SPEAKER
BIOGRAPHIES
Laura Devoni
Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Affairs
Algoma Steel Inc.
With 22 years at Algoma Steel Inc., Laura Devoni has built a dynamic management career across marketing, trade, government affairs and environment, leading to her current role as vice president of human resources and corporate affairs. A strong advocate for sustainability, trade and industry collaboration, Devoni is actively involved in the Canadian Steel Producers Association, the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, The Decarbonization Leaders Network and the Association of Women in the Metals Industries. She also serves on the Climate and Trade Committees of the Canadian Steel Producers Association and the Advocacy Committee of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction. In recognition of her leadership, she received The Globe and Mail’s 2024 Best Executive Award in Sustainability and DEI. She is also a frequent panelist, sharing insights on trade, sustainability and the evolving steel industry.
Patricia Fripp
President
The National Speakers Association
Patricia Fripp is a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, a three-time Cicero Speechwriting Award winner, executive speech coach, and sales presentation and online learning expert. The National Speakers Association elected heras its first woman president. In her career, Fripp has delivered over 3,500 presentations as well as hundreds of virtual presentations. Companies hire her to help them drive more business by polishing their sales conversations and presentations, and to help leaders inspire action and build commitment through their words. Clients of her speech coaching include corporate leaders, technical and sales professionals, and seasoned professional speakers. Her online learning program FrippVT Powerful, Persuasive Presentations is embraced as a “must-have” by speakers and companies worldwide. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance wrote, “Learning presentation skills from Patricia Fripp is one of the best ways to invest in you.” Her latest book is Deliver Unforgettable Presentations. Her brother, legendary guitarist Robert Fripp of King Crimson, says, “I am not surprised my sister gets paid to tell people what to do. She was a very bossy little girl.”
Val Grubb
Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach and Leadership Strategist
Val Grubb & Associates
Val Grubb is a keynote speaker, executive coach and leadership strategist with deep, firsthand experience leading organizations through change. Before founding Val Grubb & Associates, she held senior leadership roles at NBC Universal and Rolls-Royce and helped launch Oxygen Media for Oprah Winfrey and IAC for Barry Diller. She has led teams through periods of growth, restructuring, cultural change and evolving business models — not as an outside observer, but as a business leader accountable for results. Today, she partners with associations and organizations (both non-profit and for-profit) to help leaders and employees outlead disruption, navigating change with clarity, resilience and accountability. Her work focuses on translating strategy into behavior; ensuring people don’t just understand change but know how to respond to it productively. Known for her candid, engaging, no-fluff style, Grubb delivers practical insights grounded in real-world leadership experience, not theory. Her sessions consistently help organizations move from uncertainty to ownership; equipping people at every level to adapt, contribute and drive performance. She holds an M.B.A. from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University and is the author of Clash of the Generations: Managing the New Workplace Reality.
Jen Kalin
Regional Director of Facilities
Osborn Engineering Inc.
Jen Kalin is a director at Osborn Engineering with extensive experience in facilities design for industrial applications. With more than 20 years in the industry, she has focused on client relationship development, successful project delivery and consistently high‑quality design solutions. Her experience spans projects of varying scale, from small facility improvements to large capital investments.
Michelle Klein
Director of Project Controls
Stevens Engineers & Constructors
Michelle Klein is the director of project controls at Stevens Engineers & Constructors and oversees the cost control and payroll departments across all three of their operations in Canonsburg, Pa.; Cleveland, Ohio; and Hobart, Ind., USA. She has been with Stevens for almost 20 years, starting out in the field as a timekeeper for union employees and working her way up to her current role as a director. She is active in various AIST groups, such as Women in Steel Committee and the Project & Construction Management Technology Committee. She is also active in the Mechanical Contractors Association of America and serves on both the Cleveland and Western Pennsylvania Women in the Mechanical Industry Committees.
Mara Kronauer
Principal
Boston Consulting Group
Mara Kronauer is a principal in Boston Consulting Group’s Frankfurt office and a core member of the Industrial Goods and Climate & Sustainability practices. She specializes in transformation for metals and steel clients, supporting them across the full value chain, from sourcing and supply chain restructuring to commercialization.
Rachel Schmidt
Technical Sales Manager — EAF Mill Services
Berry Metal Co.
Rachel Schmidt is a technical sales manager for Berry Metal Co.’s EAF Mill Services group. She joined the Berry Metal team in 2023. Her professional journey within the steel industry started with a manufacturer of water hydraulics valves, where she initially served in inside sales. Progressing through roles such as applications engineering, sales and quality manager, she expanded her expertise to address industrial hydraulics challenges across diverse sectors, including steel. Her current responsibilities have broadened to encompass additional areas and systems, notably in the realm of meltshop solutions, aimed at encouraging more sustainable and efficient systems. Schmidt has been an active participant in various AIST groups, such as Women in Steel, Young Professionals, and the Midwest and Southeast Member Chapters, as well as the Electric Steelmaking Technology Committee. Currently, she serves on the Midwest Member Chapter board, Women in Steel Planning Committee, and as the EAF Roundup co-chair. She also previously was the chair of the Maintenance & Reliability Technology Committee. In recognition of her contributions to the Maintenance & Reliability Technology Committee, she was honored with an AIST Presidential Citation in 2023. Schmidt has been a speaker at women in fluid power events, technical conferences and young professional gatherings. She also has been featured in both the Women in Steel and Young Professional perspective columns in Iron & Steel Technology magazine. Beyond her professional endeavors, she passionately advocates for women’s personal protective equipment and mentors the next generation of female leaders in the industry.
Rona Smeak
Associate Professor
Slippery Rock University
Rona Smeak is an associate professor in the safety management program at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Prior to entering academia, Smeak built a distinguished 23-year career as a safety and health professional across diverse industries, including the U.S. Air Force as a civilian (GS) employee, manufacturing, construction, consulting and power generation. She has authored numerous publications in the field of occupational safety and health and has presented her research and professional expertise at regional, national, and international conferences.
Mindy Toth
Global Vice President, Human Resources & Marketing
Fives North American Combustion
Mindy Toth is the global vice president of Human Resources & Marketing for Fives North American Combustion, a worldwide leader in engineering and manufacturing high‑efficiency, low‑emissions combustion and thermal process solutions for industrial applications. With more than 20 years of leadership experience, she oversees global people operations and enterprise marketing while serving on the executive committee. In her role, she leads initiatives that directly support business outcomes — strengthening talent, improving productivity, reducing risk, and aligning brand and culture with commercial objectives. Her background across multiple industries and organizational sizes equips her to translate strategy into operational excellence, cultivate high‑performing cultures, and drive vision with clarity, passion and humor. A purpose‑driven leader, she is dedicated to helping individuals discover what motivates them and to creating environments that foster pride, engagement and meaningful achievement. Toth holds an M.B.A. in business leadership from Youngstown State University, is a SHRM Certified Professional and maintains Lean Six Sigma and Compensation Analyst credentials.
Carolee Vanicek
Vice President of Manufacturing
Metallus Inc.
As the Vice President of Manufacturing, Carolee is responsible for providing strategic leadership, management and overall direction to ensure all manufacturing plants deliver operating plan results and long-term strategic priorities. She leads the organization to consistently meet customer needs, including the on-time delivery of high-quality products, while tightly managing operating costs and inventory levels and ensuring employee safety.
Carolee joined, then, Timken in 1996 as a steel business associate and has held various positions of increasing responsibility, including Senior Process Improvement Engineer, Area Manager – Gambrinus Steel Plant, Unit Manager – Harrison Steel Plant Finishing, Unit Manager – Harrison Steel Plant Refiner and Cast, Manager – Gambrinus Steel Plant Processing, Product Manager - Tube Based Products and Director – Tube Manufacturing.
Carolee holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University and a master’s degree in business administration from Malone University.
