Year: 2021

This technician spotlight is published as part of TechForce Foundation’s diversity initiatives. Help us find other women technicians to highlight in Women Techs Rock. Get started at TechForce.org/WomenTechStories

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Women Techs Rock Highlight

Name: Kimberly Lakner
Employer: Walmart, Shop Service Manager
Location: Florida
School: Marine Corps

 

Who is Kimberly Lakner?

Kimberly is the shop manager at a Florida-based Walmart Distribution Facility. She started at Walmart 27 years ago as a truck fueler and washer then moved into a technician role and eventually into management. She started her career in the Marine Corps where she received her diesel training.

She likes working for Walmart and moved around when the opportunity was made available. She has been in management since 2002. Her role allows her to occasionally go into the shop to wrench, she enjoys doing diagnostics and research on equipment to help solve issues.

She misses wrenching full time because it allowed her to do something of a solo nature in management, she manages the full workload of the shop. When she was in the Marine Corps, she was accepted as a female in the diesel area. Where she was tasked with a job, and she did the job.

When she left the Marine Corps, she immediately felt the difference in that she had to always work harder to prove herself. Once she built a reputation as a technician who did good work,
she then was getting requested by drivers specifically.

In general, Kimberly believes that as a manager it is her job to identify where help is needed and provide the assistance to make the technician’s job easier for them to understand.

 

Q & A:

Was there an incident that stuck out in your memory that was a turning point for you in your thinking of yourself as a professional tech?

YES! She asked a supervisor for help with an electronic wiring harness problem. He came over to help but ended up taking over. I had to stand up for myself and say, “Hey I don’t want you to do my job, I want you to teach me how to do my job better’. If I hadn’t stood up, I would have become that tech that men would view as “see, women can’t do it”. That supervisor treated me very differently after that encounter. Not only did I gain his respect, but I proved myself and he then trusted me without question going forward. We still stay in touch, and I still remember that interaction as a defining moment.

 

What mantra do you use when things get challenging? What would you tell your younger you?

Do what you’re passionate about and don’t let anyone stop you.

 

Is the stigma of a women technician going away?

No but it is changing. As things evolve to EV and Hybrid it becomes less and less about the grease monkey stigma and more and more about computers and electronics. That changes the stigma. Moving from grease monkey into true technician and maybe into engineer.

 

What should be done to get more women into the profession?

Start them young and teach women to raise one another up. Women must change from within and share ownership and pride with other women. Start in schools on teaching acceptance and understanding what that really means. It’s ok to partner with others to help you as long as women are standing up for themselves.

 

What is your dream form of transportation?

Her fun toy is a motorcycle.  Kimberly won’t wrench on any of her own vehicles.

 

 

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This technician spotlight is published as part of TechForce Foundation’s diversity initiatives. Help us find other women technicians to highlight in Women Techs Rock. Get started at TechForce.org/WomenTechStories

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Women Techs Rock Highlight

Name: Riley Mahl
Employer: Private Collection
Age: 22
Location: Coopersburg, PA
School: Pennsylvania College of Technology

 

Who is Riley Mahl?

Sometimes the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In Riley Mahl’s case, the daughter doesn’t stray far from the father. Understandable when her stay-at-home, chemical engineer dad was the editor for a Studebaker club newspaper and was willing to allow Riley’s mother to name their daughter–in exchange for permission to buy a classic Packard, that is. Riley literally grew up alongside the vintage Packard, leaving a significant imprint as she watched her dad work on it her entire childhood.

In high school, Riley served her community as a volunteer firefighter and water rescuer. Already possessing several practical skills, Riley was naturally skeptical of the merits of a college education, despite her father’s suggestions. They compromised, and Riley attended the technical high school where her father was an automotive instructor to prepare herself to join the workforce. Not wanting to be caught in her father’s shadow, Riley elected to take machining courses for two years instead.

With her firefighting and rescue experience, Riley originally planned on becoming a paramedic, attending classes at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. However, after taking some anatomy classes she found that her passions and ambitions lie elsewhere. Riley was reminded of the auto restoration student who gave her a campus tour and was intrigued. She instantly fell in love with the program, being surrounded by classic cars in class, and learning about automotive history and painting. She even loved that old car smell. Riley finally had an avenue to express her newfound natural ability to troubleshoot and fix things.

Riley was introduced to the curator of a local private car collection through the program, and was even interviewed for a summer internship. When the interviewer saw “Riley” on the application, he wasn’t expecting a young woman, but quickly moved past the initial shock, offering her the position. Over the summer, Riley learned a great deal about vintage automobiles and was taught to work with a high attention to detail, giving her the edge over her peers. Riley became a standout student as a very skilled pupil and the only woman in the program. While there was often headbutting with her male classmates, Riley was able to work past these differences and earn the respect she deserved from the very beginning.

In her own words, “for every great man in automobiles, there was a woman behind him.”

 

Q & A:

What would you tell your 16-year-old self about standing up for yourself?

“Don’t back down on your opinion. Don’t back down on your values. Learn to deal with the boys’ club mentality. When I started showing them up, the men made life harder, so you must find a way to balance doing your best and managing the male and female rivalry. Think about why the men might be giving you a hard time. Most of the time it’s because they are jealous of your abilities!”

 

What mantra do you use when things get challenging?

“Don’t give up. I face obstacles but find my path forward. If I struggle, I look for a solution, and if I can’t find one it is okay to ask for help. We [women] may be more physically challenged, so sometimes you have to ask for help. If you fall off the horse, dust yourself off and keep going. There is no such thing as a stupid question.”

 

What is your dream form of transportation?

“Ride a horse everywhere! It’s just a different kind of horsepower.”

Riley also dreams of inheriting her father’s 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood, which belonged to her grandfather.

 

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This technician spotlight is published as part of TechForce Foundation’s diversity initiatives. Help us find other women technicians to highlight in Women Techs Rock. Get started at TechForce.org/WomenTechStories

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Women Techs Rock Highlight

Name: Samantha “Clary” Bellino
Employer: Volvo
Age: 24
Location: Bellevue, WA
School: UTI Dallas, followed by Volvo manufacturer’s program

 

Who is Clary Bellino?

Clary Bellino knows what it takes to build success. After graduating from the Dallas campus of Universal Technical Institute (UTI) with a 4.0 GPA and a 97% attendance rate, Clary’s hard work and determination allowed her to choose any manufacturer’s program she wanted. Volvo was the lucky program to receive her efforts, and quickly she was off to Phoenix, AZ to train in Volvo’s technical service program.

After completing the Volvo training program, Clary crossed the country to take her first dealership service job at a small Volvo dealership in Pennsylvania. Not challenged by the oil change work she mainly carried out at the dealership, Clary set her sights higher. She began to participate in a corporate network of other women technicians within Volvo, expanding her professional network. This networking would pay off when another technician in the Volvo program mentioned the career opportunities at her own dealership.

“…Clary knew she was taking a huge leap but now feels that it was completely worth it
as she has found a career that fits her skills, motivations, and ambitions.”

All Clary needed was the right connection, and after a phone interview with the service manager at the new dealership, Clary was hired on the spot. She was such an outstanding candidate, she was able to negotiate relocation assistance and help her roommates find jobs at the dealership as porters. Once again, Clary drove all the way across the country, this time heading westward to Washington State.

Having zero experience with the area, Clary knew she was taking a huge leap but now feels that it was completely worth it as she has found a career that fits her skills, motivations, and ambitions. At her new Volvo dealership in Bellevue, WA, Clary is now a trusted member of the service team and continues to receive plenty of challenging work that makes her feel productive and well-placed.

 

Q & A:

What have you learned since working?

“Unless you have been at it for 10 years, you have to ask questions, but men make it sound like they know it all. You can’t be afraid to ask questions about what you don’t know.”

 

Are there different rules for men vs women?

“YES! We must show more certifications and more knowledge and to make it. It seems that the industry assumes a man knows how to do it all and his training and preparation don’t seem to matter as much.”

 

How do you move past the frustrating times?

“I remember the times when people said I couldn’t do it, and it energizes me to show them all that I can, I will, and I do!”

 

How did you get into this career?

“Did it out of pure spite. I had a few friends who were techs. In high school I wanted to be able to take care of my own car and keep myself moving so I would ask my tech friends who would tell me what to do. And I would do it! So I learned a few things. But everyone said I couldn’t do it. It was a mistake and my “I will prove you wrong” side took over. So, I did it out of spite.”

 

What would you tell other women considering this profession?

“You’re not there to make friends, you’re there to make a paycheck and it doesn’t matter what others think. If you keep your head down and stand up for yourself, you will surpass the men or others who don’t have the confidence and didn’t take advantage to learn more as they went. Women don’t stand up for themselves because they aren’t taught to. Some women must first unlearn what they think they know to become confident enough to stand up for themselves. I had to relearn that I am a human and not just a pretty face. In fact, I am a capable human!”

 

What mantra do you use when things get challenging?

“You’re here, you’ve done all of this so far so why stop now. My 16-year-old self would have thought I am dumb for trying this. I didn’t come from a great family background. I thought I would be dead by 18 or going nowhere as an adult. I had no family support at first. I was a girly girl from way back, but my dad saw something in me as I matured and helped me move each step of the way. Because he wanted to be part of the story! He even drove my toolbox across the country!”

 

What is your biggest career goal?

“After getting as high up as I can at a dealership, I would like to open my own dealership or service shop.”

 

What is your dream form of transportation?

Clary describes a wide range of dream cars, from Hyundai Velosters, to Dodge Challenger Demons, to a classic Hemi ‘Cuda
But like so many other technicians, Clary continues to take care of her 16 year-old, 190,000 mile car, affectionately named Eleanor Rigby. It has criss-crossed the country more than once and shows no signs of slowing down.

 

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This technician spotlight is published as part of TechForce Foundation’s diversity initiatives. Help us find other women technicians to highlight in Women Techs Rock. Get started at TechForce.org/WomenTechStories

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Technician: Bethaney Bowman
Employer: Owner, Gear Jammers
Age: 35

Who is Bethaney Bowman?

Bethaney’s legacy as a leader in the automotive industry started from an early age, with a role model at home. Her own mother was the first woman to graduate from Edison Tech School in upstate New York, setting an example for Bethaney that she could do whatever she set her mind to, even if she had to be the first woman to do it.

Like so many other car enthusiasts of the time, Bethaney’s parents were avid drag racers, and made sure they passed this down to Bethaney. Bethaney and her father built her very own junior dragster from scratch at the young age of 8, and she continued to compete in it for years. This experience of tinkering with her dad sowed the seeds that she would build a career with.

In the 7th grade, Bethaney seized the opportunity to take a small engines class, where she learned an important life lesson. The class required students to break out into pairs, but as a young woman in a male-dominated class, Bethaney ended up working alone. She would often endure bullying for this, even getting spit on while walking to class. Bethaney pushed on despite this, continuing through small engines and electronics classes to make the jump into automotive.

When Bethaney was in the 11th grade, she moved with her family and started at a new school. Once again, she was the only woman in the class. The program allowed for ASE and NATEF certifications, and Bethaney seized the opportunity as one of only 5 students in the NATEF program.

In what she describes as the largest impact on her automotive career, Bethaney met an extraordinary automotive instructor, who was able to provide valuable 1-on-1 instruction due to the small class size. Bethaney continues to keep in touch with this instructor, who is still teaching today.

After high school, Bethaney set off for the University of Northern Ohio (UNOH), with the goal to graduate with zero debt. This required Bethaney to keep a grueling schedule, working from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm as a waitress, automotive lube tech, and any other job necessary before attending class from midnight to 6:00 am. Bethaney describes that she survived the ordeal with energy drinks, Oreos, and sheer determination.

Bethaney would even meet her now-husband at UNOH over some friendly competition over who had the better truck. This casual banter would blossom into a once-in-a-lifetime romance for Bethaney. Her husband went down a diesel tech career path, as Bethaney remained focused on the automotive side.

At the start of her career, Bethaney worked for Jiffy Lube and Firestone but quickly decided that the fast turnaround of these organizations was not how she envisioned her career. Bethaney pivoted to dealership work hoping to find stability but would be tripped up by an employer that was struggling to make its sales goals. Always remaining flexible and open to trying new things, Bethaney landed at ProCharger, building the company’s namesake superchargers, giving her valuable experience with a stable schedule and pay.

However, Bethaney would begin to feel the monotony of a traditional 9-5 job, ultimately leaving ProCharger and becoming pregnant with her first child. After a year-long stint as a fitness instructor, Bethaney was drawn back into her automotive passion after the birth of her second child, building high-performance engines for Tristar. Like many can relate, Bethaney and her husband found themselves moving around a lot and decided that it was time to build roots and develop a sustainable long-term plan.

During this process, Bethaney had come to understand that she and her husband had gained enough joint knowledge to start their very own business. Around the birth of their third child, Bethaney and her husband were able to make that dream a reality, starting Gear Jammers as a mobile mechanic business.

Eventually, they would find shop space, servicing diesel over-the-road trucks as well as autos. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gear Jammers pivoted back to mobile work, feeling that it was the strongest aspect of their thriving business. This helped free up Bethaney to take up a new challenge–to become a super mom, managing three kids and her busy home life while working within her passion field.

Q&A

Q: What are some of the challenges of being a female tech that you want to alert others to and start a dialogue for improvement?
A: “Finding a balance in life is always a challenge. You must decide what’s important to you and set your priorities with your own guide in mind. But if you are going to do the job, do it right and do it well.”

Q: Who influences you in your work?
A: “Bogi Lateiner and Faye Hadley from All Girls Garage. They remind me that women can and
should do what they are passionate about.”

Q: What is changing the stigma for women techs?
A: “New technology. The more and more new technology advances to EV/Hybrid and autonomy the less the job becomes a mechanics job and the more it becomes a technician role. You need to know the basics of an engine as the foundation to any of it but for those who are very technical the computer-based work will take over eventually.”

Q: What needs to happen to get more women in this profession?
A: “Women need to see that they can do it. They can tackle this, or anything, and they need to stop listening to others and listen to themselves. If you like doing puzzles, then you will like this because at the end you get a pretty picture–only these start and impact life.”

This technician spotlight is published as part of TechForce Foundation’s diversity initiatives. Help us find other women technicians to highlight in Women Techs Rock. Get started at TechForce.org/WomenTechStories

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Technician: Dara “Dee” Lease
Employer: Sunstate Equipment
Age: 31

Who is Dee Lease?

Raised by a single mother, Dee Lease understood the importance–and difficulty–of independence from an early age. Like so many other women, Dee had to walk down many different paths to find her way in this world. To start building a stable career and future, Dee was convinced by her peers to attend nursing school. Quickly Dee found that she was not following her heart and decided that nursing school was not a good fit for her skills and interests.

However, Dee always was a tinkerer, and she recognized that she had the right mindset and aptitude for technical work. More importantly, Dee came to appreciate that what she truly wanted was the sense of independence that comes from being able to understand how things work, and how to fix those same things when they stop working. Unfortunately, Dee’s high school did not offer much in the way of technical education, so Dee had to find it elsewhere.

Once again going against the advice and pressures from those around her, Dee would join the United States Navy to try and forge her own path through her life. Despite concerns from her mother, Dee finally found an environment in which she thrived, as a technician in the Navy’s FA/18 fighter jet program. Driven to continue furthering her education and life experiences, Dee learned about the G.I. Bill program that would provide the tuition assistance to offer her a chance at a professional education.

Through her research into her educational future, Dee came across Universal Technical Institute (UTI). Dee felt that automotive work fit well with her mechanical interests and aptitude, her military experience, and her continued journey for personal independence. At UTI, Dee began taking Ford-specific classes, believing that it would provide a stable future and an abundance of opportunities. However, while in school, she met a recruiter for Sunstate Equipment, a heavy equipment rental company.

Dee noticed how happy the recruiter was to be working for Sunstate, and the glowing reviews he gave the company and its work environment. Once again following her gut instinct, Dee interviewed with Sunstate and was hired immediately. Dee now works as a diesel and heavy equipment technician with Sunstate. To Dee, when things get difficult or out of her comfort zone, that’s when she knows she needs to continue to push forward to grow as a person.

Dee knows her profession is tough on women, and she continues to push through the resistance she faces, choosing instead to see the upside and turn difficult situations into learning moments and to gather motivation. Dee refused to become mired in the negatives.

Dee has found a life work balance that she understands not all others get to enjoy. She is in the process of adopting a one-year-old and looks forward to sharing the many life lessons she has learned. The most important lesson being to follow your passions as you grow older.

Dee’s next major career goal is to learn as much as possible about as much different heavy equipment and machinery so that she may further her training with Sunstate to become an equipment and technician trainer.

Q&A

Q: What would you tell other women considering this profession?
A: Dee believes the educational foundation is key, and that other women should look for where their passion lies. School should amplify their interests and advance their knowledge. Dee continued to learn things even when she thought she felt they were challenging, and now she can do things like read schematics and work with electronics as well as any other technician.
She believes it is important for technicians to continue to find opportunities to learn and advance their training. “Technology is going to advance, so you need to advance with it.”

Q: What mantra do you use when things get challenging?
A: “Fear is the false evidence appearing real. The acronym for F.E.A.R. is False Evidence Appearing Real.”
While Dee overcame challenges and plenty of negative feedback when choosing her career, she says she wouldn’t change her path for anything. It has grown her knowledge and confidence in ways she would not have considered prior.

Q: What is your dream form of transportation?
A: Dee dreams of a 1976 Chevrolet squarebody truck someday, but for now will settle for the reliability and safety her Honda Civic affords her–family being first.