Fourth STEP Ahead Awards Recognize Women for Excellence in Manufacturing

The Manufacturing Institute Will Honor Debra Leach from GLOBALFOUNDRIES

WASHINGTON, DC - The Manufacturing Institute announced they will award Debra Leach with the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award. The STEP Ahead 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 the C suite.

Leach serves as senior director for global supply management at GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ Fab 8 in Malta, New York.  Over the course of her career, she has held leadership roles at all three of GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ fabs along the Northeast Tech Corridor.  She previously managed manufacturing operations at Fab 10 in East Fishkill, New York and was director of procurement at Fab 9 in Burlington, Vermont.  A native of Jeffersonville, VT, she now makes her home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“As a key leader for Fab 8’s women’s network, ‘GlobalWomen’, Deb has been overseeing a team of women to create and deliver events on site in technical leadership, mentoring and work-life balance,” said Mark Dougherty, vice president of module engineering at Fab 8. “In addition, she mentors several engineers and managers at GLOBALFOUNDRIES on career and personal development.” 

“These women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing,” said Jennifer McNelly, executive director, The Manufacturing Institute. “We chose to honor 130 women nationally because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole. The STEP Ahead 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. “

A recent survey from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute found that 80 percent of American manufacturing companies have a moderate to severe shortage of available, qualified workers.

On April 21, The Manufacturing Institute will recognize the 130 recipients of the STEP Ahead Awards at a reception in Washington, D.C. The STEP Ahead Awards program will highlight each honoree’s story, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing.

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About GLOBALFOUNDRIES: GLOBALFOUNDRIES is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as one of the largest foundries in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more than 250 customers. With operations in Singapore, Germany and the United States, GLOBALFOUNDRIES is the only foundry that offers the flexibility and security of manufacturing centers spanning three continents. The company’s 300mm fabs and 200mm fabs provide the full range of process technologies from mainstream to the leading edge. This global manufacturing footprint is supported by major facilities for research, development and design enablement located near hubs of semiconductor activity in the United States, Europe and Asia. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is owned by Mubadala Development Company. For more information, visit http://www.globalfoundries.com.

About The Manufacturing Institute: The Manufacturing Institute (the Institute) is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. As a non-partisan organization, the Institute is committed to delivering leading-edge information and services to the nation's manufacturers. The Institute is the authority on the attraction, qualification and development of world--‐class manufacturing talent. For more information, please visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.