Hear Her Story

Our guest this month is Leslie Morales, Vice President of Operations for U.S. Rubber. Listen in as Leslie shares how she reinvented herself professionally and her advice for getting outside of your comfort zone to develop new skills and a supportive network. Also in this episode, Leslie shares how surviving breast cancer in 2021 renewed her focus on and appreciation for self-care and keeping a positive mindset. Hear her advice for other women in manufacturing and how her company leverages second-chance hiring programs to develop their workforce.

Our guest this month is Alla Woodson, General Manager, Life Care Solutions Services at GE Healthcare, a WiM Corporate member company. Coming from a family of engineers, Alla is a first-generation immigrant to the United States from the former USSR, now the Russian Federation. Join us as Alla describes her unique path to the United States and how she began a career in manufacturing with GE. Hear her advice for developing a customer-first production philosophy in any industry and how being brave impacted her career.

This month, we're joined by Shannon Karels, Co-Founder of OPSisters, a professional consulting firm, and Co-Author of the book, Steel Toes and Stilettos: A True Story of Women Manufacturing Leaders and Lean Transformation Success.

Hear how Shannon grew her career in supply chain management at several large manufacturing companies, before shifting her career and starting OPSisters.

Join us for a conversation with Rebecca Cranford, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing at Southwire Company. Rebecca shares how she maneuvered her career to create balance for herself and her family, and how she overcame self-doubt along the way. Hear her advice for defining what success means to you and how peer-to-peer mentoring impacted her career.

Listen in as we sit down with Lisa Skidmore, Senior Director, Advanced Quality Engineering at GE Appliances, a Haier company. Lisa spent more than thirteen years of her career at Ford Motor Company, before moving on to GE Appliances, a Haier company more than a decade ago. During her long career in quality-focused roles, Lisa has learned firsthand why it is important to support other women in STEM-related roles. Hear her advice for elevating one another and how to foster long-lasting relationships between mentors and mentees.

This month, we're having a conversation with Kristin St. Marie, who is the Global Training Manager at Carlisle Companies, Inc. and a proud Michigan State University alumna. In this episode, Kristin talks about her process for developing engaging learning models for adults at her company and how she helped develop Carlisle's employee resource group for women. Hear her advice for being your own advocate and how taking risks positively impacted her career.

On this episode of WiM’s Hear Her Story podcast, Allison sits down with Cara Madzy, Vice President Operations for the Coatings Americas division at BASF. Cara is also a Director on the Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Association Board of Directors. Hear how Cara followed in her father footsteps to become a Chemical Engineer, as well as her advice for balancing your weaknesses with your strengths and how to sustainably win.

On this epurose of Hear Her Story, we're chatting with Mary Ellen Grom, Executive Director of Customer Experience Solutions at AFL and the Chair of the WiM Education Foundation Board of Directors. Mary Ellen discusses being an aspiring advertiser throughout her childhood, the importance of creating connection between people and how she plans to get curious in 2022.

On this episode of Women in Manufacturing's Hear Her Story podcast, Allison Grealis sits down with Christina Pierce, Sales Operations Manager, Panasonic - IIoT Solutions Division. Hear about Christina's career, her advice for building your professional network and why she thinks it is important for women in traditionally male-dominated fields to have both female AND male mentors & advocates.

Our guest this month is Tiffany Bryson, Direct Regional Sales Manager at GROB Systems and a leader with WiM’s Ohio Chapter. Tiffany tells us about her career journey across manufacturing and shares her advice for young women still starting off in their career – give yourself grace. Hear Tiffany’s story now and get inspired!

Allison Grealis chats with Karen Norheim, long-time WiM member and former chair of the WiM Board. Karen is the president and COO of American Crane and Equipment Corporation in Douglassville, PA. Hear Karen share how she evolved the culture of her family business and how she empowers employees to explore new technologies.

This month, we are joined by Evelyn Parks, North America Health Safety and Environment Director at MONDELEZ International. Hear Evelyn’s advice for advancing from your current role and about her experiences as a working, single parent to two children.

Ashleigh Walters, the author of “Leading with Grit and Grace: A Journey in Organizational Culture Change.” Ashleigh is the President of Onex, an Erie, PA-based custom equipment manufacturing company that she and her husband took over from his parents. Hear about how Ashleigh's unique journey in manufacturing inspired her book and how she balances work and motherhood.

Lynn Kier is the Vice President of Corporate Communications at Diebold Nixdorf and the former Chair of the WiM Board of Directors. In this episode, Lynn shares how she got her start in manufacturing working in finance at GM and her advice for finding success by being your authentic self.

On this episode we are joined by Allison Giddens, President and Co-Owner of WinTech, Inc., a Georgia-based machining company serving the aerospace, medical, construction, and commercial industries. Today I chat with Allison about how her company overcame challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and how we can create new opportunities for women in the manufacturing industry. 

Shameka Lewis was recently promoted to Associate Global Manager of Environmental Health & Safety at Mattel, Inc. In this episode, Shameka shares how she navigated a major career-changed from healthcare to manufacturing and how she stays busy and motivated as a single mom with college-aged children.

Misti Rice is the Executive Director of Government Affairs at Magna International Inc. and WiM's 2021 Chair of the WiM Board of Directors. Hear how she navigated a career in government affairs throughout changing political climates and her advice for learning from a less-than-perfect manager.

On each episode of Hear Her Story, we’ll sit down with incredible women from different roles and niche industries within manufacturing. Join us to learn from their unique expertise and to hear about the experiences that have shaped their careers. Hear what drives the women who make the WiM Community vibrant and strong and leave inspired by their journey and their advice for other women in manufacturing.

The Hear Her Story Podcast is produced by the Women in Manufacturing® Association. WiM is the only national trade association dedicated promoting, supporting, and inspiring women who have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry. We work year-round to empower women at all levels of their career - from production to the C-Suite. Membership is available to women and men working within the manufacturing sector.