Tom O'Brien, platform director for Adient, named Father of the Year by the American Diabetes Association

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Jun 15, 2017, 08:00 ET

DETROIT, June 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tom O'Brien, platform director for global seat supplier Adient, has been selected by the Detroit Father's Day Council. He will be honored this evening at the American Diabetes Association Awards (ADA) as Father of the Year.

"It has been my privilege to be a sponsor of the American Diabetes Association, and to bring understanding and support to families with children diagnosed at a very young age," said O'Brien. "We have been able to share our experiences with special families, and demonstrate that the daily challenges can be overcome and that a normal lifestyle is not a hope, but a reality."

O'Brien is being recognized for making his family a priority, while balancing a career and being a leader within the community. He has spent the last 34 years with Adient, formerly known as Johnson Controls. During the first 17 years, he worked in operations and he has spent the last 17 years in the Ford and FCA business units located in Adient's Plymouth technical center.

O'Brien, has been personally affected by diabetes as his son, Joseph, was diagnosed with Type 1 at the age of 7 in 1998. Shortly after Joseph's diagnosis, O'Brien started coaching his hockey team because sitting in the stands would be too far away in the case of an emergency.

Since then, O'Brien has stayed active in the community. He is committed to ADA and their fundraising efforts, as well as families with young children affected by the disease.

O'Brien has been married to his wife Paula for 36 years. They have four sons Michael (34), Matthew (31), Joseph (25) and Nicholas (22). He and his wife have made Ann Arbor their home and look forward to being "empty nesters."

O'Brien, as well as two other fathers from Metro Detroit, will be honored at the Detroit Athletic Club. For information about the 2017 Father of the Year awards or how to donate to ADA, follow this link to the American Diabetes Association: 2017 Father of the Year website.

About Adient:
Adient is a global leader in automotive seating. With 75,000 employees operating 230 manufacturing/assembly plants in 33 countries worldwide, we produce and deliver automotive seating for all vehicle classes and all major OEMs. From complete seating systems to individual components, our expertise spans every step of the automotive seat-making process. Our integrated, in-house skills allow us to take our products from research and design all the way to engineering and manufacturing – and into more than 25 million vehicles every year. For more information on Adient, please visit adient.com

SOURCE Adient