By Melissa Femia
Yvette Gambrel is the engineer in the spotlight for this edition of the Power Women series. From an early age, Yvette was introduced to engineering through her father’s career as an industrial engineer. Throughout her childhood, his job required the family to relocate several times, providing Yvette firsthand insight into the various opportunities available with an industrial engineering degree.
In middle school, Yvette excelled in math and science, showing a clear preference for these subjects over liberal arts classes. Recognizing her strengths, her parents encouraged her to pursue engineering. While attending high school in Georgia, she enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, where she continued to perform exceptionally, especially enjoying math courses.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Yvette enrolled at The Ohio State University’s College of Engineering. Initially uncertain about her specific engineering major, she entered as an undeclared engineering student. During her freshman year, she chose to live in a dorm primarily housing engineering students, fostering close connections and collaboration on class projects. By year’s end, Yvette decided on Industrial Engineering, drawn to its balance of business-oriented classes alongside technical programming and science courses.
Yvette described her initial two years at Ohio State as more challenging than the later years when she could concentrate on her major. Industrial engineering was among the university’s largest engineering programs, consisting of roughly 30%-40% female students and 60%-70% male students. Given the higher proportion of women compared to other engineering disciplines, she rarely felt aware of any gender disparity and collaborated comfortably with classmates of all genders.
While at Ohio State, Yvette secured an interview with Parker Hannifin through OSU’s Engineering Career Services and was subsequently hired into their leadership development rotational program as a quality engineer. During this program, she gained experience at four different facilities, each for six-month periods: Quick Coupling Division in Wisconsin, Hose Products Division in North Carolina, Tube Fittings Division in Ohio, and the Industrial Hose (now Hose Products) Division in Florida. After completing the rotational program, she spent six years in Columbus, Ohio, serving as a Supplier Quality Engineer for one year, a Technical Sourcing Specialist for three years, and a Production Control Planner for two years. She then moved into a Commodity Manager role at Parker Hannifin’s Chomerics Division in Massachusetts, managing products in the EMI shielding industry for two years.
Seeking to be closer to family and friends, Yvette discovered a Commodity Manager opportunity at Hayward Industries in Nashville, Tennessee, and relocated in May 2024. At Hayward, she sources metals and heating products for pool heaters manufactured at the facility. Yvette expressed that she felt warmly welcomed by her colleagues and has enjoyed immediate integration as a valued team member.
In our conversation, Yvette noted that her engineering background may have positively influenced her selection for roles outside the traditional engineering discipline. Companies often choose engineers for roles in purchasing, sales, and other fields due to their strong technical understanding of products. Her advice to students is clear: pursue engineering if there’s any interest or proficiency in math or science. An engineering degree provides diverse career possibilities, both within and beyond traditional engineering roles. Additionally, Yvette encourages high school students to tackle advanced classes, especially in math, reassuring them that these courses are often less intimidating than they initially appear.
Thank you, Yvette, for sharing your inspiring journey. As an Ohio native, I share your enthusiasm for The Ohio State University. Go Buckeyes!
If you are interested in sharing the stories but missed the original WHN distribution, the articles are available on the Jana Diversity Solutions website at www.janadiversity.com, or at wiringharnessnews.com. If you know a female engineer who would make a great candidate to feature in the Power Women series, please direct them to me at melissa. [email protected]
