Barbara Trujillo’s Automotive Leadership Journey

Barbara Trujillo was flipping through the newspaper when an ad caught her attention.

Customer service center representative. Detroit-based auto company. New Jersey office.

Detroit but New Jersey? That was interesting. It had to be one of the Big Three. Her gut told her to follow up.

She drove to the interview, and when she pulled into the parking lot, something shifted. The Ramapo Mountains rose in the distance, the scenery beautiful against the Northern New Jersey sky. In that moment, Barbara knew.

"I need to land this position."

That instinct launched a career spanning more than thirty years, one that would take her from OEM field representative to dealership director to COO. A career that wasn't planned by design, but perhaps, as Barbara sees it, by divine intervention.

"This wasn't a plan by design," she reflects. "It was maybe divine intervention. It was God's plan. I'm spiritual and I believe that there's a plan out there for all of us."

From Fashion Design to Ford Motor Company

Barbara's path to automotive was anything but linear. She studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, drawn to textiles and design through her parents, immigrant entrepreneurs who ran an embroidery business. Working alongside her family as a young girl shaped her early interests.

After college, she landed a position as an executive assistant to Richard Marcus at Neiman Marcus. It was her foot in the door of corporate America, and it taught her something invaluable: how leadership actually works. She learned how decisions get made, how influence flows through organizations, how strategy translates into operations.

Then came the newspaper ad. Jaguar Cars North America, before Land Rover joined the organization. Ford Motor Company owned it at the time. Barbara followed her intuition, interviewed, and got the job.

"It led me to where I am today," she says. "It was just following an intuition. I'm very keen with my gut, and it called to me from that moment on."

The Education That Comes From Every Role

Once inside automotive, Barbara began to see what outsiders rarely understand: the industry is vast and complex, with opportunities extending far beyond the showroom floor.

She moved through positions that broadened her perspective, after sales market manager, field representative, warranty auditor, call center leader. Each role revealed another dimension of how automotive actually works.

"Having those field roles really opened my eyes to dealership world, to retailer groups," she explains. "The value of those critical relationships with your customers, how you build retention, how you build owner loyalty. Fixed operations being the profit engine that it is, this all started back then."

But careers don't always move in straight lines. Barbara became a mother, had her second child, and found herself facing the demands of climbing the corporate ladder while raising a family. She made one of the most difficult decisions of her life: she stepped away from the industry.

"It was one of the most difficult decisions I had to do, but it was the best thing for my kids."

The Bridge, Not the Setback

Ten years later, Barbara was ready to return. But circumstances had changed. A difficult divorce. A need to rebuild. She couldn't commute to North Jersey anymore.

So she did what many would consider unthinkable: she took a $15 an hour receptionist job at Jaguar Monmouth.

"I contacted one of my mentors at JLR," she recalls. "I said, who do we know at Jaguar Monmouth? He gave me the contact person, and that's where I got that $15 an hour job to get my foot back into the door."

Where others might have seen a step backward, Barbara saw a bridge. She reframed the receptionist role entirely, not a demotion, but a director of first impressions. A position that touched every part of the business: sales, service, parts, customer interactions. She could see the whole operation from that desk.

"I'm somewhat of an introvert by design, which I think is my superpower," Barbara explains. "I'm able to sit back and assess, look at everything."

In an industry that often rewards loud personalities, Barbara's quieter approach became a strategic advantage. She observed. She absorbed. She learned how dealerships build generational loyalty; grandparents, children, grandchildren returning because of relationships built over decades.

Three months later, leadership moved her into another role. The progression accelerated: customer service manager, then director of service and customer service operations at Warren Henry Auto Group, and eventually COO.

"It was a bridge to another position that led me to where I am today, little by little."

The Juggle Is Real

Barbara is direct about something many women feel pressure to hide: balance is a myth.

"Being supermom or superwoman doesn't exist," she says. "The juggle is real. Whether you're a mom, a caretaker with an elderly parent, let's not try to hide it."

Her advice isn't about doing it all. It's about boundaries and transparency.

"Be very transparent from the get-go. Set your boundaries. Explain what you can contribute to the role. If your children are your priority, talk to your manager, perhaps there's another time you can do the job at hand. But never let your voice stop shining. We have so much to contribute."

Never Stop Being a Student

Barbara has encountered leaders who resist evolution, including one who refused to believe in data.

"I was like, you know, the data is going to make your life so much easier. You need to embrace that world because it's going to help you, support you."

Her conviction is clear: tenure doesn't exempt anyone from continued learning.

"Just because I've been doing this for thirty-plus years doesn't mean I have all the answers," she says. "I believe you wake up in a day-one mindset. No matter how many years you're in an industry, it's so important to continue to feed your brain and want to learn more and grow more."

Leaders who can't evolve? Barbara doesn't mince words. "If you're going to be one of those 'this is how we've always done it' people, then there's another role for you. There's someplace else you can tap in."

Your Tribe Wins With You

Barbara draws an unexpected parallel when she talks about mentorship: award shows.

"When you look at the Oscars, the Grammys, the person who won goes up and thanks everybody. They walk through the red carpet talking about their tribe who put them together. We're not meant to go through this world by ourselves."

Throughout her career, she's had remarkable mentors, both women and men. Terry Nelson at Jaguar North America. Gary Temple, Jerry McGeorge, Mike Dale. Each invested in her growth.

One story captures everything Barbara believes about leadership. When she started at Jaguar in 1995, Mike Dale was president. The contact center where Barbara worked handled customer complaints, entry level and demanding. Every morning, Mike Dale walked through the contact center. Not to check metrics. To say good morning.

"He took time to stop and talk to each one of us. Not only about work, how is your family? Who's this picture on your cubicle?" Barbara recalls. "Taking time as a leader to know who is on your team sets the tone forever. We all want to be seen."

Find Your Water

For women wondering whether they belong in automotive, or whether they can rebuild after a pause, Barbara offers a reframe she returns to often.

"I read a quote: if you told a fish to climb up a tree, it'll think for the rest of its life that it's stupid. But it's not supposed to climb trees, it's supposed to be swimming in the ocean."

The point isn't to force yourself into environments where you can't thrive. It's to find where your gifts actually flourish.

"We all have our geniuses. We all have our gifts. We need to sit with ourselves and tap into what those gifts are, and fuel them."

The industry itself is enormous. It's not only selling cars and servicing cars. Barbara wants women to see the full landscape: OEMs, mergers and acquisitions, parts, logistics, contact centers, platforms. At its core, automotive is built on relationships, and relationships are where many women naturally excel.

"There's so much here," she emphasizes. "It's one of the most powerful industries in our country, if not the world."

Just Keep Going

For women in rebuilding seasons, Barbara's message is unwavering.

"She matters. No matter what, no matter where this chapter is. If it's a small chapter, if it's a large chapter, who's to say that a chapter with twenty pages is more valuable than one that has three? The time you spent isn't equal to your value."

And when the path feels impossible?

"If you're going through a tough, hard season, this too shall pass. Just keep on going. If you can't run, then walk. But you have to keep going."

Barbara Trujillo followed a gut feeling to a parking lot in Northern New Jersey thirty years ago. She's been trusting that instinct ever since, through OEMs and dealerships, through stepping away for her children and returning as a receptionist, through climbing back to the C-suite one bridge at a time.

Her intuition hasn't steered her wrong yet.

A New Chapter: Trujillo Advisory Group

Today, Barbara is stepping into her next chapter as the founder of Trujillo Advisory Group (TAG), an advisory consulting firm focused on customer experience, service operations, and contact center strategy.

It’s a natural extension of the career she’s built over the past three decades, one rooted in relationships, operational excellence, and a deep understanding of what drives customer loyalty.

As Barbara continues to evolve, her work now centers on helping organizations strengthen the very systems and experiences that define how customers feel, engage, and stay.

Ready to connect with women who are building, leading, and discovering their paths in automotive? Join the Women In Automotive community—because your journey matters, wherever it takes you.