ANKENY, Iowa, March 6, 2025 —The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, today announced the recipients of the 2025 Women MAKE Awards, which honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers across all levels of the manufacturing industry. Each year, the Manufacturing Institute recognizes 30 Emerging Leaders, women under 30 who have achieved unique accomplishments at the start of their career, and 100 Honorees. Individual companies may submit multiple nominations but can only receive one Honoree and one Emerging Leader award each year.
Albaugh is pleased to announce that two of the company’s nominees received recognition: Jamie Eagan, Chief Financial Officer-North America, has been recognized as a 2025 Honoree, and Kali Van Diest, Group Sales & Operations Planning Manager, has been recognized as an Emerging Leader. Leila Bertoncello, Group Formulation Development Director, Carla Bruchner Belaz, Development & Formulation Coordinator – Albaugh Brazil, and Mollie Tjelmeland, Senior Manager of Group Sustainability were also recognized as 2025 nominees.
Since joining the Albaugh team nearly 15 years ago, Eagan has seen the company through different lenses, starting in customer service, then moving into strategic planning roles, before joining the executive team as Chief Financial Officer in 2016. At that time, Eagan was the first female executive at Albaugh. She has advocated for women in the organization and believes strongly in the value of mentorship, inspiring others by challenging them to grow personally and professionally.
Van Diest began her career at Albaugh as an intern in the Information Technology group, joining the company full-time in 2021. Her self-discipline, strong work ethic, and determination have helped her escalate quickly within the Albaugh organization, to the role of Group Sales & Operations Planning Manager, where she is responsible for gathering demand and supply data for the company’s six global regions. She seeks opportunities to mentor colleagues from around the world, helping them adapt to the company culture as well as the systems and processes.
“The Women MAKE Awards recognize women at all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to executive management, who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers,” said Stuart Feldstein, Chief Human Resources Officer. “It is our honor to be able to showcase Albaugh’s outstanding women leaders and their achievements through this nomination process, and to celebrate Jamie and Kali as award recipients, and Leila, Carla, and Mollie as nominees,” he continued. “Their extensive contributions, not only to Albaugh and the manufacturing industry, but also to their local communities and the world around them, make them the true embodiment of a leader.
The Women MAKE Awards are part of the Manufacturing Institute’s Women MAKE America Initiative, which is the nation’s marquee program to close the gender gap in manufacturing. Women account for about half of the U.S. labor force but represent less than one-third of the manufacturing workforce. The MI launched its 35×30 initiative to increase the percentage of women in manufacturing to 35% by 2030 to help close the current jobs gap in the sector.
About Albaugh, LLC
Albaugh, LLC is a privately owned U.S. limited liability company, founded in 1979 by Dennis Albaugh. Headquartered in Ankeny, IA., Albaugh is the largest privately held supplier of crop protection products in the world with an ever-expanding portfolio of core crop protection products, seed treatment platform, and a turf and ornamental line of specialty products. Albaugh is a global business, operating world-class, multi-functional plants supporting in key regions of the world including North America, Mexico/LATAM North, Brazil/Paraguay, Argentina/LATAM South, Europe/MEA and China/Asia/Pacific. To learn more, visit www.albaugh.com.
