WiM California | Lunch & Learn | Rising Against the Odds - Women Winning in Manufacturing
Join us virtually! A Zoom link will be sent following registration.
Event Details
Join WiM California for a
Lunch & Learn | Rising Against the Odds - Women Winning in Manufacturing
Date:
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Time:
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. PT
Location:
Join us virtually!
Cost to Attend:
FREE
What are the odds?
Nearly half of the workforce is female.
But only a fraction of women work in manufacturing.
An even smaller fraction hold leadership roles.
And fewer still rise to executive positions or build venture-backed companies.
The higher you climb, the steeper the odds become.
In this Lunch & Learn session, Sheila Stafford, CEO & Co-Founder of TeamSense, shares her journey rising through two traditionally male-dominated worlds — manufacturing and venture-backed technology — and the practical strategies that helped her win anyway.
This session goes beyond inspiration. It focuses on the mindset and tactical moves that drive real advancement in complex, operational environments.
Attendees will leave with a clear framework grounded in data, credibility, and action for navigating leadership growth in manufacturing.
Key Takeaways
Participants will learn how to:
Understand the real representation gaps in manufacturing leadership — and why they matter
Build credibility by speaking the “native language” of business: KPIs, revenue, and cost impact
Translate operational impact into measurable value
Say yes to stretch opportunities — and build capability quickly
Apply strengths across roles, functions, and industries
Move from surviving the odds to actively shaping their career trajectory
This webinar is designed for women at all levels of manufacturing — from frontline leadership to executive roles — who are ready to rise with intention, clarity, and confidence.
About Sheila Stafford
Sheila grew up in Buffalo, New York, and credits her determination, entrepreneurial spirit, and work ethic to her father, a factory worker by day and master electrician serving residential and commercial needs by night.
Before co-founding TeamSense, Sheila jokes that she prepared for the role by working directly in “each line of the P&L.” Her wide-ranging experiences have taken her to sales, marketing, product development, supply chain, and manufacturing across two markets: U.S. and Europe.
She has had the opportunity to hone her skills and prepare to lead a business at some of the biggest, most recognizable companies in the world.
After earning her Mechanical Engineering degree from Duke University, her first role was serving as a manufacturing engineer for General Motors (GM). During this stint, Sheila worked to get factories ready to produce the next season’s new models.
Sheila’s time at GM gave her on-the-floor insight into factory operations and first-hand experience in the complexities of people management and communication challenges with a ‘deskless’ workforce.
Seeking to expand her knowledge, Sheila left GM to pursue an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. Afterward, she joined Whirlpool Corporation, where she spent nearly a decade further honing her capabilities. Sheila spent most of her time working in product development, bringing product innovation and process innovation to life on the factory floor.
In her last role at Whirlpool, she led product development for the multi-billion dollar North American Refrigeration business.
Pursuing broader responsibilities, Sheila joined Fluke Corporation as General Manager, Industrial Imaging. In this role, she returned to her roots, serving electricians and maintenance technicians with innovative products to increase productivity. During her first year, she led one of the most successful product launches in Fluke’s history (ii900), netting $20 million in sales in just seven months.
Sheila’s deep understanding of the factory floor, her ability to deliver solutions that solve customer pain points, and her desire to lead a company led her to leap into the start-up world. She co-founded TeamSense in 2020 and set the team on its mission to connect, enable, and engage hourly workers.
