Her Story
About Vanessa
Vanessa Benner serves as an Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Manager for a foundry in Columbia, Pennsylvania, where she oversees comprehensive safety operations within a complex manufacturing environment. Her responsibilities include conducting daily walkthroughs of a plant spanning a quarter mile and housing more than 160 CNC machines, as well as overseeing safety processes related to metal melting and molding operations for gas, oil, and water line fittings. With more than 20 years of experience in distribution at QVC, Vanessa transitioned into the EHS field approximately six years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging her extensive operational background to advance regulatory compliance, employee training, risk management, and workplace safety. Vanessa is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety and Health Technology at Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, Alabama, where she maintains a 3.89 GPA and has earned a place on the Dean's List for the past two years. She is also actively engaged in the professional safety community through her membership in the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and its Blacks in Safety group. Through her involvement, she attends the annual EHS Summit in Atlanta, where she connects with and learns from other professionals of color in the industry. As a woman of color working in a traditionally male-dominated manufacturing environment, Vanessa is committed to standing confidently in her expertise, speaking with conviction, and helping create greater representation within the field. Vanessa attributes much of her success to her determination to break generational patterns of teenage pregnancy and limited educational opportunities. Having become a mother at age 20, she was determined to build a different future for herself and her son, creating a path that would encourage future generations to pursue higher education and continued growth. Her leadership and professional philosophy are grounded in ethics, integrity, transparency, direct communication, and authenticity. She believes in aligning her actions with her words, leading with sincerity, and remaining committed to the safety, well-being, and development of the people and communities she serves.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Vanessa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my determination to break the generational cycle of teenage pregnancy and limited educational opportunities. My mother became a teenage mother, and although I had my son at the age of 20, I was determined to create a different path for myself and my family. I pursued personal and professional growth with the goal of ensuring that my son, and future generations, have the opportunity to achieve more through education and continued advancement.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is, “Never allow someone else’s ceiling to become your ceiling.” I learned this lesson from my first EHS Managers, Dave Van Vliet, and Debbie Stepansky who took a chance on me and believed in my potential. They taught me that growth does not always require having all the answers and that sometimes the most valuable opportunities come from being willing to learn and grow together. Their mentorship gave me the confidence to pursue opportunities, embrace challenges, and never allow someone else’s limitations or actions to define how far I can go.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering my industry is simple: just do it. Do not wait for approval or allow self-doubt to hold you back. Be willing to take the leap, even if it means jumping in feet first, and embrace every opportunity to learn and grow. Seek out mentors, stand tall in your abilities, and speak with confidence and conviction. Most importantly, trust yourself and take action, even when you may not have every answer.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field is navigating the foundry industry as a woman of color in a traditionally male-dominated environment. It requires me to stand tall, speak with conviction, and consistently demonstrate my expertise while working to ensure that my voice and contributions are taken seriously. At the same time, this challenge presents an important opportunity to create greater representation, challenge outdated perceptions, and inspire other women and people of color to pursue careers and leadership opportunities within the industry.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are ethics and integrity. I believe in being true to my word and ensuring that my actions consistently align with what I say, as well as with the commitments I choose not to make. I strive to lead and interact with others selflessly, transparently, and directly, while remaining authentic and compassionate. I believe in wearing my heart on my sleeve, treating people with sincerity, and conducting myself with honesty and integrity in every aspect of my life.
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