Her Story
About Jill
Jill Reed is an accomplished Workplace Health and Safety leader with more than two decades of experience driving safety excellence, regulatory compliance, and organizational culture change across manufacturing, automotive, and distribution environments. Currently serving as a Site Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) Manager for Amazon in Detroit, Michigan, she oversees safety operations for a fulfillment center supporting approximately 3,200 employees during peak season. Known for her people-first leadership style, Jill is passionate about creating workplaces where employees feel valued, heard, and protected while ensuring compliance with company policies and federal, state, and local safety regulations, including OSHA and NFPA standards.
Jill's career journey reflects a deep commitment to workplace safety and employee advocacy. She began her professional career as a UAW employee at General Motors, spending 12 years on the production line before transitioning into leadership roles within the automotive industry. Since entering the safety profession in 2013, she has held increasingly senior positions with organizations including Chrysler (FCA/Stellantis), JAC Products, Amcor, and Amazon. Throughout her career, she has successfully led large-scale safety programs, managed teams responsible for thousands of employees, improved compliance metrics, implemented ergonomic and injury prevention initiatives, and fostered cultures of accountability and continuous improvement. Her expertise spans occupational health and safety, environmental compliance, risk management, incident investigation, emergency response, and world-class manufacturing systems.
Beyond her technical accomplishments, Jill is a dedicated advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. As a WIN WHS Ambassador and former leader of ABENDI, Amcor's Employee Resource Group supporting Black employees, she has championed initiatives that strengthen workplace inclusion and employee engagement. Her leadership philosophy was shaped by her early experiences on the manufacturing floor, where she witnessed firsthand the importance of treating employees with dignity, respect, and compassion. Holding a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Homeland Security Policy and Coordination from Walden University, Jill combines strategic leadership, operational excellence, and a genuine commitment to people development to create safer, stronger, and more inclusive workplaces.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jill
01What do you attribute your success to?
I owe my success to my family.
My knowledge of black history did not come from a textbook-it came from my grandparents and the stories they carried. Their lives were not defined by struggle; they were defined by a strength so deep it became biological, passed down from generation to generation like a birthright.
What others might look at and call hardship, my grandparents taught as a pillar-something built into us, not something that happened to us. They made sure we understood that no matter what challenge I, my sisters, or the generations that follow us come to face, we will overcome them. Not because the worlds will make it easy, but because we were never built for easy. We were built to rise.
That is what I carry into every room I walk into. That is who I owe.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was not a Long, speech or a list of rules. It was three words.
I was working at FCA Chrysler when center manager James Gholston looked at me one day and said, “you own this.” He was talking about the general assembly floor.-the entire operation, for safety.
I earned that statement. It was not handed to me. It came after I had put in the work, learned the floor, built relationships, and made myself undeniable. And when he said it, something shifted. It was not just just-it was confirmation that hard work is seen, that excellence does not go unnoticed, and that when you pour yourself into something completely, the right people will name it out loud.
That moment was a monumental pivot in my career. It taught me three things that I carried to this day:
- Hard work is recognized. Not always immediately, not always loudly- but it is seen by the people who matter.
- Ownership is earned, then declared. You do not ask for it. You build it until someone has no choice, but to acknowledge it.
- Words have weight. Three words from the right person at the right time can change the entire direction of a career.
I will never forget that moment. Every floor I have walked since-every site, every team, every challenge-I carry those three words with me. You own this. And I do.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I had to always remember that she has a seat at the table, and that she has her voice, and to utilize it. If we don't, or if this individual does not stand up for themselves professionally, then you may get overlooked. And we have come too far as women, and we continue this struggle and fight so that they don't have to do that. I explained to my boss, who was younger than me, that I could never expect him to understand my path, because he's not a woman. He can know history, but he's never walked in my shoes. So, I fight so that my daughters and my granddaughters and other women don't have to fight the struggles that I'm fighting today, so the path could be a little bit easier and better for them. My advice would be, hang in there, look towards tomorrow, towards that North Star, and every now and then, just remember what we're doing to help them get to where they're going.
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