Celebrating WiM's 15th Anniversary - Virginia Ashlock Harn Shares Her WiM Story

To celebrate WiM’s 15th anniversary, we sat down with long-time member and 2022 WiM Board Chair Virginia Ashlock Harn to reflect on her journey with the association. As a Principal at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), Virginia brings passion and purpose to her leadership, helping shape WiM’s mission and strengthen connections across the industry. Most recently, she helped launch the first Owners Track at WiM SUMMIT 2024, creating new opportunities for privately owned manufacturing companies and expanding the WiM community.

Virginia Ashlock Harn, CPA, MBT Principal CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) WiM Board of Directors Chair, 2022

Why is WiM important to you?

My career has been focused on working with privately owned manufacturing companies. I believe the Women in Manufacturing Association and its mission to support, promote and inspire women in manufacturing careers can literally be a game-changer within privately owned companies. Public company manufacturers typically have the internal resources to create and provide their employees diverse networks and to create internal training and role-models to broaden and enhance career paths. The majority of privately owned manufacturing companies are small and are often located in remote communities. I believe WiM is the ideal vehicle to offer private manufacturers the broad network and valuable training to promote career development.  A complete win, win, win opportunity for those companies, for WiM, and for the economy.  WiM has the power to change a life, which in turn can positively impact the company, their community and the US economy. And the bonus is that WiM offers all of these opportunities at an affordable price.

What is a highlight moment or a favorite memory from your time with WiM?

About eight years ago I had the chance to attend the annual One Voice event in DC as a WiM representative. In DC we were divided into small groups to meet with legislators and policy-makers to promote manufacturing concerns. I had the great fortune to be assigned to a group including Allison Grealis, President and Founder of WiM. Spending the entire day with Allison walking the streets of Capital Hill to meet with senators, representatives and policy-makers was a complete privilege. I had the chance to learn and understand more about WiM’s incredible visionary and founder. After spending the day with Allison, I came away fully convinced of the expansive future WiM was creating. Playing a part in building that future over the past ten years as a WiM Association Board of Directors member and as CLA’s national leader for our CLA/WiM initiative has been a dream come true in my career journey.

How would you describe WiM in one word? 

Energizing!

How has WiM affected you personally and professionally?

Because of WiM, I have built strong connections with a vast array of women I otherwise would have never known. I have played a role in building WiM and its mission over the past 10 years of WiM’s 15-year history. I have learned so much from the WiM membership and leadership. I had the extreme privilege to serve on the national WiM Board of Directors for seven years, including four years on the Executive Board and one year as the national Board of Directors Chair. I am deeply honored by my recent nomination to the WiM Hall of Fame. My deepest professional bonds within CLA were built throughout the past 10 years leading our national CLA/WiM initiative. I strongly believe that the WiM mission to support, promote and inspire women in manufacturing careers is a force for good, not only in the US but also spreading across the world. Through our CLA corporate WiM sponsorship plus our incredible national CLA/WiM team, we worked to create the inaugural Owner’s Track at the 2024 Boston Summit. Creating and now working to build a vast WiM community specifically for privately owned manufacturing companies is a legacy dream in process. The journey shines a bright light!