2 minute read
Asked & Answered
DECEMBER
Women in the Manufacturing Environment Panel Speakers Rosa Arroyo-Vega, MS SHE Management; BS Sociology Safety, Health & Environmental Manager at Alpek Polyester
Rosa was born and raised in San Germán, Puerto Rico. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and has worked as a supervisor in different industries including the ARMY National Guard, Warehouses, Food Industry and Manufacturing. She is an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran having done a tour of duty in 2005. During the economic recession in 2009, Rosa moved to the United States looking for better job opportunities and she became interested in working in risk control and safety. In 2015 she had an opportunity to be a Safety Manager and in 2022, she completed a Master’s degree in Safety, Health & Environmental Management. She believes there is no perfect time to “start over” and that no one is too old or too late to start a project, goal, or career.
Dayana Blandon Human Resources Manager DAK Americas LLC-Alpek Polyester
Born in South America, growing up in New York City and a graduate from CUNY University with a Cultural Anthropology degree, Dayana Blandon has spent her adult life immersed in culture, diversity and people development. She is currently the HR Manager at Alpek Polyester in Reading, PA. She is an avid volunteer, coach and mentor for people of all ages and all different walks of life. In the past, she has volunteered with the Junior Achievement Women in Business Mentoring Program and she currently volunteers at her church, LCBC, as a Next Steps facilitator; a board member for Berks Tech Centro and a mother of three amazing boys. She takes pride in her purpose to build inclusive programs and assist Latino communities in finding a voice and career paths in manufacturing where she spent most of her HR professional work history.
Teri Boyer Production/Operations Supervisor DAK Americas LLC-Alpek Polyester
Teri had a career in school bus transportation for many years. While she was successful, she strove for more. She got a job working in manufacturing as a machine operator and quickly realized that it still was not enough to fulfill her. They were looking for a supervisor and since she had many years of supervision in transportation, the company was willing to invest in her. She quickly knew that is where she belonged. When the recycling plant was being built by Carbonlite, she knew it would be a huge challenge and she was eager to take it on. The recycling industry was new to her and every day was a learning experience. Many challenges have come her way and there are more to come. It is a male-dominated field but she doesn’t let that inhibit her. Rather, it drives her to keep learning and growing.
In the beginning of Shannan’s career, she attended a Women’s College that contained a CSA farm. She was a student worker on the farm and managed the bio-diesel production for the farm equipment. This was her first real-world experience working in an environment where one received waste and manufactured a useful material out of it. This role required knowledge of regulations, specification limits and the overall creation of Quality and Production processes. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management and Policy and started working in a steel mill Quality lab, where she learned the day-to-day operations. After several years, which included taking on increased responsibilities in the lab, she returned
