2000 AUTOMOTIVE NEWS 100 LEADING WOMEN AWARDS

Education: Bachelor's, business and economics, St. Ambrose University

First automotive job: Staff Coordinator, Service Parts, Production Control at Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing, 1989

Proudest achievement: "I've been fortunate in my career to be given opportunities that have had high visibility. I'm proud of the program I built at MMMA."

On being successful: "My basic principle on success is what you get out of it is what you put into it. I do my best and I work hard; that's how you eventually accomplish the success."

On being a woman in the industry: "I'm working in a very exciting time. I moved from the agriculture industry to the auto industry. It's a much faster pace in a very global industry with other cultures. Basically, I have never felt I was in this industry alone. I've had mentors and I've always worked in places that taught me not to look at myself as a woman but as an individual. If you do that, you are successful, and it's based on your individual achievements."

Career highlights:

Other positions at Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America include:

• 1991-99 Manager, Service Parts, Production Control
• 1990-91 Branch Manager, Service Parts, Production Control

Positions at John Deere Harvester Works, East Moline, Ill., include:

• 1987-89 Functional Systems Analyst
• 1986-87 Master Scheduler/Forecast
• 1984-86 New Product Coordinator
• 1984 Intrafactory Buyer, Purchasing