Women in Manufacturing STEP Ahead Award winners announced
The Manufacturing Institute will be recognizing 130 women as part of its Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Awards at a reception in Washington, D.C., on April 11 during a program highlighting each Honoree’s story, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing. They also announced that Keira Lombardo, executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance for Smithfield Foods, Inc., will serve as this year’s chair of the awards. 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.
“Women are the single largest pool of untapped potential talent within the manufacturing industry, and we must continue to do everything we can to promote gender diversity within this field,” said Lombardo. “The STEP Ahead Awards program not only recognizes the incredible women in manufacturing who have an impact on the daily lives of people all over the world, it sends an incredibly powerful message to the next generation of female leaders that the manufacturing industry offers innovative and fulfilling careers in which women can thrive.”
Lombardo has been with Smithfield for nearly 17 years and has a multifaceted understanding of the manufacturing industry. At Smithfield, she leads corporate communications, government affairs, sustainability and investor relations and oversees all compliance functions, including legal, for the global food company. Lombardo also serves as president of the Smithfield Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, in addition to her involvement as a board member of The Global Good Fund, a nonprofit that accelerates the leadership development of high-potential young social entrepreneurs tackling the world’s greatest issues, and The Faison Center, an organization that provides support to children and adults living with autism spectrum disorder and related challenges.
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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