Her Story
About Heather
Heather Ledet serves now as a Quality Engineer for Mortensen in Pampa, Texas. Previously worked with PSC GROUP as site Supervisor where she works in the rail industry. She has learned that being open-minded is key to her success, as it allows her to work effectively with diverse teams and learn from others' experiences. Ledet credits her supervisor with the best career advice she received: to remember that new hires are starting fresh, just as she once did. In a male-dominated field, she advises young women to keep their heads up, stay focused, and prove themselves. Ledet identifies safety as her top value, followed by quality, while prioritizing family and a secure home life. She notes that the rail industry offers vast opportunities despite challenges like the retirement of experienced professionals.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Heather
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think being open-minded. Because I have learned over the years, there is all different types of people that you put yourself around, and not everybody learns the same. Being open-minded to all people, how they work, and just being able to hear somebody out has absolutely been the best option for me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I believe I ever received came from when I first got in the rail industry. My supervisor at the time told me, remember, you were new at one point in time. When people come in, you have to remember that they're starting fresh too. Patience is key.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Keep your head up and stay focused, because it is unfortunately a hard industry for women. Keep that up, stay strong, and just prove yourself.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The rail industry is constantly changing. The biggest challenge is a lot of people are retiring, the ones that have all the knowledge are retiring. Opportunities in the rail industry are huge, just because there's so many different avenues. The sky's the limit with rail.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think quality and safety in work are by far my two tops. Safety being number one and quality being number two. And then home life, family, security and things like that, like just having your safe space, I think is the most important things for me.
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