Pennsylvania Officially Joins Women of Asphalt Ranks
BY Sandy Lender
A newer branch of the Women of Asphalt family grows in Pennsylvania
With the event titled “Blueprints and Breakthroughs” on June 25, 2025, held in conjunction with the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), the Pennsylvania branch of the Women of Asphalt (WofA PA) officially began its mentorship and encouragement of women in the state’s construction industry. Back in 2019, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association (PAPA), Charles Goodhart, held a panel discussion at the association’s annual conference to determine interest for a WofA branch in the state. The conversation lulled until 2022 when Mary Robbins, PhD, PE, joined PAPA as the director of technical services. She picked up the topic again and the women of Pennsylvania’s asphalt community took their future in hand.
One of the offices that’s unique to the WofA PA is that of a communications chair.
Tammy Mysliwiec of Pine Test Equipment, Inc., Grove City, Pennsylvania, who serves as the branch’s vice chair, shared that Robbins worked with Donna Sweeney, the PAPA office administrator, to organize a luncheon at the 2023 PAPA annual conference. She explained that Sheila Barkevich, who was at that time the WofA president, was gracious enough to come down and speak to the women.
“After that, Heather Warner of Allan Myers blew Mary’s inbox up about getting an official branch started,” Mysliwiec shared. “Mary then worked with Heather to find a group of women ready to lead the charge. Once the group was identified, a proposal was taken to the PAPA board of directors, and with their blessing, the forms were submitted to the WofA national organization. By December 2023 the PA branch was official!”
PAPA hosted a lunch at the conference for the Women of Asphalt in January of 2023 where Sheila Barkevich, who was at that time the WofA president, came to speak to the women. “That really lit the fire,” Vice Chair Tammy Mysliwiec said.
Mysliwiec explained that the group saw tremendous support from the PAPA network, which is not something that was prevalent in the early days of her career. “In a male dominated industry like asphalt, it’s so nice to see women supporting women and mentoring younger members so they don’t have to ‘learn the hard way.’ I spent my first 18 career years in the metal industry and it was a very different story…PAPA brought in a panel of Women of Asphalt members to share at a session at the PAPA annual conference in January 2019 and hosted a lunch at the conference for the Women of Asphalt in January of 2023. The level of engagement and attendance at the luncheon really helped solidify the interest was there and the timing was right.”
The group’s charter was signed in December 2023 and its first meeting as an official branch was held in January 2024. Many events have been held in conjunction with PAPA, such as the annual conference each January, regional technical meetings and an environmental seminar in the spring.
“It brings visibility to our contributions, fosters mentorship, and builds a network of support…”—Heather Warner
The current leadership of the WofA PA branch has this structure:
- Heather Warner, Performance and Sustainability Manager at Allan Myers = Chair
- Tammy Mysliwiec, Sales & Marketing Manager at Pine Instruments = Vice Chair
- Sheri Eldredge, QC Central Lab and Systems Analyst Manager at Lindy Paving = Secretary
- Donna Sweeney, PAPA Office Administrator = Treasurer
- Kristin Crawford, Marketing Communications Manager at FORTA LLC = Communications Chair
- Mary Robbins, PhD, PE, Director of Technical Services at PAPA = PAPA Liaison
These women have clearly defined roles and goals, such as the chair serving as a branch liaison to the national organization and facilitating meetings with agendas and establishing annual goals for the branch. The vice chair prepares pre-event forms and submits those to the national WofA. She performs other duties as delegated by the chair.
One of the offices that’s unique to the WofA PA is that of a communications chair. In this role, Crawford is able to assist the branch with more than outreach. She handles the design of marketing materials and communicates branch initiatives through email and social media.
She also spoke of that outreach in terms of its value to the industry. “What really drew me to Women of Asphalt—both nationally and here in Pennsylvania—was their strong mission to lift up women’s voices in an industry that’s often male-dominated,” Crawford shared. “I’ve always believed that representation matters, and WofA doesn’t just talk about it. They do something about it with real programs that promote visibility, inclusion, and growth.”
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Like Crawford, Eldredge, the branch secretary, looks to impact change by inspiring women and paving the way for women to be successful in the asphalt industry.
With the women of the Pennsylvania asphalt community leading the way, the women of that region have mentors to encourage and lift them in their careers going forward.
“After nearly three decades in the asphalt industry, I’ve seen a lot of change—but I’ve also lived through the challenges that come with being a woman in a space where we were once few and far between,” Warner shared. “Early in my career, I faced resistance—not just to my presence, but to my voice, my ideas and my potential. It was a time when you had to work twice as hard to be seen and heard, and even then, acceptance wasn’t guaranteed. That’s why Women of Asphalt resonates so deeply with me. It’s more than an organization—it’s a movement that validates the experiences many of us have had and creates a space where women are not only welcomed but celebrated. It brings visibility to our contributions, fosters mentorship, and builds a network of support that I wish had existed when I was starting out. It’s important because it challenges the status quo, encourages diversity of thought, and ensures that the next generation of women in this industry won’t have to fight the same battles alone.”