Plover, WI (September 9, 2020) — The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) and Freightliner Trucks announced today six finalists for the 2020 Influential Woman in Trucking award. This is the tenth year for the award which was developed in 2010 as a way to honor female leaders and to attract and advance women in the trucking industry.
The award highlights the achievements of female role models and trailblazers in the trucking industry.
The 2020 Influential Woman in Trucking award finalists are:
Anderson attended Buena Visa College where she obtained her B.A. degree in Business and Finance. She also holds an Associates degree in Risk Management and Certified Director of Safety and still maintains her commercial driver’s license.
As an active member of the Nebraska Trucking Association, Anderson currently serves as the Executive Chairman. She is also a member of the Nebraska Trucking Association’s Logistic Council and Nebraska Trucking Association’s newly formed Women’s Council where she actively participates in mentoring youth.
Knichel’s proudest accomplishments are winning the inaugural Distinguished Woman in Logistics Award from WIT and her appointment as the Intermodal Logistics Conference Chair on the TIA Board of Directors. She has recently been featured in Pittsburgh Magazine for Women in Business. For the second year in a row, she has received an award for the top 50 fastest growing companies in Pittsburgh.
Today, her focus is on expanding Knichel Logistics’ footprint via strategic development and continuing to offer her team members the opportunity for growth and self-improvement.
During her 14-year tenure with Johnson Controls International, her positions included general manager of the global building automation systems business and senior roles in enterprise account management, vertical market development, operations and customer relations. She earned a juris master degree from Emory University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Vana leads the J.B. Hunt 360 digital freight matching platform infrastructure and operations, cyber security, cloud, network, business continuity, databases, unified communications engineering, digital workplace solutions, enterprise information management, software development and IT operations (DevOps) continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), quality assurance, and performance and tuning. Vana ensures J.B. Hunt driver technologies and shipper integration technologies are running effectively. Vana was instrumental in enabling J.B. Hunt employees to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teuton received her B.S. in Business from Nicholls State University in 1987 and her J.D. from Loyola University in 1990. She is passionate about business and proud to carry on her family’s legacy. She is a past President of American Truck Dealers – ATD (a division of the National Auto Dealers Association) and currently represents Kenworth Dealers on the Board of Directors at ATD.
Yariv brings a wealth of market knowledge, product strategy, and leadership to the team. Yariv has over 20 years of experience in transportation and technology. Prior to joining Omnitracs, she held leadership roles at Coyote Logistics (acquired by UPS) and Expedia. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Master of Science in IT, both from Northwestern University.
The judges for the 2020 award are Ellen Voie, WIT president and CEO; Deborah Lockridge, editor in chief, Heavy Duty Trucking; and Ruth Lopez, director of TMC North/ OMC Operations, Ryder Supply Chain and 2019 Influential Woman in Trucking award recipient.
All six finalists will participate on a panel at the WIT Accelerate! Conference & Expo held virtually, Nov. 12 – 13, 2020. The winner will be announced after the panel discussion, “How Remarkable Women Unleash their Leadership Potential” on Friday, Nov. 13 at 9:15am CST.
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Women In Trucking, Inc. is a nonprofit association established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. Membership is not limited to women, as 17 percent of its members are men who support the mission. Women In Trucking is supported by its members and the generosity of Gold Level Partners: Amazon, Arrow Truck Sales, BMO Transportation Finance, Daimler Trucks North America, Expediter Services, FedEx Freight, Great Dane, J.B. Hunt Transport, Michelin North America, Penske Transportation Solutions, PACCAR, Ryder System, Walmart, and Waste Management. Follow WIT on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. For more information, visit www.womenintrucking.org or call 888-464-9482.
Freightliner Trucks is a division of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets Class 5-8 trucks and is a Daimler company, the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer. For more information, go to www.Freightliner.com.