ACMA Board Member Kimberly Howard Honored with Women in Manufacturing STEP Ahead Award
Piyali Das March 20, 2017 Press Releases
March 20, 2017, (Arlington, Va.) – Kimberly Howard, the vice president and general manager of Glass Reinforcements for the Americas at Owens Corning and current Vice Chairman of the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA)'s Board of Directors, has been honored with The Manufacturing Institute's 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.
In addition to her work with the ACMA Board of Directors, Howard has led the association's Marketing Committee and has been an active member of ACMA's Executive Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and the Composites Growth Initiative. She serves on Advisory Board for the Vegan Leaders in Corporate Management, as well as the Board of Directors at the Owens Corning Foundation, the Directions Credit Union and The Toledo Ballet.
"We are incredibly proud that Kim, who has played a crucial role at ACMA for years, has been selected for this honor," said Tom Dobbins, ACMA President. "For the past five years, Kim has offered her time, effort and expertise, which has helped ACMA grow many programs and activities that benefit our members and the composites industry at large."
Howard started her career with Owens Corning more than 20 years ago, and has grown from an entry-level analyst to one of the company's top leaders. In her current position at Owens Corning, she leads a global business with approximately $750M in annual revenue and more than 2,500 employees spanning four countries.
She is responsible for creating and executing Owens Corning's growth strategy in the Americas, and has successfully commercialized net products every year, which has delivered growth and incremental gross margin for the business. She has also overseen the Owens Corning's expanded capacity in Latin America and Mexico to capture the global commercial opportunity created for the business. Additionally, she was responsible for Owens Cornings' rebuild of its assets in the region with record breaking vertical start-ups.
"I love solving problems, learning how things work, and continuous improvement," Howard said. "In the operations environment, I enjoyed enrolling and engaging employees at the plant to solve problems and improve performance. As a General Manager, I use those same skill sets as I listen, enroll and engage customers in solving problems and helping them grow."
Throughout her career, Howard has served as a role model for women in manufacturing. She currently coaches 10 women, both internal and external to Owens Corning. A mother of four daughters, she is passionate about paving the way for women to excel. She actively participates in the Women's Information Network and Women's Initiative of United Way. Beyond her formal career and volunteer leadership roles, Kim is a sponsor for children in other countries through Compassion International, donates to the Red Cross, and mentors many women in the community.