Rick Schostek ’80 (IA)
“I’m honored to serve on the Advisory Council for Ohio’s statewide agency, which is working to promote employment and independence for people with disabilities.”
Kettering Alum and Former Honda Executive Named to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Council
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed Rick Schostek ’80 (Industrial Administration) to a two-year term on the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Council. Schostek has a son with autism, an experience that has informed his role as an advocate for all people with developmental disabilities.
“I’m honored to serve on the Advisory Council for Ohio’s statewide agency, which is working to promote employment and independence for people with disabilities,” Schostek says. “My son Greg is 36 years old and on the autism spectrum. He’s held his current job for four years, a record for him. I hope to use my life and business experience to help people with disabilities find and keep employment.”
In 2022, Schostek retired as Executive Vice President of Corporate Services from American Honda Motor Company, where he had worked since 1987. Schostek began his career in Honda’s legal division. He went on to serve in key leadership positions within several of Honda's North American operations, including senior executive assignments at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (now Alabama Auto Plant), Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (now Indiana Auto Plant), and Honda North America.
“I’m grateful to have worked for a company like Honda that always puts people first — our customers, our associates, and the people living in the communities where we do business,” Schostek says. “I have always been immensely proud to say I worked for Honda and to have the opportunity to contribute to the success of a company that's truly committed to being a company that society wants to exist.”
While employed at Honda, Schostek served as President of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Autism Society of America and on the boards of the Autism Society of Ohio and the Autism Society of Alabama. Schostek was also a member of the Ohio Governor’s Autism Task Force and the Franklin County (Ohio) Board of Developmental Disabilities. In 2011, he wrote the book, “What Happens Next? Raising a Son With Autism,” about his family’s experience navigating the special education and adult services systems.