Celebrating Women’s Contributions to Supply Chain

Each year, Women’s History Month is celebrated in March to honor women who have made waves in their various spaces. It’s a time to reflect on women’s contributions to culture, history, and society as a whole. Influential and impactful women are prevalent, though sometimes overlooked. In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8th and Women’s History Month, we’re shining a spotlight on three women whose contribution to supply chain and transportation should be remembered.

When we think about the evolution of supply chain management, it’s easy to focus on technology, processes, or partnerships. But behind every breakthrough are the people who pushed boundaries and paved new paths—especially the women who, despite the challenges of their times, shaped the industry’s future.

Early 1900s: Laying the Foundations

1. Mary Parker Follett (1868–1933)

Though not solely focused on supply chain, Mary Parker Follett was a management thinker ahead of her time. Her ideas on collaborative leadership and decentralized decision-making are foundational to today’s supply chain management. She championed teamwork and gave voice to the value of human factors in complex operations—principles that still guide supply chain collaboration.

2. Lillie Elizabeth McGee Drennan (1897-1974)

The First Licensed Female Truck Driver & Trucking Firm Owner

Lillie Elizabeth McGee Drennan was born in Galveston, Texas in 1897. As a young woman, she lost most of her hearing as a result of scarlet fever and would be forced to wear hearing aids for much of her adult life. Despite this adversity, Drennan started the Drennan Truck Line with her husband in 1928.

To grow the business, Drennan began driving her own truck. Her hard work was rewarded with success and the Drennan Truck Lines continued to grow into a thriving business with multiple drivers and trucks. However, in 1929, Drennan and her husband divorced, leaving her as the sole owner of the trucking company.

The industry that she had worked so hard to be a part of suddenly became a much less accommodating place without her husband. She struggled to obtain a driver’s license from the Railroad Commission in charge of regulating motor-freight at the time, allegedly because of her hearing loss, though Drennan believed it to be related to her gender. After challenging the commission to find a man with a cleaner safety record than hers, the Railroad Commission relented and Drennan was awarded a license. For the following 24 years, Drennan was an accident-free driver and owner of an expanding trucking company.

Despite discrimination because of her gender and disability, Lillie Drennan is remembered as a pioneer for women who want to work in industries traditionally dominated by men.

More About Lillie Drennan
During World War II, the army praised Drennan for her help in recruiting women drivers to the war effort. She was known to wear khaki pants, work boots, and a ten-gallon hat. Her constant companion was her loaded revolver and she was well known for cursing. When criticized for her language, she was known to reply, “Me and God have an understanding.”

2. Elsie MacGill (1905–1980)

Known as the “Queen of the Hurricanes,” Elsie MacGill was the world’s first female aircraft designer. While her primary field was aerospace engineering, her work had a direct impact on supply chain logistics during World War II. She faced enormous technical and societal challenges, and her success showed how women’s contributions are vital in manufacturing and supply chain innovation.

3. Edwina Justus (1943-current)

The First Black Woman Train Engineer Working for the Union Pacific Railroad
Edwina Justus was a trailblazer for women, especially women of color, who want to enter traditionally male-dominated fields. In the 1970s, Justus didn’t let the fact that she was a black woman stop her from pursuing her dreams. After meeting up with a friend who worked for the railway, Justus decided there was no reason she couldn’t work there too and asked, “Why don’t you see if you can get me on?”

In 1973, Justus became a traction motor clerk with the job of monitoring when traction motors were pulled out of trains. She didn’t know exactly what this was and decided to see for herself. Despite being dressed fashionably in a skirt and heels, Justus continued to learn about how the yard worked and her unerring curiosity and desire for knowledge led her to apply for a position there.

Justus gained the position of yard hostler. For three years she moved cars in the yard to be repaired, cleaned and picked back up when ready to go. Quickly gaining experience, she was appointed as a full railroad engineer by Union Pacific working out of North Platte, Nebraska. North Platte, at the time, was Union Pacific’s largest railroad operation in the U.S.

Though rapidly gaining experience in her new profession, Justus faced the discrimination many black women did when working in predominantly white, male-dominated industries in the 1970s. When asked whether her co-workers had positive attitudes about her appointment, she recalls, “Oh, no! Guys didn’t want to work with me… One old guy tried to kiss me. Don’t forget my age; I was 33.”

Justus is a symbol of perseverance for many who desire to break into professions they wouldn’t commonly “fit the mold” for. Her story is part of the exhibit, Move Over, Sir!: Women Working on the Railroad, which is on exhibition at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Read more about Justus.

2000s: Driving Innovation and Change

3. Ellen Voie

A leader and advocate for women in trucking and logistics, Ellen Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association in 2007. Her mission? To encourage and support women pursuing careers in transportation, a traditionally male-dominated sector. Thanks to her efforts, the industry today sees more diversity, fresh ideas, and strengthened supply chains.

4. Rebecca Brewster

As the former CEO of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Rebecca has been a tireless advocate for women-owned businesses in supply chain and procurement. Her work has helped thousands of small businesses break into corporate supply chains, driving economic growth and creating a more inclusive industry.

5. Mary Long

Mary Long is a recognized technology innovator in supply chain. She has held leadership roles at companies like Intel and is known for pushing the adoption of digital solutions that improve supply chain visibility and efficiency. Her work showcases how women have been crucial in integrating technology with supply chain strategy.

Why These Stories Matter Today

Each of these pioneers faced unique challenges but shared a mindset of optimism and innovation. They modeled how to combine expertise with courage and collaboration—values that small-to-midsize businesses and midmarket companies must embrace today.