CHANGEMAKERS: Women in STEM Inspire Inclusivity and Innovation
Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) make a noticeable impact at Crowley through their talent, skill and leadership in our various services. They help enhance operations, build and maintain our fleets, and ensure smooth supply chains that serve our customers and communities.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we’re introducing female team members in STEM at Crowley, who are CHANGEMAKERS, making the company better as catalysts for transformation. They authentically inspire collaboration.
Scientific Innovation Driving Culture and Career
Jenny Jubin, a native of the Dominican Republic, joined Crowley in 2015 after several friends shared how the company innovated its services and raised the industry standard for careers in STEM. In her last eight years at Crowley, including the last one as an analytics manager, she has helped propel Crowley through different stages of digital transformation that are enhancing our customer-centered solutions.
“ I have been working on several projects, including migrating our existing customer communication and survey management tools to be using Salesforce Marketing Cloud. I have supported my peers who have been managing bigger projects, like developing a new customer platform and data migration,” said Jubin.
Jubin and her team created new reports that provide customers with visibility on their cargo and help them manage business more seamlessly with Crowley.
Through surveying and analysis, Crowley analyzes customer feedback to extract insights and patterns from large amounts of data. This analysis helps the company understand customer preferences and identify trends. It also places Jubin and her team at the forefront of managing client feedback and assisting Crowley’s supply chain leaders in making informed decisions to improve products and services.
Jubin strongly emphasized the importance of supporting and elevating women in the workplace.
“My managers have always supported me and encouraged me to grow,” said Jubin. “I feel that I have been able to provide the same level of support and encouragement to my team, including to a previous employee who recently was promoted to manager.”
Jubin values being at a company with a culture that nurtures growth, empowers its employees and women in STEM while providing a respectful and safe environment: “I can say that applying for that analyst role eight years ago was the best decision I ever made in my career.”
Technology, Innovation and Memorable Experiences
The supply chain industry is constantly evolving, and innovation is the key to staying ahead of the game. From new technology to changing customer demands, the ability to innovate is essential to our success – and so are empowered employees. Crowley’s recent Innovation Day in Jacksonville showcased various employee-led projects leveraging technology, sustainability and other strategic priorities.
Technology Arming Colleagues with the Tools for Learning
For over 34 years, Gail Holmes has supported Crowley’s information technology infrastructure. As a technology manager, she leads a team in maintaining and securing systems access for all users. She also performs internal user and application reviews and assists external auditors with our general IT controls audit.
However, her favorite part of working for Crowley’s technology team is the people — not the machines.
“I love interacting with my Crowley colleagues and helping people with what is required to be successful in their positions,” said Holmes. “I am very customer service-oriented, and as long as I have been at Crowley, I have been able to exercise that skillset while also growing in other areas.”
Holmes’ passion for technology started with embracing her interest in quality and access control in technology. In her role, she shares the responsibility of securing data and minimizing risk to the company. That includes implementing standard operating procedures, applying controls that ensure the highest level of security compliance by working with other teams to utilize the best technology possible.
“I have had the pleasure and honor of employing and training others in my field. I work directly with some of the most humble and talented security professionals around,” said Holmes.
According to Holmes, continuous education and training are the keys to a longstanding and successful STEM career. With technology continuously evolving and innovating, being a lifelong learner means making it a priority to invest in yourself.
From taking continuing education courses to pursuing further certifications, Holmes said, “Never put learning on the backburner — be engaged, speak up, and stay nimble.”
Engineering Years-Long Connections and Networks
In STEM fields overall, women make up only around 28% of jobs, and these gender gaps increase depending on field and specialty.
Creating bonds between female coworkers in male-dominated fields can provide a critical support system. For Hydrostatics and Stability Manager Kelly Hooper in Crowley’s engineering services group, her relationships with female coworkers are the best example of women supporting women in the workplace
Working in engineering, Hooper has learned that cultivating supportive relationships at work — especially between more and less experienced women — can go a long way in employee retention and overall job satisfaction.
“When one of my team members was having difficulty being taken seriously by clients, I arranged a meeting with some other female coworkers to discuss our experiences and strategies for dealing with difficult clients,” said Hooper.
In her role, Hooper manages a team that oversees services that help ensure vessel stability, weight management and other critical functions that lead to successful vessel design.
Last year, Hooper gave a presentation on naval architecture to her son’s science class and is optimistic that it helped inspire some of his female classmates to learn more about engineering.
“Giving girls actual role models through community outreach is a fantastic way to plant that seed early,” said Hooper.
Engineering can take many forms at Crowley
Marlowe Brennan is a second mate on Ocean Class tugboats at Crowley. These tugs support many missions, from setting up offshore rigs to supporting the construction of wind farms and assisting large vessels that need assistance at sea. A second mate’s highest responsibility is the safe navigation of the ship. They also operate winches and other machinery during the tow and complete inspections of the vessel to ensure seaworthiness and compliance with regulations.
“When I first started in the maritime field, there were few women I could reach out to and fewer resources. Now, I feel –especially with Crowley’s stance on inclusiveness –there are more opportunities to explore STEM-related careers without feeling singled out,” said Brennan.
Beyond mentoring and building support networks for women within Crowley, both Brennan and Hooper hope that more girls will build their confidence in their STEM skills while still in school and develop an early passion for it.
“I believe exposure to other successful female STEM professionals allows girls to dream and women to build confidence that they, too, could be that professional,” said Brennan. “As well as creating an environment that is inclusive and supportive in allowing the exploration of different objectives in STEM.”
Counting the Ways to Spark Curiosity in Mathematics
Gabriela Romero’s four years at Crowley as a senior finance analyst have been focused financial reporting from Honduras. She presents monthly to local and regional teams on the team’s savings, profit and loss statements, and overall bottom line and, when needed, is called to inform other North and Central American leaders.
Developing her confidence in a male-dominated field like finance and mathematics did not happen overnight. For Romero, the most helpful tactic in her arsenal to gain both confidence and respect has been continuously learning to improve her skills and knowledge in her role.
“Early in my career, I had the opportunity to work with a great leader who not only had extensive financial experience and knowledge to share but also mentored me actively, sharing valuable insights and feedback that helped me grow not only professionally but personally,” said Romero.
Her mentor taught her the value of a never-ending curiosity about her work—to keep learning, develop more skills and always question everything. In an industry where change and innovation are constant, adapting to learn new skills is a critical component of career advancement.
In the workplace, it is essential to identify allies that advocate for and advance women and their contributions.
“Allies can amplify women’s voices by acknowledging and giving us credit for our ideas and contributions,” said Romero. “An important way to be a better ally is to speak up against gender bias, stereotypes and sexism to promote an inclusive work environment and help women feel valued, respected and supported.”
Crowley offers rewarding STEM careers for college graduates and others looking to join a company that prioritizes safety and innovation while providing competitive wages, opportunities to advance and the choice to join a hard-working team building a sustainable future.
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