Her Story
About Angela
Angela Chamberlain is an executive leader at Valmont Industries, where she serves as Principal of Capital Projects & Manufacturing Transformation, guiding strategy for the company's manufacturing footprint, capital investment, and operational excellence across North America. Her career began in 1996 after earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Kansas State University, when a move to a small Colorado town led her to an unexpected first job in a meat-packing facility. That entry point into industrial operations proved formative, teaching her adaptability and grit and convincing her that no environment was beyond her capacity to master. Within a few years she had moved into engineering project management, overseeing capital budgets and leading a team of engineers and drafters — the beginning of a trajectory that would carry her through roles at MidAmerican Energy, Northern Natural Gas, and Cornhusker Energy before she joined Valmont eighteen years ago. Along the way she earned an MBA from Bellevue University and steadily expanded her scope, eventually rising to Vice President of Infrastructure Services and now overseeing an annual capital expenditure budget of roughly $165 million while leading a team of eight project managers.
Angela's path was shaped as much by perseverance as by technical skill. Entering a chemical engineering program in the early 1990s as one of few women in the field, she credits supportive professors and classmates with instilling in her an unshakable confidence that never let gender define her sense of belonging or capability. That same fearlessness carried into her professional life, whether stepping into an unfamiliar plant environment straight out of college or later spearheading an internal drone technology venture despite having no prior background in the field. She describes her defining traits as resilience and a talent for troubleshooting, noting that much of her early advancement came from being trusted to solve difficult problems — an experience that now informs how she selects which challenges are worth pursuing. After nearly two decades at Valmont, she counts among her proudest achievements the recent development of a truly structured, effective project management organization across the company's operations.
Beyond her corporate responsibilities, Angela is deeply committed to community and mentorship. She serves on the boards of the Food Bank for the Heartland and the Nebraska Humane Society, is a member of Women in Manufacturing, and mentors a middle school student through the TeamMates Mentoring Program. She is also a Strategic Advisor to MAXSUR, contributing to market strategy and organizational design in the digital infrastructure space. Outside of work, she is an avid hiker who marks anniversaries with her husband by seeking out remote wilderness rather than traditional celebrations, and she is a devoted mother to two adult daughters and caretaker to four dogs. Grounded in values of loyalty, service, and gratitude for life's simple moments, she remains guided by the belief that authenticity, persistence, and a willingness to embrace failure are what ultimately create the best stories — and the most meaningful careers.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Angela
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to resiliency and a strong ability to troubleshoot. Early in my career, many of the opportunities and promotions I received came because someone needed a problem solved, and I was known as the person who could step in and solve it. That reputation opened doors for me. Now, later in my career, that same experience gives me the discernment to choose which challenges are truly worth taking on, rather than simply reacting to whatever comes my way.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First and foremost, be yourself. Find the company, the people, and the experiences that appreciate exactly who you are at your core — that is where you will truly succeed. If you find yourself somewhere your authenticity isn't valued, that is a sign it isn't the right space for you. I would also encourage them to have fun and not fear challenges or failure. Some of the hardest projects I've ever worked on have become the best stories I have to tell, and the most rewarding experiences of my career. Failure isn't a negative — it builds the toolbox we use to solve future problems. If you can reframe challenges that way, you'll know you're going to come away with a good story and a valuable lesson, so try to hold onto that perspective even in the hardest moments.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now, I believe the biggest challenge in my field is change itself — and it is also the greatest opportunity. Managing long-duration projects has become far more complex given everything we've experienced in recent years: flooding in 2019, followed by COVID-19, and now inflation and tariffs that have reshaped the risks we have to plan around. When you're managing a project with a 24- to 36-month timeline, the pace of unforeseen change over the last several years has been remarkable. At the same time, this environment has pushed us to grow. COVID, for example, expanded our ability to collaborate globally through tools like Zoom. It has also sharpened our collective awareness that we can't rely on the way things have always been done — we have to actively plan for risks like global supply chain disruptions, tariffs, or longer lead times. This period has strengthened all of us in risk management and taught us to be more inventive, creative, and thoughtful in how we prepare for what's ahead, since you can never plan for every possible risk.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that resonate most deeply with me are helping others and showing people how to solve their own problems and grow in their own way. Loyalty is also extremely important to me, along with making space to appreciate the small things in life. I've taught my daughters that every holiday and gathering is more about the time we spend together than anything else — whether that's watching fireworks from a quiet spot we found on our own, or sharing s'mores and hot dogs as part of our own family traditions.
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