Mentorship: Where Experience Meets Opportunity
Mentorship is an important component of the DeRocco Fellowship experience. Each DeRocco Fellow is paired with a manufacturing industry leader who serves as a mentor throughout the Fellowship, offering guidance, perspective, encouragement – and sometimes, simply someone to talk to.
For college women preparing to launch their careers, having a connection to someone who has been there can make a tremendous difference.
Our mentors bring years of experience in manufacturing, workforce development, technology, policy, and leadership. They help Fellows see beyond the classroom and get a firsthand look at what it takes to build a career and become a leader in one of America’s most important industries.
More Than a Mentor
The DeRocco Fellowship mentorship, while primarily virtual, is designed to be practical, personal, and, most importantly, a two-way relationship.
Mentors share what they’ve learned along the way – how they navigated career decisions, handled challenges, built relationships, developed as leaders, and found opportunities to make an impact. They can help Fellows think through career possibilities, prepare for interviews, strengthen their professional communication skills, or simply make sense of an industry that can sometimes feel complicated from the outside.
And because manufacturing is changing rapidly, mentors help Fellows connect what they are learning to what is happening in the real world – from new technologies and supply chain challenges to workforce development, industrial policy, and the future of U.S. manufacturing.
It’s a Two-Way Street
While the Fellows gain experience and perspective from their mentors, the mentors get something in return.
DeRocco Fellows bring curiosity, fresh ideas, and a different perspective on the future of manufacturing. They ask questions that can challenge assumptions and offer insights into what the next generation of engineers, innovators, and leaders care about.
That exchange is part of what makes the DeRocco Fellowship unique. Mentorship isn’t about one person having all the answers. It’s about conversation, curiosity, and learning from one another.
Thank You to Our Mentors
We are incredibly grateful to the manufacturing leaders who have stepped forward to serve as DeRocco Fellowship mentors.
Giving a college student access to an experienced industry leader is an invaluable part of the Fellowship. But mentorship requires something even more valuable than expertise: time. Our mentors generously share their time, experience, networks, and encouragement with the next generation of women in manufacturing.
We don’t take that commitment lightly.
The DeRocco Fellowship was created to help build a stronger pipeline of women leaders in manufacturing. Our Fellows bring talent, ambition, and potential. Our mentors help them see what might be possible—and give them the confidence and connections to go after it.
That is the power of mentorship. And it is one of the reasons we are so excited about the future of the DeRocco Fellowship – and the future of manufacturing.
DeRocco Fellows 2026 Mentors and Mentees
| Mentor | Mentee |
|---|---|
| Laura Potter Regional General Manager Xylem | Aniya Myers Mechanical Engineering, Temple University |
| Jasmine Wiggins Launch Planning Workforce Readiness Manager Ford Motor Company | Audrey Pulley Industrial Engineering, Purdue University |
| Parminder Jassal CEO Unmudl | Bessie Jackson Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology, Columbus State Community College |
| Suzy Teele Chief Strategy Officer ARM Institute | Camila Iberico-Pinellas Mechanical Engineering, University of South Florida |
| Sue Smith Executive Program Director Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) | Jenna Money Mechanical Engineering, University of Kentucky |
| Kalsi Kwan Principal Investigator Boeing Additive Electronics Technology Innovation (E&TI) | Vaidehi Goyal Chemical Engineering, Purdue University |
| Carol Stillman Director M4 Division of the Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME) | Grace Kim Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University |
| Lizzie Ayton Mechanical Engineer Medra | Leslie Apanecatl-Cortes Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University |
| Becky Lewis Director of Workforce Development NextFlex | Sophie Morehead Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University |
| Lisa Masciantonio Chief Workforce Officer ARM Institute | Danielle Garrecht Mechanical Engineering, University of South Florida |
| Sarah Krasley Founder & CEO Shimmy Technologies | Ava Dioli Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Purdue University |
