Board of DirectorsWIT Chair: WIT Vice Chair: WIT Secretary: WIT Treasurer: WIT Board MembersChris Heine, Director of Transportation Debra LaBree, Independent Owner-Operator Adam Murphy, VP, Business-to-Business Marketing Delores Lail, SVP Sales, East Region Michele Rodgers, Director of Business & Product Development Kary Schaefer, General Manager of Marketing and Strategy Tracci Schultz, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Engineering & Operational Solutions Jennifer Sockel, Executive Vice President, Talent and Enterprise Service Jim Taber, National Accounts Manager 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:
Leah Shaver is the President & CEO of The National Transportation Institute (NTI), the trucking industry subject matter experts on employee driver and owner operator compensation history, changes and benchmarks and in 2019 joined the lineup of Talk Radio Hosts on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Radio. Leah’s career has been spent supporting long-term growth and expansion of the transportation industry while reinforcing its best resource – professional truck drivers! Forever the “Sunshine Girl,” Leah encourages professional drivers and fleets with an upbeat, positive and direct manner, focused on top performance, career growth and retention. Recognized as a Top Woman to Watch in Transportation, Leah is a subject matter expert on driver compensation and strategies addressing driver recruiting, retention and development of the driver candidate pool. In addition to owning and operating NTI and contributing on-air at SiriusXM, Leah serves as an officer on the board of directors of the Women In Trucking Association, and volunteers as a licensed foster care provider in her community. > 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:Chris Heine, Director of Transportation
Chris enjoys Saturday afternoon’s in the fall rooting on his favorite college football team. The Ohio State Buckeyes. > 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 Business & Product Development
Previously, Rodgers was Director of Program Management for Peterbilt, where she had 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 served 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 Kelly Rooney, Director of Operations, Illinois & Missour Valley Area
Rooney earned a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. She also earned a master of arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. She resides in Olathe, KS. > 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 Jennifer Sockel, Executive Vice President, Talent and Enterprise Service
Sockel earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and government from Skidmore College and a J.D. from William & Mary Law School. She resides in Wyomissing, Pa., with her family. Most recently, Sockel was Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Penske Truck Leasing. Upon joining Penske Truck Leasing in 1998 as Counsel, she has held the following roles: Senior Counsel, Director, Vice President of Real Estate, Vice President of Administration and Senior Vice President of Administration. Sockel began her career as Associate Attorney in the Connecticut law firm of Carmody & Torrance. Sockel is a founding member of the Penske Diversity Council and the Penske Women’s Network. Sockel earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and government from Skidmore College and a J.D. from William & Mary Law School. She resides in Wyomissing, Pa., with her family. > Top Jim Taber, National Accounts Manager
In his free time he enjoys playing guitar, golf, and spending time with his wife and two children. > 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.
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.
Chris has been in the transportation industry for more than 20 years. He joined Amazon in 2012, during this time has held multiple leadership roles leading the Procurement, Transportation Ops, and Supply Chain teams supporting Amazon’s customer obsession. Currently, he leads the North America Transportation Execution team responsible for Safety, Recruiting, Carrier Engagement and Compliance, and the daily execution of the transportation movements within the Amazon network utilizing the newest technologies. Prior to joining Amazon, Chris spent 8 years at FedEx Ground leading the transportation team with an emphasis on procurement and transportation execution.
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 Business & Product Development for Dynacraft, a d
Kelly Rooney is the Director of Operations at Waste Management Illinois Missouri Valley Area, the leading provider of comprehensive waste management environmental services in North America. In her current role, Rooney oversees the day-to-day operations of Waste Management’s Illinois Missouri Valley collection fleet comprised of more than 800 drivers servicing 500,000 residential and commercial customers throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. With 30 years in the transportation industry, Rooney is charged with leading a team to integrate technology to improve safety, efficiency, and world class service for Waste Management’s customers. 
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.
Jennifer Sockel is Executive Vice President of Talent and Enterprise Services at Penske Transportation Solutions. Most recently, Sockel was Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Penske Truck Leasing. Upon joining Penske Truck Leasing in 1998 as Counsel, she has held the following roles: Senior Counsel, Director, Vice President of Real Estate, Vice President of Administration and Senior Vice President of Administration. Sockel began her career as Associate Attorney in the Connecticut law firm of Carmody & Torrance. Sockel is a founding member of the Penske Diversity Council and the Penske Women’s Network. 
Jim Taber has been employed by Arrow Truck Sales since 2007. He started in Cincinnati as a sales associate and moved into management in 2010. In spring of 2016, Jim was promoted to the corporate office in Kansas City, MO. Working as the National Accounts manager soon turned into additional opportunities within Arrow. Jim now holds the position of Sales Support Manager and manages the E-Commerce department, the Customer Contact Center, National Accounts manager, oversees the Chat tool on their website, and works closely with the marketing department with their online campaigns. Jim has been involved with Women in Trucking for a number of years prior to his board assignment. 
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.