Contact: Cristina Crawford The Manufacturing Institute (202) 637-3404 [email protected] PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release 4th STEP Ahead Awards Recognize Women for Excellence in Manufacturing The Manufacturing Institute Will Honor 130 Women with STEP Ahead Awards WASHINGTON, March 1, 2016: The Manufacturing Institute announceD they 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, from the factory-floor to the C suite. “These 130 women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing,” saiD Jennifer McNelly, executive Director, The Manufacturing Institute. “We chose to honor these women because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through positive impact on their company anD the inDustry as a whole.” “Congratulations to these outstanDing leaDers. Thanks to their work, not only are their companies creating opportunity, but they are leading an innovation revolution—a revolution that will win us jobs, raise stanDarDs of living anD restore our mantle of leaDership arounD the world. This revolution is strengtheneD by the diversity in the manufacturing inDustry. AnD through the work of these accomplisheD leaDers, we are Demonstrating to the country that moDern manufacturing offers a range of exciting anD rewarDing career paths," saiD Jay Timmons, president and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers. The STEP Ahead AwarDs are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, 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, anD less than a third of the manufacturing workforce are women. Closing the skills gap includes closing the gender gap. On April 21, The Manufacturing Institute will recogniZe 130 recipients of the STEP Ahead AwarDs at a reception in Washington, D.C. The STEP AheaD AwarDs program will highlight each Honoree’s story, incluDing their leaDership anD accomplishments in manufacturing. ### About The Manufacturing Institute The Manufacturing Institute (the Institute) is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. As a non-partisan organization, the Institute is committed to delivering leading-edge information and services to the nation's manufacturers. The Institute is the authority on the attraction, qualification and development of world-class manufacturing talent. For more information, please visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org. 733 10th Street, NW, Suite 700 • Washington, D.C. 20001 NAMES/COMPANIES of HONOREES *Asterisk indicates an Emerging Leader Miranda Aarons Tiffany Chan* Amelia Folkins* AGCO Corporation Nomiku GLOBALFOUNDRIES Sassa Akervall Jaclyn Clark* Rebecca Forbes* Akervall Technologies Inc. AGCO Corporation BWX Technologies, Inc. Marissa Badenhorst Aundria Cohen* Janie Fowler Chevron Corporation Metal Essence and Faurecia Machining Training Chelsea Becker* Solutions Carol "Lynn" Fox Baldor, ABB Group Baker Hughes Melissa Coon Incorporated Megan Benadum* Harley-Davidson Motor Alcoa Inc. Company Lori Frost IPAK, Inc. Danielle Berndt* Jen Crapisi Alcoa Inc. Abbott Regan Gallo Saint-Gobain Corporation Victoria Biedenstein Leanne Cunningham and CertainTeed The Dow Chemical Brown-Forman Corporation Company Corporation Jan Gansheimer Teri Blumenthal Denise DeLaune Honda of America Rockwell Automation The Dow Chemical Manufacturing Company Stacey Brown Heather Gawne American Airlines Lisa Dolan Stella-Jones Corporation ALOM Erin Buchanan Daniela Gonzalez* Toyota Motor Engineering Linda Ehler Baker Hughes and Manufacturing, NA Hartwig Inc. Incorporated Cheryl Bush Eileen Eick Pierrette Gorman Kennametal Inc. Vermeer Corporation Sandia National Laboratories Christen Campbell* Paulette Enfante BASF Corporation Phoenix Mecano Inc. Dawn Grove Karsten Manufacturing Jezabel Cardenas* Lisa Faris Corporation Rockwell Automation Covestro LLC Brigot Gunter Shelley Ryan Carlson Catherine Farris Johnson & Johnson Vision Danfoss Newport News Care Inc. Shipbuilding Kenyana Ceasar* Amy Haigler Johnhson & Johnson Julianne Fatula* The Procter & Gamble Vision Care Inc. Covestro LLC Company Jennifer Hamilton Paula Kilrain Barbara Manzi Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Ball Corporation Manzi Metals Systems Americas, Inc. Lauryn King* Jeanenne "Jd" Marhevko Jenni Hanna Eaton Corporation Accuride Corporation Whirlpool Corporation Anna Klein* LaRuthie Holder Mason Susan Hershelman Goodyear Tire and Rubber Shaw Industries Group Inc. Lord Corporation Company Marcy McClanahan Lisa Hirsh Staci Kroon Ingersoll Rand Accurate Box Company Eaton Corporation Nicole McGlone- Loria Holden Marcia Kull Santistevan Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Volvo Penta of the BASF Corporation Systems Americas, Inc. Americas Lori Melbostad Janette Hostettler Debra Leach Premier Marine, Inc. Toyota Motor GLOBALFOUNDRIES Manufacturing Indiana JoAnn Mitchell Inc. Hannah Lenoce* Sandvik Coromant Marion Manufacturing Company Grace Hsia* Company Warmilu Lisa Mondello Lori Lents SRC, Inc. Tonya Hutchison* Solar Turbines Merck & Co., Inc. Incorporated Heather Mosier Cooper Tire & Rubber Becky Iaconis Keira Lombardo Company Exxel Outdoors, LLC Smithfield Foods, Inc. Pamela Nielsen- Zoe Jin Addie Marie Lordemann* Fernandez Johnson Controls Power 3M Company Sealed Air Corporation Solutions Julie Lucas Tara Obrist Toni Jones General Motors Behlen Mfg. Co. Jabil Circuit, Inc. Transportation Robin Luedtke Jodi Keller MillerCoors LLC Sarah Olson United Scrap Metal, Inc. Covestro LLC Janeen Lyle Randi Kelley The Procter & Gamble Barbara Parkerson PTC Inc. Company Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. Casey Kerrigan Kathy Magee OESH Shoes Lancer Corporation DeAnna Patterson* Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing, NA Marion Pender Aditi Saran Erika Swartz* ESCO Corporation Goodyear Tire and Rubber Shaw Industries Group Inc. Company Genoveva Perez Beth Takemoto* ACE Clearwater Kim Seijo John Deere Harvester Enterprises Shaw Industries Group Inc. Works Michelle Piening Nishi Shah* Kristi Thoman Modine Manufacturing The Dow Chemical John Deere Company Company Tara Tibbs Nadine Powell* Rupa Shanmugam Eli Lilly and Company Buffalo Manufacturing SoPark Corporation Works Beth Tucker Jenna Shaw* AGCO Corporation Stacy Putman Medtronic INEOS Olefins & Polymers Natalie Vanderspiegel USA Jan Shumate Solar Turbines Eastman Chemical Incorporated Katelyn Riha* Company Goodyear Tire and Rubber Amanda Varricchio Company Megan Sias* Pratt & Whitney The Dow Chemical Aleida Rios Company Gina Vassallo BP America, Inc. Caterpillar Inc. Gem Skinner Krista Roberts Polytron, Inc. Lisa Viazanko Noven Pharmaceuticals, Faurecia Inc. Elisabeth Smith Acutec Precision Mary Waldo Tchernavia Rocker Machining Inc. CoLinx, LLC Harley-Davidson Motor Company Jennifer Snow-Boscolo Susan Walsh Terex Aerial Work Pratt & Whitney Elizabeth Rolinski Platforms Johnson Controls Power Anna Welch Solutions Tamara Somerville Baker Hughes Posi Lock Puller, Inc. Incorporated Tina Rudinski* Lord Corporation Kristy Spackey Jennifer Wick Owens-Illinois, Inc. Caterpillar Inc. Shari Ruelas Chevron Corporation Renee Story Kristen Widunas GE Appliances Jabil Circuit, Inc. Samantha Ruof* The Procter & Gamble Leslie Suffredini Nichole Williams* Company Alcoa Inc. Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Amanda Wilson Medtronic Jennifer Wipf Merck & Co., Inc. Valerie J. Young 3M Company Claire Yu USG Corporation .