Her Story
About Alyson
Alyson Sunyak is the Supply Chain Director for a manufacturing company based in Mt. Olive, New Jersey. She has been with the company for two and a half years and assumed her current role in 2023 as part of a succession plan toward managing director. Prior to this transition, she served as head of human resources, a position that aligned with her bachelor's degree in psychology from Montclair State University, which she earned in 2010. Sunyak specializes in demand planning, logistics, and warehousing, and she holds certifications including Harvard Online Leadership Principles and SHRM. She describes herself as reliable, noting that colleagues know they can approach her for support, and she prioritizes fairness, understanding, and empathy in both her professional and personal life. Among the career advice she values most is the importance of being oneself in the workplace to achieve greater success, and she encourages young women entering manufacturing to confidently voice their opinions despite potential challenges from traditional dynamics.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alyson
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say that I'm reliable. I think everybody knows that they can come to me, and I'll always, you know, whether or not I have the solution or not, I'll be sure that they're heard, and I will, you know, do my best to make sure that whatever they come to me with is looked at or helped supported.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I would say just to be yourself. Because if you're able to be yourself within the workplace, it just makes your focus on getting your work done the way that works best for you. And usually that's how you could succeed the most.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say for them to really feel that they can voice their opinions. Now it's a whole different age, and we're able to bring our ideas and thoughts to the table, and there should be no limitation on that. Especially in manufacturing, sometimes there is that boys club mentality but you have to make sure that you step your foot right in the middle and overcome that obstacle.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say team alignment within the organization when there's pressure. So I think that really focusing on change management, making sure everybody feels comfortable daily, those are really important things to focus on.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say fairness, understanding, empathy.
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