GM says it will name Mary Barra as its first ever female CEO.

Barra is currently the company's global head of product development. She first jointed GM at age 18, according to Forbes.

She will succeed Dan Akerson, who was appointed by the Obama administration in 2009 to help shepherd the automaker through its bankruptcy. Yesterday, Treasury announced it had sold its last stake in the company for a $10.5 billion loss.

She will also be the first female CEO among all major automakers (a woman currently runs Smart). Akerson seemed to foreshadow the move in September when he said, “Someday, there will be a Detroit Three that’s run by a car gal. I actually believe that.”

Barra earned her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University — formerly the General Motors Institute — in Flint, Mich. She also holds an MBA from Stanford. She's 51.

Barra grew up in Waterford, a suburb of Detroit. Her father worked for 39 years as a GM die maker.

She appears to be on Twitter, though has not Tweeted since April.

FULL STATEMENT:

Dan Akerson to Retire as GM CEO in January 2014