After 17 years, Mitchell Quain has retired from Titan International’s board of directors effective Dec. 31. The company announced effective Jan. 1 that Gray Cowger has joined the board.

“Mitch has been involved with Titan since the company went public in 1993 and will remain engaged in various corporate matters in the future. We look forward to Mr. Cowger joining the board. With Gary’s global manufacturing background, he can provide the pros and cons of investing in manufacturing in various countries. Titan will continue its tradition of providing an outstanding board with this new team of members,” said Titan chairman and CEO, Maurice Taylor.

According to the tiremaker, Cowger brings a unique worldwide view of manufacturing knowledge that complements Titan’s move into a global manufacturer of wheels and tires.

Cowger is the chairman and CEO of GLC Ventures, a management consultancy on business, manufacturing and technology strategy and global organizational structures and implementation. He is also immediate past chairman of the board of trustees at Kettering University (formally General Motors Institute) and he serves on the board of directors of Delphi Automotive and Tecumseh Products, as well as the Detroit Symphony and the College for Creative Studies. Cowger has also served as a board member of Saturn Corporation; OnStar; Saab; Adam Opel, AG; GM of Canada; NUMMI; and GMAC.

Cowger’s long-term career with General Motors spanned from 1965 until his retirement in December 2009. He was most recently group vice president of General Motors Global Manufacturing, Global Manufacturing Engineering and Labor Relations.

Cowger received his bachelor’s degree in engineering at General Motors Institute in Flint, Mich., earning his Master of Science degree in management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Sloan Fellow in Cambridge, Mass. in 1978.