The Manufacturing Institute has honored Accuride’s Jd Marhevko, vice president, Quality/Lean Management Systems & EHS, with its Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award for 2016. The STEP Ahead Awards, now in their fourth year, recognize women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of manufacturing, from the factory floor to executive leadership.
“It is gratifying to see Jd’s contributions to her profession, the industry and Accuride’s manufacturing renaissance recognized by her peers,” said Rick Dauch, president and CEO of Accuride. “Jd has played an integral leadership role in Accuride’s achievement of world-class operating performance by both teaching and personally implementing the quality management processes and Lean Six Sigma tools applied by our associates across the company. Her commitment to excellence strengthens Accuride’s culture of continuous improvement that is evident in every product we make.”
“These women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing,” said The Manufacturing Institute Executive Director Jennifer McNelly. “We chose to honor these women because they each have made significant achievements in manufacturing through their positive impact on their companies and the industry as a whole.”
“I am deeply honored to be recognized as a 2016 STEP Ahead Award recipient by The Manufacturing Institute,” said Marhevko. “I value this opportunity to join my industry peers in encouraging women to consider applying their talents to careers in manufacturing, which currently is experiencing a shortage of women in the workforce.”
The Manufacturing Institute launched the STEP Ahead initiative in 2012 to celebrate women in the manufacturing industry that are making a difference through advocacy, mentorship, engagement, promotion and leadership. The STEP Ahead Awards will highlight the achievements of women in manufacturing on a national stage with a formal gala to celebrate their accomplishments. The 2016 STEP Ahead Awards Gala on April 21, in Washington, D.C., will celebrate the honorees, their nominating organizations and peers within the industry.
Marhevko has served as vice president, Quality/Lean Management Systems & EHS for Accuride since May 2014. She joined the company in January 2012 after more than two decades in quality, Lean/Six Sigma and operations leadership roles with SPX, Eaton, Cincinnati Milacron, Cherry Automotive and Robert Bosch Corp., among others. During her Accuride tenure, three of the company’s sites have received the prestigious AME Manufacturing Excellence Award. Marhevko is an ASQ Fellow, certified manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, certified quality engineer, certified Six Sigma Black Belt and an ASQ certified trainer for a variety of quality tools. Marhevko is a Master Black Belt and has held numerous Baldrige Assessor roles. She holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Oakland University and an Master of Science in administration from Central Michigan University.
