Board of DirectorsWIT Chair: WIT Vice Chair: WIT Secretary: WIT Treasurer: WIT Board MembersKathleen (Kate) Coleman, Regional Key Account Manager – Navistar Debra LaBree, Independent Owner-Operator Adam Murphy, VP, Business-to-Business Marketing Delores Lail, SVP Sales, East Region Michele Rodgers, Director of Program Management Kary Schaefer, General Manager of Marketing and Strategy Tracci Schultz, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Engineering & Operational Solutions Leah Shaver, Chief Operating Officer Jim Stevenson, Regional Vice-President Lori Taylor, Carrier Services Manager Jason Williams, Co-founder and President Heather Wilson, Chief Commercial Officer WIT Chair:
Along with her extensive sales and customer service experience, Laura also has comprehensive knowledge of the trucking industry’s aftermarket sector. She has been a member of WIT since early 2012, and most recently, she was appointed to the Women in Trucking Board of Directors. She is excited to take on this role and further assist in fulfilling the WIT mission to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry. > Top WIT Vice Chair:
Rachel Christensen is responsible for managing intermodal capacity needs and service performance throughout the entire J.B. Hunt Intermodal network, consisting of 5,500 trucks and 85,000 company owned containers. She started her career with J.B. Hunt in 2008 and has held various positions in the Intermodal division managing a variety of local and regional fleets. Prior to relocating to the corporate office in 2016, she was the Director of Intermodal Operations in Chicago, IL where she oversaw the day to day operations of the largest local fleet in J.B. Hunt’s intermodal segment with more than 700 drivers servicing the Chicago metro area. She currently serves as an advisor to J.B. Hunt’s Women Employee Resource Group, GROW. In her free time she enjoys staying active, traveling and as a Chicago native, rooting on her home teams from afar. > Top WIT Secretary:
In her current role, Shaver oversees development of all business operations within The National Transportation Institute and also serves on the Executive Committee. NTI provides original economic research on company driver and owner operator compensation history and changes to carriers, insurers, consultants, publishers, shippers, and nearly every equity analyst who follow transportation sector stocks. NTI’s largest subscriber base remains in the transportation sector’s for-hire and truckload fleets, widely used as a tool for fleet executives to understand the direction and velocity of the Class A CDL market wages and emerging pay strategies. Shaver frequently speaks to industry executives and organizations about driver compensation and strategy as it relates to driver recruiting, retention, and expansion of the driver candidate pool, serves on the board of the Women In Trucking Association, and volunteers in her community. She and her husband live in Minnesota and have worked together for over a decade. > Top WIT Treasurer:
Most has also lead global teams of diverse associates who used global leverage to create long-term logistics strategies supporting more than $10 billion in direct import volume from more than 50 sourcing origins for all International markets. He was responsible for the Global Logistics teams in Bentonville, Arkansas and Shenzhen, China including Regional Logistics teams in India, Dubai, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Additional responsibilities include the Jones Act Trade team that services the Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico markets. He lives in Rogers, Ark., with his wife Robin and their two daughters. > Top WIT Board Members:Kathleen (Kate) Coleman, Regional Key Account Manager – Navistar
Kate started her career at Bendix in 1998 and has held positions in engineering, product management and sales. Over her 20 year career in the trucking industry she has participated in industry organizations including the Society of Automotive Engineers and Technology & Maintenance Council. As Kate designed products or managed new product launches, her attention and focus was always centered on taking care of the customer. In her role as regional key account manager, Kate is able to use a combination of her technical background, industry experience and customer focus as well as her knowledge of Bendix products and processes to support the Bendix business at Navistar Inc. Kate holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University and a Masters of Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. She and her husband live in Avon, Ohio with their eight children. > Top Deb LaBree, Independent Owner-Operator
LaBree has been instrumental in growing and managing the WIT Facebook group that has over 11,000 active members. In 2016, she became a member of the WIT Image Team, a group comprised of individuals who represent the WIT mission and participate in ride-along events for legislators, regulators, and industry leaders to provide a deeper understanding of the obstacles they face on the road. They also speak to the media and other industry professionals at public events and industry trade shows. > Top Adam Murphy, VP, Business-to-Business Marketing Murphy was appointed Vice President of the Business-to-Business Marketing Organization of Michelin North America, Inc. in January 2018. From 2014 to 2017, he served as Vice President of Marketing for the Michelin Americas Truck Tires division of Michelin North America, Inc. Prior to that role, he led Michelin’s marketing team in Canada as Marketing Director from 2012 to 2014. Murphy also served in a variety of operational and strategic marketing roles within the Michelin Americas Small Tires division from 2000 to 2012, after spending his first four years with the company in the sales organization of Michelin Americas Small Tires. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Furman University in Grenville, SC. > Top Delores Lail, SVP Sales, East Region
Delores is active in Ryder’s Women Leadership Association and serves as an executive sponsor. She is a member of Ryder’s Diversity Council. In 2016 she was a recipient of the Florida Diversity Council’s Most Powerful and Influential Women’s Award. > Top Michele Rodgers, Director of Program Management
Rodgers has more than twenty years of experience at Peterbilt on the engineering and program management teams and has held several positions of increasing responsibility. She also serves as a member of the Peterbilt Women’s Initiative Group (PBWIN) steering committee. PBWIN’s mission is to serve as champions for the empowerment of women at Peterbilt. Rodgers holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Texas, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. Additionally, she is a licensed professional engineer. Rodgers lives in the Dallas area with her husband and two children and enjoys spending her free time with her family. > Top Kary Schaefer, General Manager of Marketing and Strategy
In late 2015, she returned to Daimler Trucks as the General Manager of Marketing and Strategy for Freightliner and Detroit Brands. In this role, she is responsible for market analysis, product planning, brand management, and marketing operations. She leads the organization in the creation and execution of product roadmaps from evaluation of customer needs and market trends to early business case development to new product launch and on-going product management. Kary earned her Associate in Arts & Engineering Science degree from Bellevue Collegeand her Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University. > Top Tracci Schultz, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Engineering & Operational Solutions
Tracci Schultz is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, Engineering and Operational Solutions, at FedEx Freight. In her position, Tracci is charged with leading the design, development and implementation of engineering processes and technology solutions that keep FedEx Freight positioned as the market leader. She is responsible for fostering a culture of innovation, quality and excellence to enhance service and deliver a superior customer experience. She and her team lead the strategy that supports the more than 48,000 team members of FedEx Freight, and the larger FedEx enterprise. Tracci assumed her current position in July 2018 and has more than 30 years of experience at FedEx. Prior to her current position, she served as SVP-IT Freight Solutions at FedEx Services, and has spent most of her career in the IT industry. Tracci completed her undergraduate degree at Christian Brothers University and was named the Outstanding Executive MBA Student of the Year while earning her executive MBA at the University of Memphis. STEMconnector named Tracci as one of the top 100 Corporate Women Leaders in STEM in 2017 and the Memphis Business Journal recognized her as a Super Woman in Business in 2018. Tracci enjoys spending time at the lake with her husband, Mark and their three children, Amanda, Dalton and Dillon. And most recently, enjoys spending time with her first grandchild, Easton. > Top Jim Stevenson, Regional Vice-President
Jim has nearly 30 years’ experience in the transportation industry and joined Arrow in 1991. In 1998, Arrow Truck Sales was acquired by The Volvo Group. At that time, Jim joined Arrow’s Executive Committee to support the transition to the new ownership group while continuing to maintain Arrow’s position as a leader in remarketing used trucks and trailers to North America. He has been a co-owner of a used truck dealership in Nashville, TN and has held a variety of positions with Arrow including, Retail Sales, Sales Manager, Branch Manager, Director of Purchasing/Wholesale, and Director of Sales - Eastern Region, which included Arrow’s Canadian operations. As Regional Vice-President, Jim oversees sales and operations of the retail division. Jim was instrumental in developing a specially designed Partnership Program called Arrow PRIME that connects fleets with drivers who are looking to lease on with a quality carrier. Jim graduated in 1976 from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa and resides in Overland Park, KS with his wife Markee for more than 40 years. He has three children and enjoys spending time with his two grandchildren. Jim is an avid tennis player who continues to compete on a national level at his age grouping. > Top Lori Taylor, Carrier Services Manager
Lori started her career at T-Chek Systems, previously a wholly owned subsidiary of C.H. Robinson, in 1998. In 2006, she transitioned into a management role within the Carrier Services team at C.H. Robinson. Lori and her teams are responsible for onboarding transportation carriers and supporting the C.H. Robinson network and contract carrier base, and have a focus on customer experience. She is also a Co-Manager of Supplier Diversity for C.H. Robinson, supporting the diversity initiatives of our customers & carriers. Lori is an active role model for women within C.H. Robinson by supporting her colleagues with career development. She also is engaged with local women networking groups. She and her husband have four adult children and live in Minnesota. Lori enjoys spending time with her family, coaching volleyball and competing with her horses. > Top Jason Williams, Co-founder and President
While servicing and growing Owner operators, Jason and the ES team became aware of specific issues that were faced by certain groups within the industry which led them to reach out to Women In Trucking, and they look forward to a long relationship providing opportunities to women in the trucking industry. > Top Heather Wilson, Chief Commercial Officer
Prior to joining BMO, Heather held a series of roles across five different functions in General Electric. She began her GE Capital career as an associate in GE Capital’s Management Development Program. Through her experiences, she has developed a passion for innovating, coaching young leaders, and balancing profitability with maximizing the customer’s experience. Heather is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and experienced facilitator. She served as the Dallas Fort Worth hub leader for GE’s Women’s Network, and is currently a member of BMO’s Executive Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee. Heatherearned her BA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin and holds an MBA from Indiana University. She and her husband, Tim, reside in Plano, TX and have two daughters. |
Laura Roan Hays has been in the transportation industry for more than 30 years. She began her career in 1989 as an administrative assistant and worked her way up to Branch Manager, leading the Great Dane Tampa and Miami branches.
Shaver's career has been spent supporting long-term growth and expansion of the transportation industry while reinforcing its best resource – Professional Truck Drivers! Prior to joining NTI (the truckload industry subject matter experts on company driver and owner operator compensation history, changes, and benchmarks), she spent 14 years with a Midwest-based multi-platform truckload carrier. During her tenure there, she served on the Executive Committee and held numerous positions in Driver Recruiting and Human Resources. She specialized in driver selection, hiring, development, wellness, and retention, as well as developing, implementing, and managing an award-winning driver mentoring program for new drivers.
Most has been with Walmart Stores for 16 years and has led a variety of high performing teams in Supply Chain Management, Global Transportation, and Private Fleet Operations. In his current role, he has responsibility for all Walmart Private Fleet drivers, transportation offices, truck shops and Regional Operations Centers (ROCs) in the Eastern U.S. supporting Transportation operations for Walmart.com, import, apparel, grocery, and general merchandise deliveries to Walmart and Sam’s Club retail operations. The private fleet of over 7,200 drivers, 6,000 tractors, 53,500 trailers and 5,600 refrigerated trailers travel approximately 700 million miles each year, and did it as one of America’s safest private fleets. Walmart drivers deliver more than products to the stores. They ensure that Walmart's mission of "Every Day Low Prices" reaches its customers and communities.
Kate is a regional key account manager at Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, a member of the Munich, Germany-based Knorr-Bremse Group. 
LaBree became a professional truck driver in 2006. She is an independent owner-operator of Castle Transport LLC, and has been leased to Landstar since June of 2014. She has been a team driver with her husband, Del, for all of her career. They run JIT (just in time) freight and are able to be home most weekends.
Delores Lail is the Senior Vice President of Sales for Ryder, Fleet Management Solutions, East Region. She is responsible for all aspects of sales and sales leadership in the East with 150 Directors and Sales professionals on her team. Delores has held a series of increasingly expanding positions in sales and operations during her 35 year career. She was inducted into Ryder Rental Masters in 1991 and recently served as a Board Member.
Michele Rodgers is the Director of Program Management for Peterbilt Motors Company. Located in Denton, Texas, Peterbilt has a global reputation for superior quality, industry leading design, innovative engineering and fuel-efficient solutions, and is regarded as the "Class" of the industry.
Kary Schaefer is the General Manager of Marketing and Strategy for Freightliner and Detroit Brands, as well as overall vehicle platform strategy at Daimler Trucks North America. Schaefer joined Daimler Trucks North America in 1995 after holding engineering positions at Pacific Testing Laboratories and Boeing Aerospace in Seattle, Washington. During her career at Daimler Trucks, Kary has filled the roles of design engineer, project planning engineer, engineering project manager, director of engineering services and chief engineer. Between 2012 and 2015, she led an engineering group within United Technology Corporation responsible for the development of autonomous flight controls and stabilized camera systems used in commercial unmanned aerial vehicles.
Lori Taylor is a Carrier Services Manager at C.H. Robinson, one of the world’s largest third-party logistics providers (3PL), based on Eden Prairie, MN. C.H. Robinson provides a broad portfolio of logistics services, fresh produce sourcing and managed services for more than 124,000 customers and 76,000 active carriers. 
Jason Williams is the co-founder and President of Expediter Services, LLC in Memphis, TN. Since 2006, Expediter Services has led the expediting industry in providing unique services and opportunities for independent contractors and owner-operators. Starting from scratch, the ES team grew a fleet of over 150 trucks by creating more profitable solutions for individuals looking to drive without having to purchase a truck. In 2010, Expediter Services expanded to meet the needs of owner-operators. ES's management arm, Expediter Management Services provides back office support, discounts, and 24 hour assistance for owner-operators and fleet owners, ensuring that they “Never Stand Alone”.
Heather Wilson is the Chief Commercial Officer of BMO Transportation Finance and offices out of Irving, TX. Her responsibilities include facilitating the ideation and implementation of: BMOTF’s growth initiatives, customer lifecycle management, strategic planning, analytics and research, product development, sales force deployment, as well as marketing and organization communications.