Emeline King

The Queen Among Kings

CORE COMPETENCIES SOFTWARE

Detailed-Oriented. Customer Focus. Problem Solving. Adobe Illustrator. In-Design Dreamweaver
Time Management. Brand Marketing. Event Coordination Microsoft Word Photoshop Social Media

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Complete projects in a timely and cost efficient manner
• Quick learner with motivation to gain new skills
• Excellent human relations and people skills
• Interact well with co-workers, clients, diverse cultures
• Demonstrated excellence in presentation skills, establishing collaborative relationships cross functionally

EDUCATION

BFA, Industrial Design, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 1/82
BS, Transportation Design, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA 8/83
Certificate, Graphic Design, Specs Howard School of Media Arts, Southfield MI 6/01

DESIGN WORK HISTORY

Transportation Designer
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn MI 10/83 – 7/08
• Designed automobile exteriors & interiors from concept to full production
• Managerial responsibility to lead and develop design programs
• Demonstrated 2D /3D interior/exterior concept renderings via manually or computer generated
• First Female African-American Transportation Designer employed at Ford

DESIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

• 1994 Ford Mustang, 1994 Mustang Cobra Graphics Indianapolis Pace Car, 1989 Thunderbird interior
components, Thunderbird SC, Mach III Concept, 1990 Probe, 2000 Thunderbird Motor
Trend Car’s of the Year Award
• Designed 15 inch base Wheel Cover featured on the 1989 Thunderbird
• 1st patent: Designed 15 inch base Wheel Cover featured on the 1989 thunderbird
• Designed 1990 Corporate Steering Wheel for all Ford products
• Designed Interior Front Sill Plate w/ Lincoln Nomenclature
• Manufactured for the 2013 -2016 Lincoln MKS
• Showcased and Presented Ford products at the North American International Auto Shows
• Ford representation on television media, interviewed appearances on Good Morning America, CBS
Morning Show
• Ford Media Print Representation for various magazines: Smithsonian, Road & Track, Motor Trend, Ebony
Magazine, Essence, Ebony Man, Executive Female, Michigan Chronicle, Chicago Tribune etc.
• Winner of the Ford Motor Company Spirit of Ford Design Sculpture Contest 10/1998

FOREIGN SERVICE ASSIGNMENTS

Ford of Europe, Turin Italy, London England, Koln Germany 12/84-12/89
Transportation Design
• Selected for overseas assignment to design interior and exterior cars for Ford of Europe market
• Managerial responsibility to lead and develop design programs

WORK HISTORY

SUBSTITUTE TEACHER

Edustaff Employed School Districts:Detroit Public Schools, Ferndale, Oak Park and Madison Heights, MI Current
• Supervise and monitor student’s education Elementary, Middle and High School level
• Instruct the fundamentals of math, English, history, arts, sciences and foreign language.

AUTHOR

What Do You Mean A Black Girl Can’t Design Cars? Emeline King, She Did It !
Memoir detailing the life of the First African American Female Transportation Designer for Ford Motor Company Current
TRANSPORTATION DESIGN INSTRUCTOR
Detroit Public Schools, (DPS) Detroit MI. Intermittent, 1983-2008
• Instructor, the Fundamentals of Transportation Design, mentored students at Detroit Public Schools
FREELANCE ARTIST. Graphic Art Design, Acrylic Paintings, Caricatures, Sculpture Current
CEO, DETROIT HULA FITNESS.LLC, FITNESS INSTRUCTOR
Detroit Local Area Gyms and Fitness Centers Current
• Instructed a variety of group fitness exercises arranging from Hula Fitness, Zumba, Pound, Boot camp, etc.
• Planned routines, and programed variety exercises for total body workout, depending on participants
capabilities and limitations, Evaluated individual’s abilities, needs and physical condition
• Developed suitable training programs to meet any special requirements

IDENTIFICATION TECHNICIAN

City of Detroit Police Department Detroit, MI 11/16- 11/17
• Classified fingerprints of police prisoners, applicants for licenses and other Search
files to identify and verify information on specific individuals
• File and process fingerprints by specific identification classifications
• Prepare and maintain arrest records and other identification information
• Initiates, processes background checks for police department new hires and a n y
department requiring police clearances
MEDICAL RECEPTIONIST. Alpha & Omega Primary Healthcare, Detroit, MI 1/ 2015- 1/ 2016
• Maintain computers, medical records, technical library, and correspondence files
GROUP FITNESS INSTRUCTOR.Compuware Wellness Center, Detroit, MI 8/2008- 1/ 2014

AWARDS AND HONORS

• Detroit Diamond Walk Project Presentation to Detroit Chambers of Commerce, 11/12
• Winner of Detroit’s All Stars Singing Competition hosted by Comerica Bank, 107.5 Kiss FM Radio 4/10
• Performed National Anthem: Comerica Park, National Negro League Baseball All Stars Game 8/10
• IDSA National Conference Guest Speaker 8/1994
• Commencement Speakers for Art Center College of Design 12/94, Specs Howard School of Media Arts 6/2013
• Recipient of First Annual Fast Trak Award- Dollars and Sense Magazine 7/92
• Winner of New York Stock Exchange Poster Contest “Promote Job Equality it’s American” 1/76

ACTIVITIES AND HOBBIES

• Musician: Vocals, Saxophone Alto, Tenor, Soprano, Organ
• Instructor: School of Learning Women’s Adult Class, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church,
• Choir Director: Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Davison Baptist Church, Voices of Calvary District

Emeline King; Ford’s first African American female designer

First Year Designer At Ford

NEW BREED ENTERS THE MALE WORLD OF CARS BY DESIGN

At 9, an age when other little girls were playing with dolls, Emeline King’s father took her to an auto show, where she fell in love with the 1968 Ford Mustang.

“I loved to play with toy cars when I was a child. It was like an insult to give me a doll,” said King, whose father is a fiberglass-and-clay modeler for Ford.

The young King was fascinated with the Mustang’s shapes and forms. This year, the 1994 Ford Mustang, with its striking two-tone, twin-arched dashboard-console and the doors that grow gracefully out of it like boughs from a tree, is largely the product of Emeline King’s designing eye.

King, 35, is one of a tiny but growing number of women auto designers. Like her, many are from the Detroit area and have family members in the automobile industry.

In King’s work on the new Mustang, for example, the controls are made of a synthetic material that is soft and rounded-fingernail-friendly, so to speak. There’s more leg room, smoother seats, and the controls are designed to be within easy reach for any size driver.

Interior designers have a wide array of new materials and considerations, such as safety and ergonomics. Windows are getting bigger, pillars are getting smaller, door panels are becoming more integral with fewer parts, and thanks to the air bag, and steering wheel hubs and dashboards are getting bigger.

In conceiving an interior design, the women say they are all focused on integral harmony and creating an environment customers find comfortable and uplifting.

Yet it is with exteriors that consumers most identify.

Setting A New Standard

To Repeat A Caption From Above:

Road Scholars

The notion that women don’t know about cars – and don’t care to learn – is destined for a head on collision! More of us are realizing that with the sticker prices starting at $11,000, we must be smart about buying new cars and maintaining the ones we already own. The seven sisters we feature in the 1998 Car Guide have high automotive IQ’s that have landed them top jobs in the male – dominated car industry. Read on, and let them steer you in the right direction when it comes to buying and caring for your ride.

TBT: Remembering Ford’s First African American Female Designer

Emeline King

We recently looked back on the career of Ford’s first African American designer, McKinley “Mac” Thompson, Jr. Today, we introduce you to the woman who is believed to be the company’s first African American female designer.

The daughter of a Ford plastic model specialist, Emeline King fell in love with the Ford Mustang as a child. She later studied transportation design at the Art Center College of Design in California before joining Ford Motor Company in 1983.

Some of King’s best-known work from her nearly 25-year career at Ford was seen on the interior design of 1994 Ford Mustang. She also contributed to the design of the 1990 Ford Probe and 2000 Ford Thunderbird, among other vehicles. Also, she patented a 15-inch wheel cover the 1989 Thunderbird.  

King, a Detroit resident and Wayne State University graduate, retired from Ford in 2008. She now works as a freelance artist and author.

Read More

What's Emeline Doing Now?

Hello! I'm Emeline King, and I live in Detroit, MI. I've been a ZIN™ Member since May 2008 and I absolutely love teaching Zumba classes. The reason is simple: Every class feels like a party! I am currently licensed to teach Zumba, Aqua Zumba®. Come join me, I guarantee you will have a blast! Got questions, don't hesitate to drop me a message!
Click here for More Information
Translate »