The Manufacturing Institute has recognized three female leaders in the tire industry with a Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award for 2018.
Anne Roman, vice president of communications and public affairs for Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. as well as Lori Miller and Jennie Tinney, both materials managers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., are among 130 women nationally who earned the honor this year out of hundreds of nominees.
The STEP Ahead Awards program, now in its sixth year, recognizes women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of manufacturing; from the factory floor to senior executive leadership. On April 10, winners of the STEP Ahead Award will be recognized at a reception in Washington D.C., where each honoree’s story will be highlighted, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing as well as their roles in the community.
Roman joined Cooper in 2012 with three decades of experience in a variety of communications leadership roles at large, publicly-held companies. She is responsible for leading global internal and external communications as well as the company’s philanthropy initiatives. Roman currently serves on the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) public relations committee and is a member of the Economic Development Council for Findlay-Hancock County (Ohio). She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Ohio State University and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Miller is part of Goodyear’s Topeka Plant Leadership Team and joined the company a few years prior as a secretary. She has advanced to various other positions along the way and became the first associate in Topeka to be certified as a plant optimization practitioner in 2017. Miller was nominated to attend the Topeka YWCA Leadership Momentum Program and has since nominated four other women to follow in her footsteps. She is currently creating a Topeka branch of the Goodyear Women’s Network to ensure networking and camaraderie among women in the company.
Tinney, a materials manager for Goodyear’s Innovation Center Manufacturing Plant, manages and plans the movement of material throughout the facility. In 2017, she was responsible for a 331% improvement in inventory accuracy, delivering $1.2 million in annual savings and a 25 percent reduction in waste. Since she joined Goodyear in 2009, Tinney has represented Goodyear at multiple conferences and has mentored young associates to set high expectations for themselves. Tinney is a wife and the mother of two children who is an ambassador for United Way and volunteers for the Akron Food Bank.
The STEP Ahead Awards are part of a 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.
