Safety doesn't stop at the fence line. Community preparedness, environmental stewardship, and developing the next generation of leaders are part of the same responsibility.
I've been involved with Manufacture Alabama since relocating to the state five years ago, and I'm glad to now serve on its Board of Directors. I'm excited to leverage what I've learned across other states — Texas, and the broader Gulf Coast — to help manufacturing thrive here in Alabama.
"Kristen and Connie each bring valuable leadership experience and unique perspectives that will strengthen our board as well as our association as a whole."
— Jon Barganier, President & CEO, Manufacture Alabama
I've invested in board and community service seriously — not as a resume line, but because I've seen what happens when industry and community aren't aligned. The fence line isn't the boundary of our responsibility.
What I bring to a board room is specific: deep operational credibility, process safety and environmental expertise, financial literacy (MBA), M&A integration experience, and a track record of leading through complexity at scale.
I serve because industry and community are stronger when they're aligned. It's a responsibility I take seriously.
My active focus is the American Chemistry Council, Manufacture Alabama, and Third Coast Contractor Safety Council.
Read full background →Manufacturer advocacy, workforce development, and policy at the state level.
2024–present. Advancing contractor safety standards across the Gulf Coast region.
Active in the ACC's Gulf Coast regional network. Helping build Alabama Chemistry Council engagement, drawing on Texas Chemistry Council experience.
Environmental stewardship and industry-community engagement.
Community emergency preparedness and hazardous materials response planning.
Industry advisory board supporting the next generation of engineers.
Council leadership and troop service. Recipient of the Juliette Gordon Low Award for outstanding volunteer leadership.
At any given time I'm mentoring 3–4 early-career professionals — men and women, different backgrounds, different life circumstances. My philosophy is simple: meet people where they are and help them become the best version of themselves.
I've mentored engineers who didn't fit the mold of wherever they landed. People who had the talent but needed someone to see it first. I've encouraged a friend to go back to teaching — she became a lead teacher in STEM.
I've built some of the most remarkable teams of my career simply by hiring talent. The people who thrive aren't the ones I fixed. They're the ones I believed in before they believed in themselves.
My strength is relatability — across backgrounds, experience levels, and life circumstances. What makes each person different is exactly what makes them valuable. The goal is never to make everyone the same. The goal is to help them become fully themselves.
That reaches beyond the plant, too. Through the Society of Women Engineers I've spoken to parents at SMU about STEM careers and joined an SWE fly-in — because the pipeline starts long before anyone reaches the workforce.
Operations. Risk. Culture. Finance. M&A integration. The kind of credibility that only comes from having actually run the work — and the strategic thinking that makes that experience useful at the board level.
