Women’s Equality Day (Aug. 26) is an annual celebration of the certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) recently sat down with one of its collaborating partners, the Honorable Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President and CEO of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, to discuss her views on women’s equality in the manufacturing sector.
Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO): Was there a time in your career when you felt like a minority due to being a woman?
Deborah Wince-Smith (DWS): I started out in a temporary job at the National Science Foundation working on scientific exchange programs between the United States and the former Eastern Bloc countries. I was one of the few women in that area at the time. When I used to travel overseas, virtually everybody I worked with in the counterpart organizations were men. I learned early on just to do my job and not think about it, but certainly in those days there weren’t many women in these government positions as well as in science and technology policy management.
AMO: You’ve served on a number of boards throughout your career. Have you seen more diversity over the years in these board rooms?
DWS: During my career, I really have seen the tremendous leadership in the U.S. government with women moving up into very senior levels – both political appointments and career jobs. And I think in many ways, the U.S. federal government was ahead of the curve of industry in that.
In terms of the board rooms, I think there’s still a long way to go there. When you’re on a large board or advisory committee – and there are 20 members or even 10 – if you just have one or two women or one minority, it’s not really diversity. You need a critical mass to have the diversity of thought emerge, and also the comfort of speaking and engaging. We’re making some progress. There are a number of boards that now have over a third of its members [being] women, some even half, but we need to do better.
AMO: As a woman, what do you credit with empowering you to be successful?
DWS: Women underestimate their capabilities, and we tend to be more risk averse. Taking risks is very important. I’m not talking about foolish risks, but being willing to go out of your comfort zone.
The other thing that’s very important for some of my younger colleagues in the workforce is to be respectful and accept your tasks, whatever your job is, while you’re growing and maturing. Recognize that you’re on a journey and it’s a long-term race, it’s not a sprint.
AMO: What advancements have you seen recently for women in the manufacturing industry specifically?
DWS: One of the ones that everyone loves to tout, and rightly so, is the new CEO and Chairman of General Motors, Mary Barra, coming up from the manufacturing world. That’s a tremendous example of leadership in manufacturing, that she moved up to the top from the manufacturing floor as opposed to being the CFO. If you look at the defense industry, Lockheed Martin has a woman CEO, General Dynamics does, as well as BAE Systems. Those are all manufacturing companies where women executives are leading advanced manufacturing enterprises that are delivering our national security at the highest level.
AMO: What’s your vision for American manufacturing, and how do you see women playing a role?
DWS: Back in the mid-’80s, we really had a big concern about manufacturing and a lot of initiatives were created, like the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and manufacturing extension programs. Today what’s really exciting about manufacturing’s future is that manufacturing is smart, safe, sustainable, surging, and it is a tremendous opportunity for our country to leapfrog into new areas of innovation-- whether it’s materials, sensors, artificial intelligence or robotics. But it requires “design thinking” and a whole ecosystem where women, I believe, have very strong skills to help drive that transformation. It’s not just the making of something. It’s the design, [research and development], and the logistic supply chain. Women have many opportunities to participate in the manufacturing enterprise, not just in a factory setting.
AMO: What would you say to a young woman trying to navigate her career in this field that has traditionally been male-dominated?
DWS: No one gets anywhere without help. It’s just part of being a human being. Women have to be confident that they can do things. Just go out there and start doing things. If you stumble and fail, it’s okay.
A young person’s education should be holistic. We need young people, and anybody who wants to have a dynamic and meaningful career, to be individuals who can merge humanities and arts and sciences, with some STEM core capabilities that you need to function in a highly quantitative world.
Deborah is on Twitter @DWinceSmith and LinkedIn
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The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) collaborates with the Council on Competitiveness through the American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness (AEMC) partnership which is focused on innovating for a clean energy future.