CMTA hosted its first “Women Making CA” Event on April 26th

“I have something in me and I want to show other people that other people can apply,” said Janet Rodriguez, Assistant Supervisor/Production Specialist and Emergency Response Team Member for Bayer.

“I want to become that engineer that is able to share my knowledge with the future generations and with my colleagues – to share my successes so that it can become their successes as well,” said Alina Kim, Manufacturing Engineer for Bishop-Wisecarver.

Those were just two of the incredible stories shared during yesterday’s event, which offered a glimpse at the passion, resilience, and action being taken by women in manufacturing, an industry with endless possibilities for creativity and growth.

Our half-day event, led by CMTA’s Sarah Johnson, Director of Member Engagement & Business Development, who also participates in the national organization Women in Manufacturing (WiM), celebrated the outstanding women leading and supporting California’s manufacturing industry while also creating space to address the future opportunities for the industry. In doing so, we were honored to bring together prominent female leaders from within the state’s manufacturing sector and government.

“Women constitute manufacturing’s largest pool of untapped talent. As we continue to rebuild our economy and build jobs of the future, we must actively recruit, retain, and advance women in industries like manufacturing.”
–Dee Dee Myers

“Manufacturing is a space for scientific creativity and women are thriving in the industry.”
–Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine)

Guided through keynote presentations and panel discussions, attendees heard from California’s Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Governor Newsom and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). CMTA members Tina Self, Vice President of Bayer’s Manufacturing Operations and Alicia Rockwell, Blue Diamond Growers’ Chief Government Affairs Officer, moderated the two panels of female leaders from both the industry and State Legislature. The lively discussion shined a light on the growing need within the manufacturing industry – the U.S. Department of Commerce has shared that American manufacturers are facing a shortage of 2.4 million workers by 2028 – and how women can play a key role in addressing manufacturing’s labor crunch.

“Events like today’s prove that women not only have a necessary place in manufacturing right now, but that this industry is made stronger because of the dynamic, hard-working women who show up and get to work every day. From the factory floor to the C-suite, the path forward for future generations is made that much better as more women once again step up and take their place at the table and on the production line.”
–Alicia Rockwell

“Women in leadership positions need community – other women who are like us, who are leading companies and teams. I’m thrilled that CMTA is bringing us together to create that community – to share ideas, best practices, and resources – across industries. As we rebuild California’s economy, our neighborhoods, communities and companies need our ideas and skills, now more than ever.”
–Kit Cole

CMTA was proud to debut and bestow the “Outstanding Women Making California” award to Alicia Rockwell and Kit Cole. Both have shown, and continue to show, outstanding leadership and support to the manufacturing industry, and thank them for continuing to make California a competitive and thriving place for manufacturing.

We are proud to have hosted an event that can make a lasting impact on California’s innovative economy, and honored to celebrate the creations and accomplishments of women across the industry.

We hope you will join us next year!