Chrysler LLC and The Chrysler Foundation recognized academic excellence at the 20th annual National Association of Black Automotive Suppliers (NABAS) Scholarship Awards Dinner held at the Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit earlier this month.

The Chrysler Foundation awarded a $25,000 scholarship to Makenzie Moss of Detroit. Chrysler LLC has been an active supporter of NABAS and its annual Scholarship Awards Dinner since its founding.

"Chrysler LLC and The Chrysler Foundation are proud to recognize and support academic achievement at the annual NABAS Scholarship Awards Dinner," says Frank Fountain, President -- The Chrysler Foundation. "These scholarship awards affirm that hard work and goal-setting make big dreams possible. We are honored to be a part of shaping the future of tomorrow's business leaders."

This year's Chrysler LLC scholarship recipient was Makenzie Moss, a graduate of Cass Technical High School in Detroit. Moss has a 3.9 grade point average and plans to attend North Carolina A & T University to study Manufacturing Engineering.

She was also selected as a student in the Detroit Manufacturing Partnership Program and has received the Spirit of Detroit Award. In addition, Moss volunteers at Cass Technical High School tutoring students in Algebra.

The keynote address for the event was delivered by Chrysler Foundation President, Frank Fountain, where he acknowledged the accomplishments of the scholarship award winners and outlined the challenges of being a minority supplier in an increasingly global automotive industry.

Fountain expressed the importance of supporting the next generation of business leaders with scholarships and opportunities like those provided by the NABAS organization. "It is crucial that we recognize and develop a new generation of young leaders who will guide our organizations into continued success," Fountain says.