ManufacturingNEXT Event (virtual)

Creating inclusive environments to welcome and retain diversity in manufacturing

Diversity is defined as different backgrounds, experiences, gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.  Inclusion is creating an environment in which diversity can flourish and grow.  As manufacturing companies across West Michigan take a deeper look into their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) practices in response to social issues over the last year, it is widely recognized there is a lot of work still to do.  Companies are realizing their core values are not enough to create a community welcoming to diverse and under-represented groups and that it takes intentional actions and tough conversations.  There is no question the positive impact of a diverse workforce; having a variety of perspectives around the table bring about the best ideas.  We need to ask ourselves, what must we do to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment that supports a diverse workforce?  Join us for a panel discussion to learn from the personal stories and journeys of our panelists and what companies across West Michigan are doing to positively address DE&I in the manufacturing workplace.

Panelist

Sam Soyka
Manufacturing Group Leader at Nutrilite Plant, Amway 

Sam has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and has worked as a Process Engineer before moving into a manufacturing leadership role. She is the leader of Amway’s WIN+MD (Women Inclusion Network + Manufacturing & Distribution) and is passionate about engaging women in manufacturing careers. She is a working mom with two toddlers.

Michael Tate
Material Planning Manager, Gentex Corp.

Michael is currently the material planning manager at Gentex Corp. He has been with Gentex Corp. since 2007 starting as the technical team leader in manufacturing. For three years, he worked in manufacturing focusing on developing people and improving processes.  He then spent three years in Human Resources as a Technical Recruiter, and for the last seven years he’s been on the Materials Team.  Before his career at Gentex, Michael deployed to Balad, Iraq with his Army National Guard unit and was stationed in Iraq for one year in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from November of 2004 to November of 2005. Michael also serves on the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council at Gentex and helped start a Veterans Business Resource Group. 

Carmen Berens
Engineering Manager at Haworth

The first twenty years of her career, were spent in the automotive industry, where she grew in experience as a design engineer, product engineer, launch engineer and a chief engineer.   While at Haworth, Carmen has supported the launch of new products while in the role of a program manager and currently she oversees a team of talented engineers who are responsible for all seating products at Haworth. Carmen has an engineering degree from Western Michigan University. She is a wife, and mother of three children, two grown daughters and a high school son.  

Moderator

Whitney White
Certified facilitator for Implicit Bias and Cultural Intelligence, and a Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter

Since 2016, Whitney has worked for Talent 2025 and currently serves as the Director of Employer Engagement. In this role, she works directly with CEOs, Human Resource Leaders, and Diversity Officers from more than 100 companies in West Michigan to lead regional diversity initiatives as well as support talent attraction, retention, and development efforts.

Whitney has completed diversity and inclusion trainings on leadership, belonging, healing racism, cultural competency, and emotional intelligence. Additionally, Whitney is the author of Five Essential Leadership Competencies of an Effective D&I Practitioner.

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