The 2020's Most Influential Women to Watch

In the quest for gender equality, we
can see advancement in most
sectors, even in careers still
dominated by men. Regardless of the
job, most of us can agree that barriers
are being removed. In the late sixties
and seventies, the scenario was quite
different, as many careers were
assigned for girls or boys. At that time,
girls studied home economics and boys
took industrial arts courses.
It was uncommon at the time for a
woman to pursue a career that was
male-specific according to the social
norms. But, Ellen Voie, the Founder
and President of the Women In
Trucking Association (WIT), has a
different story to tell. Since her
childhood, Ellen was more interested
in learning the hands-on skills the boys
were learning. With her mother’s
encouragement, she opted to take the
shop class instead of home economics.
Ellen
Voie
An Entrepreneur Breaking Stereotypes
Ellen learned woodworking, welding,
drafting, and auto mechanics. Title IX
of the federal civil rights act had been
recently adopted to create an equal
level of education for both girls as well
as boys. This legislation meant that
girls and boys could have a level
playing field when it came to school, as
well as the opportunity to play in
sports.
Ellen likes to relate the story about
sharing the family station wagon with
her older brother. When she wanted to
use the car, she relied on her auto
mechanics lessons to make that
happen. She would disconnect the
distributor cap so the car wouldn’t start
for her brother and then replace it
when she was ready to use the vehicle.
The Pilot to her Career
In 1978, Ellen accepted a position at a
steel fabricating plant in central
10 | MAY 2020
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