Women at the Wheel celebrates women in the automotive aftermarket who are revolutionary in their field — sparking change and driving results. Join us each month as we engage in illuminating and inspiring conversation with female leaders sharing their career journeys, best advice, most challenging moments, and more. In this monthly podcast, Babcox Media editors Amy Antenora, Nadine Battah and Mary DellaValle sit down with some of today’s leading women professionals in the automotive aftermarket, who are pursuing their careers with passion and helping shape the future of our industry.

In this month’s episode, AMN Editor Amy Antenora sits down with 2021 Women at the Wheel honoree, Jacki Lutz, global head of communications, training and e-commerce, aftermarket at Sensata Technologies.

If you are an automotive aftermarket professional and you spend any amount of time at industry events or on LinkedIn, you’ve most likely seen Jacki speaking at an event or online posting a video encouraging you to act. This is, in fact, her strong suit and her mission – getting involved and inspiring others to do so as well. Her list of volunteer efforts is impressive. Jacki gives her time and has taken on leadership positions in organizations such as the Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG), Women in Auto Care, the Automotive Communications Council, and others. When asked how she finds the time and the courage to join in, her thought process is down-to-earth.

“It starts with raising your hand,” Lutz said. “If there is an effort that you find interesting and that speaks to you, you’re going to add value. Everybody around that table adds value and you do deserve a seat at that table. … I think you’d be really surprised at how easily they will accept you. They always want people who are wanting to be passionate about what they’re passionate about. And then, it’s just about watching for a little while sitting back … Watch how things are going, see where their biggest needs are, see where their weaknesses are, see what their challenges are and then, see if you have an experience that you can lend, start speaking out that value. You have the value.”

In the episode, Amy and Jacki chat about the following topics:

• 1:06 – A brief history of her career, so far;
• 2:58 – How Jacki always has time to serve;
• 05:46 – How to find the right opportunities to pitch in;
• 08:36 – Getting by giving: The benefits of volunteering one’s time;
• 09:41 – Does work-life balance exist;
• 13:02 – A little bit about life on a farm from someone who says she is not a farmer;
• 14:17 – How and why Jacki became a TIA-certified instructor;
• 16:02 – Most memorable career advice.

AMN, Counterman and Babcox Media introduced the third-annual class of Women at the Wheel honorees in May 2022. Each year since 2020, the May issue of AMN magazine has profiled female leaders from around the automotive aftermarket, showcasing the many accomplishments of these hard-working women, who often go unrecognized.

To learn more about the program and all the AMN Women at the Wheel honorees, click here.