WIT names three International employees as Women to Watch

Every year, Women in Trucking (WIT) collects nominations from around the trucking industry for their annual Women to Watch in Transportation awards. Being named to the list means these women exemplify WIT’s mission: to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry.  

Congratulations to our three exemplary Women to Watch!

Zeliha Ozgul-Memishi

Lead project manager

Leading through positive influence and collaboration are Zeliha’s guiding principles. Many projects she takes on start out as incomplete or undefined, but with the potential for a positive outcome. That would make for a high-stress combination if she didn’t have the unique ability to quickly define a problem, pull the right team together, work cross functionally, and navigate complex and at times sensitive landscapes to achieve outstanding results. She is the person others entrust with the toughest projects because they know she’ll get them done correctly.

In every project she is involved with, Zeliha demonstrates International’s values of being customer focused, eliminating waste by identifying better ways of doing things, exhibiting team spirit and having a positive influence on others. She implemented a new training strategy for International’s 3,000-person Research and Development (R&D) team, which required working closely with leaders and engineers at all levels to identify technical training needs that equaled any external vendor offerings. Her approach to training contributed positively to the organization’s scores in this area in this year’s companywide Employee Experience survey.

Zeliha served as planning committee lead for R&D’s Robotics Competition[CC1] , which encompassed 21 teams of more than 200 engineers. Finally, Zeliha organized the inaugural Operations Women’s Conference. As the planning committee leader, she showed passion and determination that drove this women-focused event forward.

Candy Hackworth

Tulsa Bus Plant manufacturing operations manager

Known for her exceptional leadership skills, unwavering commitment to empowering fellow female colleagues and fostering a culture of inclusion, Candy plays a big role in supporting more than 1,500 plant employees. In her 24 years at International, her impact has been palpable.

Candy is an excellent facilitator who ensures diverse teams with members from Sales, Services, Hardware, Program, Manufacturing, Quality and Procurement all collaborate effectively and maintain open communication critical to the plant’s success. Her commitment to inclusivity is exemplified by her work on the “Morning Minutes,” a report she compiles and translates into three languages each day to keep the entire plant  updated, engaged and informed.

To foster continued collaboration, Candy leads the Tulsa chapter of International’s women’s network, which has grown to more than 20 members. Over the past year, she led multiple employee initiatives including tree planting and grounds cleanup for Earth Day, and participation in companywide activities for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

An avid listener for her peers, Candy is constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to empower women at the plant to share ideas and propose events. She has become a trusted confidante and the person many turn to for guidance. She also spearheaded the plant’s HIIT fund, a philanthropic initiative that supports coworkers in need. Candy truly embodies our company’s core values of team spirit and respect, and she brings people together by fostering a positive and inclusive work environment.

Laura Ricart

Senior chief engineer

Laura has dedicated her 25-plus year career with International to making commercial vehicles that deliver on customers’ needs while reducing their impact on the environment. She has held several positions of increasing responsibility, focusing on the strategy, design, development and calibration of engines and engine systems to the full vehicle.

A community-focused school project she assisted her daughter with made Laura recognize her “why” and see the impact that making our products more sustainable has on communities. This led to Laura’s work on the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards (GHG) Phase II regulations. With her team, she completed the industry’s first Phase II Selective Enforcement Audit on tractor aerodynamics that received EPA recognition.

During the past year, Laura played a pivotal role in optimizing the S13 Integrated Powertrain for the North American market, championing multiple aerodynamic programs since the LT truck series launch, and pushing boundaries to optimize performance. She also leads the development of International’s next-generation vehicles, ensuring that we position ourselves at the forefront of the marketplace.

Additionally, Laura is very engaged in supporting activities that encourage the employment of women in the transportation industry. She recently contributed a chapter to “Doing the Hard Work,” a career development book for women in the commercial vehicle industry published by SAE International. A collaboration of 26 women in the industry, the book won the Independent Press Award in the Career category in 2023.