Women of Asphalt Partner for Leadership, Development
BY Sandy Lender
Women of Asphalt partner with Astec for leadership summit, with Asphalt Institute for continuing education
The national organization of Women of Asphalt (WofA) held its third leadership summit at the Astec Industries facilities in Chattanooga May 19-20, 2026. This event is an expanding networking and career development opportunity for women in the asphalt industry. Next on the docket is an educational partnership with the Asphalt Institute in Lexington, Kentucky, Dec. 9-10.
From left, presenters Aletheia Silcott, Jennifer Long, Catherine Sutton-Choate, Jana Eichel, Brittyn Heisler and Ally Glover field questions from Cassidy Glatzer during a panel discussion on the second day of the Women of Asphalt Leadership Summit held at Astec’s Jerome Avenue facility.
Since the WofA x Astec Leadership Summit’s inception two years ago, the attendee list more than doubled with 113 registrants in the 2026 session. The Astec auditorium at the Jerome Avenue location was packed with women ready to take notes, ask questions and exchange information.
During the first day, van der Merwe spoke to the group of career moves and personal growth. One of the priorities he suggested for the audience involved setting fear aside. “Don’t be afraid to take on new roles, even if you think you aren’t ready,” he said.
During Jana Eichel’s presentation, attendees gathered into small groups for an exercise in remodeling responses to problematic situations in the workplace.
He also spoke of the here-and-now. “Do your current job very well,” he stressed. He reminded the group that by performing a current role to the best of their abilities, without worrying about the next role, new opportunities will naturally present themselves.
Throughout the event, women with different career paths spoke to educate and inspire the group, offering their stories as encouragement.
During the first day of the event, a meet-and-greet session allowed attendees to try out Astec Digital virtual reality.
“As a proud Women of Asphalt board member and Astec executive, I’m deeply honored to stand alongside a community of women who are not only shaping their own paths but creating space for others to rise with them,” said Aletheia Silcott, chief human resources officer of Astec. “When women support women, we don’t just move forward. We transform industries.”
From left, Sheila Barkevich and Emilie Simoneau discussed the importance of finding and championing a work-life balance during the WofA x Astec Leadership Summit.
As host, Astec offered a number of opportunities to network and learn. Greg Renegar, Astec’s vice president of customer success, explained, the Astec team discovered quickly that training schools populated with mostly female students require more time for networking than those populated with mostly male students. He shared that meals and breaks for the WofA events are busy with discussions and information exchange, and event planners decided right away they should build extra time into the Q&A sessions and breaks.
To that end, organizers included a meet & greet mid-morning of the 2026 summit where attendees were encouraged to complete an activity card for winning prizes. Personnel from the marketing, human resources, parts, service, construction, engineering, procurement, sustainability and digital departments joined the event for this activity. More than a chance to visit the Astec booths set up in the Jerome Cafe, it was an opportunity to hear additional career stories and learn about various career paths across the asphalt and construction industry. Some of the “suggested questions” for attendees to break the ice included: “What [marketing] projects or campaigns are you most proud of?” and “What types of problems do engineers help solve?”
At the end of the first day of presentations, Astec hosted a reception for additional networking opportunities. From left, Greg Renegar and Hilda Flores, prep to mix and mingle with attendees.
Astec provided ample opportunity for networking during breakfasts, lunches, an evening reception and guided tours of the facilities. Throughout the presentations, interaction, engagement and problem-solving was encouraged.
Up next for the WofA national organization is a technical exchange partnership with the Asphalt Institute. This professional development opportunity is a two-day training course offering 10 PDHs titled “Inside the Mix: Understanding Asphalt Materials.” It will allow up to 30 WofA members to learn directly from Asphalt Institute experts in a small-group, highly interactive environment.
The WofA x Astec planning team was kind enough to allow Editor Sandy Lender to have a book signing with her motivational business book “Capture Your Dream” on the first day of the event.
The training is designed for engineers, quality and lab professionals, asphalt producers, contractors, project managers, suppliers, and emerging industry professionals. It will be a hands-on program providing a practical introduction to the materials, testing methods, and performance factors that influence pavement performance using classroom instruction, lab demonstrations, and discussions with industry experts. Participants will explore asphalt binders, emulsions, aggregates, mixes and performance testing while gaining a stronger understanding of how material decisions impact real-world results.
Learn more here: Inside the Mix: Understanding Asphalt Materials – Women of Asphalt