Congratulations to the 2018 Women of Today’s Manufacturing (WOTM) Scholarship Recipients!

Corbin Gustafson—Belvidere North High School, 2018 Milwaukee School of Engineering

Cole Skadeland—Hononegah High School, 2018 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

William Snedegar—Auburn High School, 2018 University of Michigan

Payton Staman—Hononegah High School, 2016 University of Indianapolis

Women of Today’s Manufacturing (WOTM), a non-profit professional association founded in 2003, provided a Mid-Year Update to its members this week at an event at Lino’s Restaurant. The organization announced a new Mission, Strategic Plan, and Executive Board to launch its impact to a new level. WOTM has always been a leading Northern Illinois team of women and men, focused on educating its members through presentations, interactive dinner meetings, company tours and networking. The new mission will refocus the organization on achieving a clear objective:

Women of Today’s Manufacturing (WOTM) is an organization that supports the creation and advancement of career pathways for women in local manufacturing.

“We arrived at this mission after surveying our members, and hosting a series of strategic planning sessions with members, potential members, and business leaders who will be impacted by our new mission,” said Carrie Zethmayr, President of WOTM. “We found that our members wanted a clear reason for participating, and a mission that they could accomplish together.”

“In 2017, there were over 200 female high-school graduates from the Rockford Public School System who didn’t have plans to go to college” said Dr. Doug Jensen, President of Rock Valley College and participant in WOTM’s strategic planning. “There is a huge opportunity for us to tap-in to this demographic and engage them in our regional manufacturing workforce.” 

WOTM has three strategies which will help them accomplish this mission:

• We host educational programs targeted to manufacturing leaders and line workers, providing them with practical knowledge that empowers them to be on the cutting edge of their industry.
• We provide scholarships to individuals seeking to advance their skills in STEM and manufacturing related fields.
• We connect with partners throughout the state line area to communicate and provide clear career pathways to individuals of all ages that want to pursue a meaningful and fulfilling career in manufacturing.

To execute these strategies, WOTM hosts “Committee Nights” on the first Monday of every month, 5:30 – 7:00pm at the operations of a local manufacturer. All members are welcome to attend committee night to participate in planning and execution of the three strategies. “We feel that hosting committee nights at the same time and place every month make it easy for our members to find a pathway for engagement with our organization. They can come, learn about our work, meet other members, and become directly engaged in carrying out our mission,” said Teresa Beach-Shelow, Vice President of WOTM. “All are welcome to our committee nights.”

The new 2018 Executive Board that leads the organization in accomplishing its mission includes:

• President – Carrie Zethmayr, President & Owner at Zethmayr
• Vice President – Teresa Beach-Shelow, President at Superior Joining Technologies, Inc.
• Assistant Vice President – Darlene Steeves, Executive Assistant at Barnes International, Inc.
• Treasurer – Amy Hendrickson, Controller at Rockford Ball Screw
• Secretary – Kristy Reynolds, Human Resource Manager at Bourn & Koch
• Assistant Secretary – Elaine Dyke, Scheduling Manager at Rockford Ball Screw

WOTM also has three chairs to lead the strategic plan initiatives:

• Chair, Scholarships – Ruthann Gaston, Customer Service Representative, Engman-Taylor Company
• Chair, Career Pathways – Chris Agnitsch, Vice President Commercial Lending, Midwest Community Bank
• Chair, Educational Programming – Janie Clark, Service Manager, Hexagon Metrology

WOTM is seeking men and women of all backgrounds that are inspired by our mission and would like to participate in having an impact on my region. We encourage them to connect with any of us directly, via our website at www.wotm-rockford.com, or e-mailing wotmrkfd@gmail.com. All are welcome!

About Women of Today’s Manufacturing (WOTM)

Women of Today’s Manufacturing (WOTM) is an organization that supports the creation and advancement of career pathways for women in local manufacturing. WOTM began in 2003 by three women with a passion for manufacturing. The organization has proudly donated thousands of dollars to community high school and college students with its membership enrollment increasing annually. Community members find value in the unique networking opportunities the organization offers, and value the relationships they have established. www.wotm-rockford.com. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT

Carrie Zethmayr, President
Women of Today’s Manufacturing
312-221-1115
carrie@zethmayr.com

Thank you for helping WOTM accomplish its mission tosupport the creation and advancement of career pathways for women in local manufacturing Learn more about how WOTM accomplishes this mission at www.wotm-rockford.com