Cathy Clegg, a General Motors veteran of 31 years, will move up to vice president of North America manufacturing starting July 1, the company has announced.

2014 has been a rocky year for the automaker so far after a 2.6 million-vehicle recall was linked to at least 13 deaths and followed by a long string of unrelated recalls. In light of the infamous ignition switch problems, CEO Mary Barra has been shaking up management and has fired at least 15 executives.

Clegg, who takes over as GM looks to better vehicle production under a new regime that focuses on safety, is replacing Gerald Johnson, who spent less than a year in the position and will now be serving as vice president of operations excellence, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Clegg is currently vice president of global manufacturing engineering and led union negotiations as GM's head of labor relations in 2011. In her new role, she will oversee 55 locations with more than 74,000 employees for vehicle production in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

"Cathy's proven track record in key labor and manufacturing roles and her passion for innovation will be an asset to GM and her team," said Jim DeLuca, executive vice president of GM Global Manufacturing, as quoted by the Free Press. "Her demonstrated commitment to employees and our customers will help ensure our continued focus on safety and quality."

Kurt Wiese, who is currently GM's executive director in global product development, will fill in as vice president of manufacturing after the shift.

GM also recently added 35 more product investigators and restructured its engineering division into two organizations.

With the additional 35 product investigators, GM says the new team will total 55,The Associated Press reported. Under the restructuring, the product integrity part will oversee vehicle and engine engineering along with safety, and the vehicle components organization will overview parts engineering and development.

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