ERLANGER, Ky. (Jan. 6, 2014) – The Manufacturing Institute announced they will award Toyota executives Millie Marshall and Susan Elkington with the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Award.
 
The STEP Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to executive.
 
“Millie Marshall and Susan Elkington are highly regarded and valued within the company and we are pleased to see them recognized externally by The Manufacturing Institute,” said Osamu “Simon” Nagata, President & CEO, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
 
Millie Marshall, president of Toyota’s West Virginia powertrain plant, joined Toyota in 1991 at the company’s Georgetown, Ky. vehicle and engine assembly plant as a specialist in information systems.  Prior to being named plant president, she served as general manager of administration at Toyota’s Huntsville, Ala. plant and as vice president of human resources at the North American manufacturing headquarters in Erlanger, Ky.
 
Susan Elkington, project general manager of Toyota Motor Corporation’s Global Production Center in Japan, began her career with Toyota’s Princeton, Ind. plant in 1998 as an assembly specialist on the team preparing for the start of production. Over the years, she has held leadership positions in production, maintenance and engineering and most recently vice president for administration and manufacturing at the Indiana plant.
 
The Manufacturing Institute will recognize 160 recipients of the STEP Awards at a reception in Washington, D.C. on February 6.  The STEP Awards program will highlight each Honoree’s story, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing.
 
“These 160 women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing,” said Jennifer McNelly, president, The Manufacturing Institute. “We chose to honor these women because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole.  The STEP Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research, and leadership for attracting, advancing, and retaining strong female talent.”