Name: Norma Hubele
Age: 64
Title: Engineering Professor Emeritus Arizona State University, Founder & CEO of www.theautoprofessor.com
Married/Single: married for 35 years to Norman Hubele
Kids: daughter, Michelle; son-in-law, Ed; and grandchildren Theo, 3 years old and Clara, 1 year old.
City you live in: Ahwatukee
A typical day in my life includes…
coffee & breakfast, a short hike, news, thirty minutes of beating my hubby at backgammon, study-write-eat-repeat, create a delicious meal with family or friends, beat hubby at backgammon.
I was born…
to second generation Lebanese parents in Lawrence, MA.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
wide open spaces, especially the treasure, South Mountain.
I’m listening to…
whatever anyone else suggests, I’m usually thinking about something else.
My family…
talks a lot.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
Ralph Nader who pioneered auto safety and was the target of intimidation by General Motors for his efforts.
One thing I cannot live without…
my family, of course, but I would obsess over them if I did not have math-related problems to solve.
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
a hairdresser. Probably because my mother kept my hair very short.
I’m inspired by…
my hubby who never gives up, especially in backgammon, and my daughter who brings true acceptance and love to every encounter and her community.
The one person who motivates me is…
my parents who had to blend two worlds – one from their Lebanese culture and one from their modern lives in USA. I learned this deep lesson when I helped my mother write her memoir in 2008.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…
having teleportation.
The perfect day would be…
surrounded by family and friends eating good food and playing games.
My first job was…
a failure. I was babysitting and got into a spitting match with the toddler. He started it.
My favorite escape…
cooking.
My life…
is complete when there is balance with family, intellectual contributions and fun.
I’m currently working on…
spreading the word about my new website www.theautoprofessor.com. The site educates consumers on vehicle safety and provide the ONLY vehicle safety rating system, Auto Grades, that is based on real-life crash data, not dummies in a lab. Our fun Auto Grade search allows people to look up vehicle safety grades by not only make, model, and year, but by their age and gender! It’s really exciting, groundbreaking stuff.
Always…
never.
Never…
almost always.
Favorite Quote…
On a personal level: “This ain’t no bus stop” – my Dad’s response when my husband broached the subject of marrying me.
On a professional level: “Also, as such a system is likely to steer customers to purchase heavier vehicles, it is counterintuitive to attempts to improve overall fleet fuel economy” – Robert Lange of General Motors in 2006, opposing changes to the star safety rating that would actually reflect how unsafe smaller vehicles are.
Biggest Dream…
creating a world where everyone walks away from a crash.
My Pet Peeve(s)…
decisions made by people with no skin in the game, i.e., no consequences to them personally.
