The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has announced the three finalists for the 2026 Distinguished Woman in Logistics Award (DWLA), an annual honor recognizing exceptional leadership by women in the trucking and logistics industry.
Sponsored by the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) and the Truck Parking Club, the award highlights exceptional leaders who are driving innovation, operational excellence, and advancing women across the supply chain.
The 2026 finalists are:
- Eileen Dabrowski, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Apex Tide Consulting
- Aurélie Doucette, Vice President of Dedicated Contract Carriage Operations, Penske Logistics
- Erin Mitchell, Chief Operating Officer, YMX Logistics
These women have demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to advancing the logistics and transportation industry, leaving a lasting impact on their organizations and communities.
The finalists were selected based on their professional accomplishments, leadership, mentorship, and contributions to the industry.
Eileen Dabrowski is the Founder/CEO of Apex Tide Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping transportation and logistics companies strengthen leadership, elevate talent, and drive meaningful growth. Drawing on experience across learning and development, sales, marketing, and organizational strategy, she partners with organizations to build stronger teams, clearer direction, and more sustainable success.
Prior to launching Apex Tide in 2025, Dabrowski held leadership roles at both private and publicly traded transportation companies, where she developed training programs, led strategic initiatives, and supported enterprise growth. She is also a recognized speaker and industry contributor, with active leadership involvement across transportation, logistics, and supply chain associations.
Her contributions have earned industry-wide recognition, including Transportation Marketing & Sales Association (TMSA) Member of the Year, the DEI Pioneer Award, and Leading Lady in Logistics honors. Through Apex Tide, Dabrowski continues to make a lasting impact by helping people and companies in logistics rise, grow, and lead with purpose.
Aurélie Doucette, Vice President of Dedicated Contract Carriage (DCC) Operations at Penske Logistics (PL), is a wife, mother of two girls, and an accomplished leader with more than 20 years of logistics experience.
Doucette moved from France to the United States in 1998 to pursue an MBA at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. Beginning her career at Transfreight in 2001, she moved through the leadership ranks, entrusted with delivering excellent customer relationship management across multiple accounts. Following PL’s 2015 acquisition of Transfreight, Doucette continued making impactful contributions across all PL product lines.
As VP of DCC Operations, Doucette works closely with her team to accelerate supply chain performance for customers spanning several industry verticals. She places great value on the mentorship she provides and the customer relationships she nurtures in this role.
Doucette is the executive champion of the Women’s Business Resource Group at Penske and a two-time President’s Award winner.
Erin Mitchell is the Chief Operating Officer of YMX Logistics, where she oversees yard and trucking operations, as well as human resources, IT, customer success, engineering, fleet safety, and maintenance. She joined YMX in 2024 following more than 20 years with The Kraft Heinz Company, where she most recently served as Vice President of Logistics and Head of Network Restructuring, overseeing more than 100 warehouses and five North American distribution networks.
Known for delivering transformative results at the intersection of operations and technology, Mitchell has consistently built high-performing teams and led complex, large-scale initiatives. At YMX, she is applying that same discipline to modernize outsourced yard logistics, strengthening safety, sustainability, scalability, and operational performance.
A committed advocate for inclusion, Mitchell has made expanding opportunities for women in trucking a priority, with more than half of recent leadership hires filled by women. She continues to mentor future leaders and drive meaningful impact across the supply chain.
Mitchell was also named a 2026 Supply Chain “Pros to Know” by Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics, and in 2025 earned multiple honors, including the Women in Supply Chain Award (Trailblazers), recognition on Global Trade Magazine’s Women in Logistics list, and designation as a Top Woman to Watch in Transportation by WIT.
The 2026 award recipient will be announced during the TIA Capital Ideas Conference and Exhibition on Friday, April 17, in Phoenix, AZ.
The DWLA continues to spotlight the growing influence of women in trucking and logistics while inspiring the next generation of industry leaders.
