Meet the People Behind Our Success
But getting there wasn’t easy. In fact, it was a fight. As he got older, it became harder and harder to realize the goal, as there was no defined path of how to get there, especially as an African-American who wanted to one day work in another country. After attending MIT and majoring in Physics, he moved to Germany and tried to secure a job in the Automotive industry. He didn’t know the language or the people, but he had a dream. After receiving rejection after rejection, and eventually working as an English teacher to support himself, he soon realized that if he wanted to live out his dream of one day working for a German Automotive company and eventually a Motorsports team, he’d need to leave everything behind and return to a top automotive engineering school. So with little money but big dreams, he returned to the US and enrolled at Clemson University, a well-respected engineering school known for its ICAR program (International Center for Automotive Research). In order to support himself during those years, he worked multiple jobs, all while trying to find time for the complex engineering course work and at the same time improve his German language skills. In the beginning, he didn’t have the money for a car so he’d walk miles in the summer heat just to get groceries. There were many days when he wanted to quit. There were many days where he wondered if all the hard work was worth it. His dream and vision seemed so far away, but he learned to persevere and kept going even when it hurt.
Today, David not only speaks fluent German, but has many years of engineering experience under his belt at a well-known global automotive company, where he worked in projects including base engine calibration and ECU development for major OEM’s around the world. Not only has he achieved his dream of working in the German Automotive industry, but he was also able to feed his love and passion for motorsports, where he was a Trackside Race Engineer for a racing team at the famed Nürburgring. He has worked as an engineer for multiple 24HR Nürburgring races, attended 24HR LeMans, 24HR Spa, Formula 1 Spa and many other motorsports events around Europe and the world. He could regularly be found at the Nürburgring and Spa in his track day car, where he has participated in many driver trainings and courses over the years. Until May 2017, he lived and worked in Stuttgart, with his house a short 10 minute drive to the main Porsche factory and museum, all coming full circle from that young boy of nine years old who was inspired to have a dream.
David currently resides in the greater Los Angeles area and he is now on a mission to give back and inspire others to have their own dream. With Middleton Innovative Education and the MIE-Racing program, he plans to encourage diversity and promote passion for STEM careers, while inspiring the next generation to expand their horizons and realize their true potential.
After working several years as a Corporate Accountant for Georgia-Pacific and then an Accounting Manager for the Medical College of Georgia, she decided to pursue her dream of one day traveling the world and living in Europe. So at the age of 27, she landed a job as an Accounting Supervisor with the Department of Defense working for the European division of Stars & Stripes. Her hard work and tenacity led her to quickly rise in the organization and she was eventually promoted to Director of Finance, responsible for the overall financial management throughout Europe and the Middle East. This position was then used as the springboard to her next challenge, where for the past 12 years she has worked for a multi-billion automotive supplier, holding numerous high-level positions both in the US and at the German Headquarters. Most recently she has served as an in-house consultant and IT project manager for the company, where she specialized in the rollout and implementation of IT projects around the world. She has led multi-million dollar projects in Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Mexico, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan – realizing her childhood dream of traveling around the world.
Jill met MIE Founder David L. Middleton in 2006 while living in Germany and they were married years later in a private ceremony. The couple currently reside in the greater Los Angeles area with their two young daughters. In her role as Chief Operations Officer for MIE, she leverages her vast experience in both international business and automotive to guide the strategic vision into a scaleable and sustainable solution for maximum impact. She is also responsible for the company’s financial reporting and oversees all technical development. Her mission is to fulfill her childhood dream of making the world a better place, and she believes that with Middleton Innovative Education and the MIE-Racing Programs, she can help inspire the next generation to unleash their potential and enable a sustainable future for all.
