WiM, WiMEF Announce Board of Directors

Women in Manufacturing (WiM) and Women in Manufacturing Education Foundation (WiMEF) each announced their 2024 Board of Directors members yesterday. WiM is adding 20 members to its board, while WiMEF is adding 21, all of whom will begin their terms on April 1.

The WiM board will be led by:

• Chair Jana Gessner, global vice president, Environment, Health and Safety, PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y.
• Vice Chair Danielle Schneider, applications engineer, Pridgeon & Clay, Grand Rapids, Mi.
• Treasurer Joanna Cooper, general manager, Daimler Truck North America, Mount Holly, N.C.
• Secretary Jane Thomas, president, Teijin Holdings USA Inc., Teijin Ltd., Sausalito, Calif.
• Past Chair Lisa Skidmore, senior director of Advanced Quality Engineering, GE Appliances, a Haier company, Louisville, Ky.

First-term members of the 2024 WiM board are:

• Myoshi Aubain, vice president operations and supply chain, industrial solutions, DuPont de Nemours Inc., Wilmington, Del.
• Heather Bishop, global director manufacturing and operations John Deere power systems, Deere & Co., Cedar Falls, Iowa
• Ester Codina, president North America, Alfa Laval Inc., Richmond, Va.
• Cara Herzog, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Southwire Co., Atlanta,
• Molly Jacobs, business process improvement specialist II, Greenheck Fan Corp., Schofield, Wis.
• Kim Ziomek, director of business development, Schwartz Machine Co., Warren, Mi.

“On behalf of the entire WiM organization, I am thrilled to welcome the newest members of the WiM Board of Directors,” said WiM President and Founder Allison Grealis. “Their extensive experience and passion for manufacturing will be a great asset to our association as we work to further our mission to support, promote and inspire women in this industry.”

WiM board members continuing their service include:

• Sheree Gaus, vice president HSE North America, Sodexo, Boston
• Peggy Gulick, VP advanced manufacturing and continuous improvement, Kohler Co., Kohler, Wis.
• Virginia Harn, principal, CliftonLarsonAllen, Minneapolis
• Tiffanie Lewis, VP HR technology and service solutions, Diebold Nixdorf Inc., Hudson, Ohio
• Cara Madzy, sr. director EHS and security, Geismar sites, BASF Corp., Geismar, La.
• Yirla Morehead, senior director, world class supply chain Americas, Molson Coors Beverage Co., Milwaukee
• Angela Sams, OES supply chain director and global distribution and operations manager, Parker Hannifin Corp., Lexington, Ky.
• Paul Wellener, principal, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., Cleveland
• Jeff White, partner and chair of manufacturing law practice, Robinson & Cole LLP, Hartford, Conn.

Outgoing members of the WiM board include: Tami Hedgren, Rhonda McKnight, Rachael Sampson, Carrie Uhl, Amy Volz and Devon Winter.

The WiMEF board will be led by:

• Chair Mary Ellen Grom, executive director, customer experience solutions, America Fujikura Ltd., Duncan, S.C.
• Vice Chair Steve Speich, operations lead, Deere & Co., Fargo, N.D.
• Secretary Laura Wilde, vice president quality, Ultra Maritime, Braintree, Mass.
• Treasurer Veronica Braker, vice president of operational excellence, Southwire Co., Decatur, Illinois

First-term members of the 2024 WiMEF board are:

• Tara Ashcraft, diversity and inclusion leader, Trane Technologies, Davidson, N.C.
• Maja Durant, PhD, senior HR director, Greif Inc., Delaware, Ohio
• Kaytie Elder, IAM/Boeing joint apprenticeship program senior manager, Boeing, Auburn, Wash.
• Susan Emmerich, PhD, manufacturing talent programs (DEI) manager, BASF Corp., Florham Park, N.J.
• Stacey Heidbrink, senior responsible care director, Dow Chemical Co., Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada
• Lynn Kier, senior director strategic communications, Shaw Industries Group Inc., Charlotte, N.C.
• Kate Leiby, general manager power generation, Donaldson Company Inc., Bloomington, Minn.
• Danielle Schneider, applications engineer, Pridgeon & Clay, Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Paula Timco, associate director, Sherwin Williams Co., Cleveland

“I am pleased to welcome this distinguished group of industry leaders to the Board of Directors,” said WiMEF Executive Director Gretchen Moore. “We rely on our board to provide leadership and expertise during an exciting season of growth and innovation within both WiMEF and the manufacturing sector.”

The 21-member supports the organization’s work to advance women in the manufacturing workforce. WiMEF is the 501(c)3 partner organization to the Women in Manufacturing Association (WiM).

“WiMEF is the driving force behind leadership development for women at all stages of their manufacturing careers,” said Grealis. “This board brings diversity of experience and expertise to the work of the WiM Education Foundation, and I am grateful for their commitment to advancing women leaders throughout the manufacturing industry.”

WiMEF board members continuing their service include:

• Kori Carlson, president, Brooklyn Tool, Minneapolis
• Melissa DeTamble, chief human resources officer, Ascential Technologies, Ada, Mich.
• Mani Khanuja, senior artificial intelligence and machine learning specialist solutions architect, Amazon Web Services, Seal Beach, Calif.
• Shameka Lewis, director environment health safety, Kellanova, Fort Worth, Texas
• Vanessa Li, program manager advanced technologies, Novelis, Kennesaw, Ga.
• Joanna Perz, global sustainability manager, Ingersoll Rand, Davidson, N.C.
• Melissa Rocha, vice president of global sourcing, Kymera International, Charlotte, N.C.
• Catherine Ross, director of community engagement, the Association for Manufacturing Technology, McLean, Va.

Outgoing members of the WiMEF board include: Michel Conklin, Sascha Harrel, Cara Herzog, Danielle Lancianese, Leslie LeMair, Jennifer Martin, JoAnn Mitchell, Shauna Smith and Carrie Uhl.