The Women In Trucking Association is a non-profit organization focused on the transportation and logistics industry. Our mission? To encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry.
The Women In Trucking Association was founded in 2007. In just a few short years, through the support of thousands of transportation-related companies, drivers and dedicated individuals, this organization has made significant strides in accomplishing its mission.
Jennifer has 17 years of association leadership experience, is an accredited executive by the American Society of Association Executives, and led the National Industrial Transportation League for five years.
Lana has been with WIT since May 2013 and is responsible for accomplishing project objectives set forth by the WIT Board of Directors.
Carleen's unique blend of experience and knowledge brings creative strengths, excellent communication, and diverse knowledge to her clients.
With more than 15 years of experience in association roles, Alyssa channels her talents and expertise toward membership growth, engagement and retention.
Jenny has more than 20 years of experience in employee communications with 8+ years in the transportation industry, managing engagement and enrichment programs.
For more than 25 years, Brian's had a reputation as the “go-to guy” for marketing in the transportation and logistics industry.
Wise to the ways of Digital Marketing, Social Media, PR and more, Brynn wears the marketing and communications hat for the association.
As a marketing professional, Courtney brings a thorough understanding of strong visual design, marketing strategy, web development, brand awareness, and advertising campaigns to the association.
With more than 25 years experience, Karen’s able to put her skills to good use on behalf of Women In Trucking.
Katherine is responsible for membership-related issues including membership support and accounting.
Robert serves the legal, legislative, regulatory, and business interests of motor carriers, private carriers, and logistics providers.
Ellen founded the Women In Trucking Association in March of 2007, and is an internationally recognized speaker and authority on gender diversity and inclusion for women working in non-traditional careers in transportation.
KayLeigh is a Driver Training Engineer for Schneider National and has 7 years of commercial motor vehicle experience. As Driver Ambassador, she is a voice for current and future female drivers.
CEO & President
Ellen Voie is an internationally recognized speaker and authority on gender diversity and inclusion for women working in non-traditional careers in transportation. She has been invited to speak to audiences in Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Viet Nam, France, Mexico, and Canada in addition to being a popular speaker at conferences throughout the United States.
As founder of the Women In Trucking Association in March of 2007, Voie currently serves as the nonprofit organization’s President/CEO. The Women In Trucking Association was formed to promote the employment of women in the trucking industry, to remove obstacles that might keep them from succeeding, and to celebrate the successes of its members.
Vice President
Lana Nichols is Vice President for the Women In Trucking Association. She has been with WIT since May 2013 and is responsible for accomplishing project objectives set forth by the WIT Board of Directors. Prior to this position, Nichols spent nearly five years with Truckstop.com in New Plymouth, ID where she held the position of Product Manager and Technology Department Manager. During her tenure, she managed employees that consisted of software engineering, database administration, quality assurance and product development. She was also a member of the implementation team that successfully adopted the scrum methodology into the Tech group. Her experience with project management along with her implementation record make a positive contribution to the Women In Trucking Association.
Nichols received her MBA from Eastern Illinois University. She was raised in southern Illinois and currently lives in Idaho with her husband, Marcus, and their four children.
Member Services & Sales
From city life in L.A. to country living outside of Nashville, Herndon has accumulated more than 25 years of experience in a myriad of positions and industries in business development, sales, public relations, publicity, and marketing and communications. Her unique blend of experience and knowledge brings creative strengths, excellent communications skills, and diverse knowledge to the clients she serves.
She began her career as a publicist in L.A. and promoted such projects as Michael Jackson’s “We Are The World” and the Kennedy’s pet project “The Special Olympics.” A move to a small town in west Texas put her in the newspaper industry. She was hired by a local daily newspaper as a writer and was quickly promoted to Lifestyle Editor, Religion Editor, and columnist. Not only were several of her feature stories picked up by the Associated Press, she also received numerous writing awards for her stories and columns. She moved to Nashville where she worked as a publicist for country music artists, then at The Tennessean for 10 years in Creative Services. She has worked as the Marketing and Public Relations Director for Southern Shows, Inc.; Marketing a Sales Director for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment; and worked as an account executive in B2B sales for Sysco and Ricoh Business Solutions, and as a loan officer for Magna Bank and Sellers Financial Group.
In 2010, she was hired as Vice President of Business Development for MindShare Strategies, a full-service marketing and management firm that specializes in the transportation and logistics industries. There, she has been involved in member services and sales for critical accounts for the firm, including NASSTRAC (the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Conference) and the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association (TMSA). She now solely focuses on Women In Trucking. She is the voice of the 1-800 number and is responsible for: growing memberships and member engagement; member services; strategic alliance agreements with associations, non-profits, and media partners; Accelerate! Conference & Expo planning and sponsor and exhibitor sales and management; The Salute to Women Behind the Wheel planning, management and sponsor and exhibitor sales; and advertising and sponsored content sales for the Redefining the Road magazine and the WIT eNews digital newsletter. She was named the 2023 Sales Mountain Mover of the Year by the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association (TMSA).
Strategy & Management
He’s got a reputation as the “go-to guy” for marketing in the transportation and logistics industry. That’s because he has more than 25 years marketing, communications, and sales experience in transportation, warehousing, and logistics, with a special expertise in business strategy, B-to-B marketing, and association management. As Senior Partner of MindShare Strategies, Everett regularly provides marketing counsel to the firm’s key accounts. He is particularly well-connected to shippers as the former Executive Director of the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC). Currently, he provides strategic counsel for the Women In Trucking Association, and is Group Publisher/Editorial Director of Redefining the Road (WIT's official magazine) as well as Food Chain Digest and Food For Thought (the official magazine and member e-newsletter, respectively, of Food Shippers of America).
Everett also was Director of Marketing for C.H. Robinson for 10 years, and helped transform this low-profile company to one of the world's most widely known brands in the third-party logistics market when it went public in 1998. He also was CEO of the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association (TMSA) for approximately 20 years, and has provided counsel in business strategy, marketing and sales for leading companies in MindShare Strategies' client portfolio, including Saddle Creek Logistics Services, the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), LeSaint Logistics/TAGG Logistics, RWI Logistics/RWI Transportation (part of the Castellini Group of Companies), Satellite Logistics Group, UPS, Line Drive Trucking, and H&M International Transportation, to name a few.
Everett is known to be a “chronic volunteer” in industry associations. He has served on the board of directors for the International Association of Business Communications at the international, regional, and local chapter levels; on the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Twin Cities Roundtable; and was the Chairman of the Transportation Track for a recent Warehousing Education Research Council (WERC) annual conference. In fact, in recognition of his career experiences and passion for industry involvement, Everett was named the youngest recipient of TMSA’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Jenny’s responsibilities include managing the programs for the Women in Trucking Image Team as well as the Driver Ambassador program and WITney trailer. She has more than 20 years of experience in employee communications with 8+ years in the transportation industry, managing engagement and enrichment programs for a carrier based in Findlay, OH. Prior to joining Women in Trucking, Jenny was responsible for the development of several driver focused incentive programs with a focus on maximizing the opportunities available to drivers across the industry. In addition, she managed the Learning Management training program for the fleet as well as the administrative side for the Safety Department, all while gaining understanding of general ELD and regulatory policies specific to driver safety.
Jenny has been an active participant with programs provided by Ohio Trucking Association, American Trucking Associations, CarriersEdge platform, and completed coursework through the Truckload Academy provided by Truckload Carriers Association. She has also been a frequent guest commentator on Garner Trucking’s podcast “Beyond the Cab.” Jenny earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication from The University of Toledo. Raised in Northwest Ohio, she currently resides in Findlay, Ohio and has three children.
Membership Administration
Karen Everett is skilled with numbers, statistics and data, and has an analytical mind to make sense of it all. With more than 25 years experience in administrative and executive management support roles, she’s able to put those skills to good use on behalf of the Women In Trucking Association, a major client of MindShare Strategies (a management and marketing firm that specializes in transportation and logistics).
Everett is an instrumental resource in leading such projects as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategies, establishing online surveys through MindShare’s research tools, and providing all client reporting on financial budgets and project billing. She’s skilled in all Microsoft Office software products, troubleshooting problems and leveraging technology at various levels of projects in a business environment that is built around Microsoft Office products and software-as-a-service (SAAS) platforms.
She and her business partner/spouse, Brian Everett, launched MindShare Strategies in 1997 and have grown the firm into a successful marketing enterprise. Previously, she worked as Office Manager at Ridgeview Business Health Services, in accounting and financial management roles with Holiday Companies and the University of Minnesota, and as a legal assistant at Callahan Gorman & Woodford.
Marketing & Communications
Wise to the ways of Digital Marketing, Social Media, PR and more, Brynn wears the marketing and communications hat for the association. She touches everything from web development, email marketing, social media, branding, media relations, content development, advertising, video production, and graphic design.
Working with the association since 2017, she's fueled by the momentum of the gender diversity movement and passionate about elevating the Women In Trucking brand and its powerful mission.
She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communication. Now residing in the greater Nashville area, she enjoys running on a nearby trail or hanging out on the porch with her dogs while her husband has something cooking on the grill!
Project & Production Manager
A seasoned sales professional, Cassidy is responsible for a wide variety of projects ranging from WIT event management to production management of Redefining the Road magazine. She also manages recognition programs for the Women In Trucking Association (Top Women to Watch, Top Woman-Owned Businesses, and Top Companies for Women to Work For in Transportation). Prior to joining the WIT team, Cassidy worked for more than two years in sales and customer experience roles for KeepTruckin, a technology leader in connecting the world’s trucks with its cutting-edge ELD and fleet management platform. She also worked for nearly three years in a sales capacity with ServiceSource. Cassidy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Kentucky University. She is located in Nashville, Tennessee. When not working on WIT initiatives, she enjoys spending time with friends, family, and her dog, Kona.
Project Management & Account Executive
As a marketing professional, Courtney has a thorough understanding of the importance of strong visual design, marketing strategy, web development, brand awareness, and advertising campaigns. This understanding is the driving force behind her abilities to manage technology platforms, the webinar series, and recognition programs for Women In Trucking, as well support public relations and media initiatives and lead various design projects.
Prior to joining the Women In Trucking team in early 2022, Courtney developed a strong sense of devotion for the non-profit sector as Director of Marketing at Oklahoma Rural Water Association and Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma.
She graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communications and currently resides just outside of Fort Worth, Texas. In her spare time, you can find her spending time with her dogs, friends and family or at CrossFit SAF.
Membership Support
Katherine Cruz serves as member support for the Women In Trucking Association. She is responsible for membership-related issues including membership support and accounting. Prior to joining WIT, Katherine worked for more than three years in customer experience and logistics transportation.
Growing up in Colombia, Katherine’s family managed a logistics company, where she learned the importance of the industry to the economy and the country. Katherine recently spent three years living in the United States and during that time visited over 30 states, developing a passion for life on the road.
She is located in Medellin, Colombia, where she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.
Legal Counsel
Robert G. Rothstein is of counsel to Seaton & Husk, L.P. a transportation law firm with offices in Vienna, VA, and Nashville, TN. He serves the legal, legislative, regulatory, and business interests of motor carriers, household goods movers, private carriers, and logistics providers.
Rothstein received his undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Miami; his J.D. from the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University; and his L.L.M. in Labor Law from Georgetown University. He is admitted to practice in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and is also admitted to practice before several federal district courts and circuit courts of appeal. Rothstein’s practice is devoted cargo claim litigation, regulatory matters before the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and matters involving licensing, registration, and taxation of motor carriers by federal and state jurisdictions.
Rothstein serves as General Counsel to the Virginia Trucking Association. His civic involvement includes pro bono legal representation of trucking industry organizations Women In Trucking Association and Trucker Buddy International. He maintains a valid Class A Commercial Drivers License and logs at least one cross-country trip each year behind the wheel of an eighteen-wheeler.
President & CEO
Jennifer Hedrick, CAE, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Women In Trucking Association (WIT). Her responsibilities are to work closely with WIT’s board of directors and staff to oversee initiatives that support WIT’s mission to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by them.
Hedrick has 17 years of association leadership experience and is an accredited executive by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). For five years she led the National Industrial Transportation League (NIT League) focusing on issues across highway, rail and ocean freight transportation. In that role, she advocated on behalf of members to create efficiencies throughout the commercial freight transportation network.
In addition, she previously served as Vice President, Association Solutions, for MCI USA, where she served as Executive Director and Strategy Manager for several associations, providing full-scale management of operations, staff teams, and outside contractors. In these capacities, she also served as spokesperson for associations on Capitol Hill, before federal regulators, in trade and national press, and at conferences and other engagements.
Hedrick holds a Master of Arts degree from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Science degree from Bridgewater College.
Driver Ambassador
KayLeigh McCall is a Driver Training Engineer for Schneider National and has 7 years of commercial motor vehicle experience. She started her driving career as a school bus driver in Evans County, Georgia. After 2 years with the school system she went on to get her Class A license and work for 3 years at Evans Concrete as a mixer truck and tanker driver.
KayLeigh began her career at Schneider as a Regional Van Truck Load driver. She delivered to the eastern 24 states while in this position. Now, she is a dedicated port drayage driver with Schneider. She enjoys a Monday-Friday schedule on this account.
In 2021, KayLeigh was named the Featured Female Driver for Schneider. This role has allowed her to be a voice and for current and future female drivers. As the Featured Female Driver, she was invited to speak about the Driver Experience during Schneider’s 2021 Customer Advisory Event.
As a native of Claxton, Georgia, KayLeigh enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom and pastry chef for 10 years. She currently resides there with her husband and four children.
Senior Director, Membership
As Senior Director of Membership, Alyssa is responsible for membership growth, engagement and retention for the association. She has more than 15 years of experience in association roles including membership, marketing, education, public relations and event planning.
Prior to this role in membership, Alyssa was the Communications and Marketing Manager, Membership for IFMA, the world’s largest and most widely recognized international association for facility management professionals. In addition, she was in membership, marketing and education leadership roles for the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, CORFAC International and the National Glass Association.
Alyssa currently lives in North Carolina with her family.
Although the trucking industry has made great strides to accommodate women, there are still obstacles that might cause some to avoid this career opportunity and others who choose to leave. As carriers advertise automated transmissions, air ride seats, drop and hook freight, and regional runs, the industry becomes more attractive for female drivers as well as their male counterparts.
Outside of the truck, our focus is to bring more women into leadership roles to create a more diverse environment and to tap into unrealized potential. We represent women who design the trucks, own the trucks, sell the trucks, fix the trucks, and drive the trucks.
In our short history, Women In Trucking has accomplished a great deal since the association was formed. At that first meeting held in March of 2007, twelve innovative and influential women formed the first board of directors and established the group’s mission.
Ellen Voie founds the Women In Trucking Association and the first membership drive attracts 500 members.
The Women In Trucking Association launches premier issue of Redefining the Road magazine!
Membership is not limited to women, as our efforts will benefit every one of us who wants to see the industry opened up to more individuals, regardless of gender.