Toyota North America ranked No. 4 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list in 2023.
Three Toyota employees were honored at the Women MAKE Awards (formerly known as the STEP Ahead Awards) presented by the Manufacturing Institute.
The Women MAKE Awards recognizes women showing leadership in the manufacturing industry and making contributions to their local communities.
The 2023 ceremony celebrated 100 Honorees, including Toyota’s Christine Garramone, CPSM, C.P.M, general manager in the Purchasing Supplier Development division and Maura Smith, general manager of Line 1 Production at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky.
Garramone manages supply of all powertrain components used in vehicles assembled in North America. She serves as an executive board member and the vice chair of Inforum automotiveNEXT, co-led a live student mentorship program in 2022 and serves on the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) board.
Smith is the general manager of Toyota’s largest manufacturing operation in North America. She played an integral role in guiding the site through the COVID-19 pandemic, helping facilitate protocols that became a model for other Toyota facilities in the region.
This year’s ceremony also celebrated Emerging Leaders, recognizing 30 women under the age of 30 who have achieved unique accomplishments at the start of their careers. Jessica Buck, senior vehicle dynamics engineer at Toyota’s North American R&D headquarters in Michigan, was among the awardees.
Buck oversees development of the ride and handling performance of a future next-generation model, represented the company in the 2021 Rebelle Rally and volunteers as a grief facilitator at a local healing center.
Read more about the honorees at pressroom.toyota.com.
