PMA Southern New England District Elects New Administrator
The PMA Southern New England District is pleased to announce the addition of Katie Barry, Quality Manager of Marion Manufacturing, as its new District Administrator. “We were fortunate to have had the previous administrator for the past 15 years,” says Lucas Karabin, District Director. “In searching for a new candidate, our board had indicated the value in someone with a manufacturing background. Katie’s previous participation in PMA events helps a lot, and our district will continue to grow with her filling the critical role as district administrator. She is a natural fit for our administrator and her background in manufacturing is demonstrated by her roll-up-your-sleeves and get-it-right approach.”
According to Katie, “after finding out about the administrator position through a district notice, I applied right away. I had started attending district meetings and volunteering at about the same time I was promoted to quality inspector, nearly six years ago. I know everyone on the board, and I saw this as an opportunity to build stronger relationships and get exposed to more aspects of the industry. Lucas reached out to me shortly after applying and the board unanimously approved my position at the end of February.”
Passion and Commitment
“I fell in love with manufacturing seven years ago when I came to Marion Manufacturing as a machine operator, as part of an OJT training program through the Department of Labor,” said Katie. “I continued training and took classes part-time. Through hard work, motivation and commitment, I was promoted to quality inspector and shipping and receiving supervisor. It has been a quick growth period ever since. I have been in my current position as quality manager for about four years, and continue to improve my learning and skills by pursuing a Master’s degree.”
“Generational Mentorship”
Katie also is a part of the next generation of industry leaders and volunteers, bringing a passion to encourage young professionals and embrace mentorship, at all levels. “At Marion Manufacturing, there is a supportive and motivating culture. It has been important to my professional growth to have someone like Doug Johnson (president of Marion Mfg. and 2022 PMA chairman) as a mentor. His experience and hands-on knowledge are priceless. But it is also nice to have mentors that are young, maybe even younger than me. I belong to other organizations like the United Way, Chamber of Commerce and Smaller Manufacturing Association (SMA), that have groups for professionals between the ages of 21-45. I participate and get a lot of good ideas, especially in new ways to communicate, like using social media, which I can definitely improve.”
Katie joins a network of other young “next gen” officers from PMA Districts who are reshaping the leadership and direction of PMA. Welcome aboard, Katie!