In as nationally televised interview heralding her appointment as the first woman to lead a major automotive assembly plant in the U.S. when asked if she would describe herself as an "automotive buff", Deborah S. Coleman chuckled and countered, "No, I believe I would best describe myself as a 'process buff'," a fitting description for someone who built their career on extraordinary improvements through process design and reengineering.

Ms. Coleman began her automotive career in 1977 at the General Motors St. Louis assembly plant, production site for the prestigious Corvette sports car. With a newly earned graduate degree in psychology, Ms. Coleman was recruited as a member of an experimental class of non-technical graduates assigned to learn the automotive business from the "ground up". During her ten year tenure with General Motors Ms. Coleman served in key planning and supervisory roles beginning as a Reliability Engineer and culminating with her assignment as a Production Superintendent at the Pontiac, Michigan Assembly Plant.

In 1987 Ms. Coleman joined Ford Motor Company's assembly division at the flagship luxury car facility in Wixom, Michigan. Under her leadership at Ford's Dearborn and Chicago plants, Ms. Coleman production team garnered a number of Best in Ford awards in quality and cost savings as a result of key process capability improvements introduced by her. In 1994, Ms. Coleman received world wide recognition as a result of being named the first woman to head a major U.S. automotive assembly plant, the $320 million/3700 employee Ohio Assembly Plant, site of a joint venture between Ford and Nissan Motor Company of Japan. Following her assignment in Ohio, Ms. Coleman was promoted to senior business executive as Director of International Quality, with full responsibility for the design and implementation of global manufacturing product quality and process improvement strategies in North America, Europe, Australia, Taiwan and South America. During the next three years under her leadership Ford won the 1998 quality awards for best plants along with three (3) vehicles selected as JD Power segment leaders in quality. Ms. Coleman was appointed President and CEO/COO of Auto Alliance International, a Ford/Mazda joint Venture. At Auto Alliance she succeeded in developing and executing a 5 year strategy that saved the business by producing a lean manufacturing footprint, and making dramatic improvements in operating efficiencies, quality, and safety.

Ms. Coleman became CEO and Group Managing Director of Ford Southern Africa in 2001. She led a major turnaround of that region's business by revitalizing employees, dealers, developing a new marketing and sales product strategy, growing revenue threefold, and increasing profit margins by as much as 13%. Following her assignment in Southern Africa, Ms. Coleman was appointed to the position of Vice President, Global Quality becoming one of two African American women to achieve the level of Corporate Vice President in the company's history.

Ms. Coleman has received numerous awards for her business and civic contributions including Automotive News 100 Leading Women Award, Business Woman of the Year, McCall's/Wards Auto World Outstanding Woman in the Automotive Industry, Distinguished Alumni Award-Washington University at St. Louis. She has served on a number of non profit boards and advisories such as the Fulbright US-SA Governance Board and the American Chamber of Commerce in Southern Africa. Under Ms. Coleman's leadership, Ford Motor Company of South Africa received U.S. State Department recognition for the company's HIV/AIDS corporate programs.