McCarty

Senior Project Manager, A/SP

Eric McCarty is a senior project manager for the Auto/Steel Partnership. He is directly responsible for the Stamping Team, Constitutive and Fracture Modeling Team and three of five Joining teams’ projects.  He provides technical support for other A/SP teams as requested.

McCarty worked for Chrysler in Materials Engineering group for 14 years and was the Manager of the Castings, Forgings and Heat Treat group before leaving in 2008 to form his own company doing project management for automotive and defense research programs.  In 2017, Eric joined A/SP full time.

McCarty holds a B.S. and M.S in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, an MBA with Oakland University, and is a PMI certified project manager.  He is a member of ASM International, American Foundry Society and PMI Great Lakes Chapter.

Jonathan Smith

Project Manager, A/SP

Jonathan Smith joined the Auto/Steel Partnership as a Project Manager in 2017. He currently manages the Steel Sample Bank and the Steel Testing Harmonization Team (STHT).

Prior to joining A/SP, Jonathan worked for Chrysler/FCA for 35 years in Supply Chain Management, most recently as the Senior Manager of Production Planning. In addition to his current work at A/SP, Jonathan is the City Manager for the City of the Village of Clarkston.

Jonathan holds a BS degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a MS Degree in Business Administration from Central Michigan University.

Mike White

Project Manager, A/SP

Michael White is a project manager for the Auto/Steel Partnership. Michael manages the A/SP Corrosion, Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), Fatigue Characterization & Modeling of GMAW, and the Repairability Team.

Prior to his tenure at A/SP, Michael work for Ford Motor Company for 18 years. While at Ford Motor Company, Michael worked as a Product Engineer managing the design of exhaust manifolds, cylinder heads, intake manifolds, cam covers and positive crankcase ventilation systems. After leaving Ford Motor Company, Michael worked as an engineering consultant for 9 years before joining the Auto/Steel Partnership.

Michael’s education includes a MS in Mechanical Engineering-Thermal Fluid Systems from Wayne State University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee State University.