The Manufacturing Institute has released their annual STEP Ahead Awards list, which recognizes outstanding women and allies in manufacturing who are driving impact from the shop floor to the C-suite. This year, Shanda Gentry, plant manager at LP’s Roaring River facility in North Carolina, was named a 2026 STEP Ahead Honoree, and Ariel Foss, safety manager at LP’s mill in Houlton, Maine, was named a 2026 STEP Ahead Emerging Leader.
Gentry is LP’s only female plant manager across more than 20 North American manufacturing facilities and has driven operational improvements while championing more inclusive plant design and workplace culture.
Foss has helped transform the safety culture at LP’s Houlton facility, contributing to more than 460 consecutive injury-free days and nearly 400,000 safe work hours, while also leading initiatives that empower frontline employees to take ownership of safety.
Both leaders are also active advocates for the next generation of manufacturing talent, mentoring colleagues and working with local schools and workforce programs to introduce students, particularly young women, to careers in the skilled trades.
The full list of honorees will be recognized at the STEP Ahead Awards Gala in Washington, D.C., on April 23.
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