The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) recently announced Jennifer Hedrick, CAE, as the incoming president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the association. She will work closely with WIT’s board of directors and staff to oversee initiatives that support WIT’s mission to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by them.

Hedrick has 17 years of association leadership experience and is an accredited executive by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). For five years she led the National Industrial Transportation League (NIT League) focusing on issues across highway, rail, and ocean freight transportation. In that role, she advocated on behalf of members to create efficiencies throughout the commercial freight transportation network.

Hedrick began employment with WIT on Jan. 9 and will formally take on full leadership responsibilities on March 16. She assumes the role of Ellen Voie, CAE, who has been president and CEO since she founded WIT in 2007.

“Through WIT’s mission we have created a community of 8,000 members to advance gender diversity in a male-populated industry,” said Voie. “I’m thrilled to have an association executive like Jennifer Hedrick who will continue to advance the critical mission of the association I started 16 years ago.”

Initially, Hedrick will focus on becoming familiar with the members and key stakeholders of the association. According to Rachel Christensen, WIT chair and vice president of operations for J.B. Hunt Transport, Hedrick already has begun collaborating with WIT’s board of directors on future opportunities for the association during a strategy meeting last week in Dallas. “With Jennifer’s leadership, WIT will continue its central mission to advance the importance of gender diversity in transportation,” said Christensen.