Covestro Employees Win National Women in Manufacturing Leadership Award

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PITTSBURGH, April 24, 2026 – In recognition of their leadership and contributions to the manufacturing industry, Covestro LLC’s Natalee Smith and Shirlyn Cummings were selected as recipients of the 2026 STEP Ahead Awards, presented by The Manufacturing Institute. The STEP Ahead Awards recognize outstanding women and allies in manufacturing who are driving impact from the shop floor to the C-suite. 

Smith and Cummings were among 145 women nationally to receive the honor, which is part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, a leading program dedicated to supporting the manufacturing workforce through leadership development and recognition. The STEP Ahead Awards spotlight the people powering manufacturing success, those whose leadership, expertise, and commitment to others are building stronger workplaces and communities. 

"The contributions of Natalee and Shirlyn exemplify Covestro at its best. Their leadership, from complex technical projects to pioneering people practices, showcase Covestro’s values of being curious, colorful and courageous,” said Samir Hifri, president of Covestro LLC. “Their contributions have left a lasting mark not only on our business, but on others within our industry as well." 

Natalee Smith is shaping the future of Covestro through technical expertise, innovation, and strong problem-solving. As an R&D project leader within Covestro’s Coatings business, she is modernizing lab infrastructure across sites to support next-generation solutions. Her work has driven business growth, including co-developing a water heater foam insulation that strengthened Covestro’s product portfolio. She has also led cross-functional efforts to resolve product challenges, improve yields, and streamline customer issue resolution, setting a new standard across the organization. Additionally, Natalee was a member of a project team that pioneered a novel computational strategy to characterize polyurethane dispersions to enable key regulatory approvals, benefiting both Covestro and the broader industry. 

Over a career spanning four decades, recently retired Cummings helped reshape how opportunity, mentorship, and inclusion take root in manufacturing. A former People Development lead and HR Director, Cummings built a legacy defined by establishing employee mentor programs and employee resource groups, creating pathways for others to succeed. As one of Covestro’s first female manufacturing directors, she used her leadership platform to introduce policies and practices that were far ahead of their time, including flexible work arrangements, family-friendly policies and dedicated lactation facilities at manufacturing sites. Many of these initiatives later became common practice across the industry. 

Both Smith and Cummings were recognized at the STEP Ahead Leadership Conference and Awards Gala on April 23 in Washington, D.C., where they joined peers from across the manufacturing sector for two days of professional development and celebration.