Toyota Motor North America on Monday announced it has promoted Kevin Voelkel, who had been president of its San Antonio manufacturing facility, and named Susann Kazunas as his successor.
A press release from Toyota said the changes were “designed to drive continued growth, advance its commitment to vehicle electrification, and prepare for the future of mobility.”
Kazunas, who has been with Toyota for more than 25 years, had been vice president of manufacturing since 2019 at the plant that manufactures Tundra trucks and Sequoia SUVs. She also has held leadership positions in production engineering at Toyota Kentucky, Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Motor Corporation Commercial Vehicle Company.
She started her career with the automaker in Kentucky as a summer intern, then was hired as a tooling engineer after graduating from the University of Kentucky. As part of her training, Kazunas told the San Antonio Report last year that she spent about three months on the factory floor to learn about the tools used on the manufacturing line.
“When I started my career with Toyota, I immediately felt part of a company who is committed to the success and development of their team members, and that has certainly been my experience over the past 25 years,” Kazunas said in the press release. “I am honored to start this next chapter with our fantastic team of over 3,800 team members at Toyota Texas and with the San Antonio community which I have grown to love.”
Voelkel will become senior vice president of vehicle plants, a position in which he will oversee Toyota’s plants in Texas, Mississippi, Indiana, Mexico and Canada. He will retain responsibility for all North American Truck Manufacturing, according to a press release from the automaker, whose North American headquarters is in Plano.
“Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to be part of an amazing work family and community here in San Antonio,” said Voelkel. “It has been an honor to serve as president of Toyota Texas, and I look forward to the next step in my journey with Toyota.”
Toyota’s 2.5 million-square-foot plant on San Antonio’s South Side produced 126,189 Tundra trucks and hybrid Sequoia SUVs in 2022.
“Today’s announcement will help position the company for even greater growth over the next 20 years,” Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said in a prepared statement. “I want to congratulate Kevin Voelkel on his promotion after his incredibly successful tenure as president of Toyota Texas and express my full support for Susann Kazunas as she assumes the top spot. The company is in great hands under her leadership.”
At a ceremony last year to mark the San Antonio plant’s 20th anniversary, Voelkel discussed Toyota’s place in the local corporate landscape. The automaker has invested more than $4.2 billion in the plant during its lifetime.
“When we broke ground 20 years ago, we promised to be a best-in-town company, and I think we have lived up to that promise,” he said. “We have grown our team from 1,200 to more than 3,800 today, and have continued to invest in this facility.”
Toyota Texas’ on-site suppliers employ thousands of additional workers.
This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Kazunas’ first name.
