Manufacturing Institute Honors 130 Women with STEP Ahead Awards

The Manufacturing Institute recently announced that it will award 130 women with the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award.

The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry. In 2015, STEP Ahead launched Emerging Leaders awards to recognize women currently employed in the manufacturing industry who have already made significant contributions and excelled early in their career.

"These 130 women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing," said Jennifer McNelly, president of the Manufacturing Institute. "We chose to honor these women because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through a positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole."

The STEP Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, which was launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and leadership for attracting, advancing and retaining strong female talent.

A recent survey from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute found that 80 percent of American manufacturing companies have a moderate to severe shortage of available, qualified workers.  Contributing to this gap is the underrepresentation of women in the industry. While women make up approximately 50 percent of the labor force, that number is only about 25 percent in the manufacturing labor force.

The 130 STEP Award recipients will be recognized at a gala on March 26 in Washington, D.C. The STEP Awards program will highlight the honorees' stories, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing.

Below are the names and companies of the honorees, with the "emerging leaders" indicated with an asterisk:

• Karen M. Albertson, 3M
• Patricia Alred, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices
• Michelle Anderson, Harley-Davidson Inc.
• Mary Andringa, Vermeer Corporation
• Jamie Arnold*, Ball Corporation
• Ann Baldree, Chaparral and Robalo Boats
• Kellie Ballew, Shaw Industries Group Inc.
• Patricia Bator, The Babcock & Wilcox Company
• Gabriela Beasley, Paramount Citrus
• Divya Behl*, Driv-Lok Inc.
• Brittany Berreth*, Paramount Citrus
• Sailaja Bhaskar, Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc.
• Janet Bills, O.C. Tanner
• Jacquelyn Birdsall*, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America
• Marilyn Blaschke, Baker Hughes
• Ursula Bongiovanni, Innovative Automation Inc.
• Reina Brenn*, Bayer Business and Technology Services
• Marcia Brey, GE Appliances
• JoAnn Brumit, KARLEE
• Lareina Bunting*, Harris Corporation
• Sheila Burtz, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas
• Stephanie Cameron, APSCO
• Kristie Chapman, Pelton & Crane
• Lindsey Chapman*, Procter & Gamble
• Sheila Chickene, BASF Corporation
• Danica Chin*, Bayer MaterialScience
• Carol Craig, Craig Technologies
• Annette Crandall, Quality Assured Plastics Inc.
• Katie Davis, Ingersoll Rand
• Stacey DelVecchio, Caterpillar Inc.
• Sherry DePerno, Advanced Tool Inc.
• Terri DeRoin, Phoenix Closures Inc.
• Kathy Dibble, Prime Engineered Components
• Linda Diffley, Harsco Corporation
• Susan Dio, BP
• Jana Dorsey, O.C. Tanner
• B.J. Dowlen, Bodyworks Enterprises
• Cheri Dubuc, ExxonMobil
• Reesie Duncan, Shaw Contract Group/Shaw Industries
• Nailah Ellis-Brown*, Ellis Infinity, LLC.
• Jill Erbrick*, Electroline Corporation
• Tina Featherstone, ConMed Corporation
• Rebecca Fitzpatrick-Yancey, Bayer MaterialScience
• Jodi Fultz, General Motors
• Brenda Galindo, Lancer Corporation
• Anna Garrison*, Caterpillar Inc.
• Hagit Gavish, Palram Americas Inc.
• Cathy Geiger, ACE Clearwater
• Brittany Gianesini*, Modine Manufacturing Company
• Stephanie Gilbert, Johnson & Johnson Vison Care Inc.
• Rhonda Gilyard, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, TABC
• Millie Goodrich, Hillenbrand Inc.
• Regina Gray, Procter & Gamble
• Alexandra Grazier*, Baker Hughes
• Janice Greene, Babcock & Wilcox
• Nataly Greiner*, Procter & Gamble
• Eileen Guarino, Greno Industries Inc.
• Heidi Haft, LORD Corporation
• Sonya Hanson, A.J. Oster
• Anne Hardy, Saint-Gobain
• Deborah Hebbard, ConMed Corporation
• Sarah Heiner, ESCO Corporation
• Lori Heino-Royer, Daimler Trucks North America
• Melanie Helmer*, Hoerbiger Corporation of America Inc.
• Amber Hicks, Bayer MaterialScience
• Jessica Hinkle*, Harris Corporation
• Cindy Hoover, Spirit AeroSystems Inc.
• Rachel Hutchings, American Airlines
• Susan Jania*, Diamond Envelope Corporation
• Terry Jarrett, Alcoa
• Katherine Chadwick Johnson, Harsco Corporation
• Hannah Kain, ALOM
• Kathryn Kaltz, Caterpillar Inc.
• Susann Kazunas, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America
• Teresa Keating, The Dow Chemical Company
• Noreen King, Evolve Manufacturing Technologies Inc.
• Agnes Klucha, UTC Aerospace Systems
• Meredith Kovarik, Jabil
• Sara Kuczek, Battelle
• Amy Lakin, Baldor Electric Company, a member of the ABB Group
• Caitlin Townsend Lamb*, Cascade Engineering
• Grace Lefebure*, The Boeing Company
• Connie Lindberg, Hoerbiger Corporation of America Inc.
• Marie Livingston, AGCO Corporation
• Emily Martin, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
• Deanna Mathis*, Shaw Industries Group Inc.
• Joan Maxwell, Regulator Marine Inc.
• Julie McGinty, General Motors Spring Hill
• Juanita McIntyre, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems
• Ellen McIsaac*, Pratt & Whitney
• Veronica Messersmith, Sandvik Coromant Company
• Darlene Metz, Stella-Jones Corporation
• Amy Michtich, MillerCoors
• Audrey Mills*, Ingersoll Rand
• Kathleen Mitford, PTC Inc.
• Astrid Mozes, Eaton
• Jackie Neely, UPS
• Kathleen O'Connell, The Dow Chemical Company
• Bethann O'Malley, The J.M. Smucker Company
• Olga Ortiz, Click Bond Inc.
• Jacki Partain*, BASF Corporation
• Autumn Patocka, Behlen Mfg. Co.
• Jo-Anne Perkins, Cascade Cart Solutions, Cascade Engineering Inc.
• Mary Perkinson, Newport News Shipbuilding
• Kay Phillips, ATEK Companies
• Vicki Poponi, American Honda Motor Company Inc.
• Debbie Rahm, Clippard Instrument Laboratory Inc.
• Lisa Rathburn*, Abbott
• Christine Roy*, AMPAC Fine Chemicals
• Dodi Ryder, Baker Hughes
• Faina Sandler*, Sandvik Coromant Company
• Jennifer Sankey, Altronic
• Chelsea Sargeant*, Caterpillar Inc.
• Jennifer Scanlon, USG Corporation, USG Boral Building Products
• Tara Shamus, Sandvik Coromant Company
• Leslie Shuman, Alcoa
• Tracy Skupien, Tompkins Products Inc.
• Winn Stewart*, Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc.
• Danette Swank, Philippi-Hagenbuch Inc.
• Becky Tuchscherer, Miller Electric Manufacturing
• Juliana Van Winkle, Modine Manufacturing Company
• Katharina Vonbrunn*, ITW
• Beth Walters, Jabil
• Ann Marie Weber, Allied Machined Products Corp.
• Rebecca Williams, LORD Corporation
• Donna Willis, Brown-Forman
• Pamela Wiseman, Medtronic – Covidien Group
• Tamra Wolny, Ball Corporation
• MaryAnn Wright, Johnson Controls
• Mae Zyjewski, Whirlpool Corporation

For more information, visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.