Trucking, steel industry veterans named to Be Pro Be Proud national board

Be Pro Be Proud, an Arkansas-founded national workforce development initiative focused on attracting students to technical careers, has elected trucking industry veteran Connie Vaughan of Cleveland, Tenn., and steel executive Amy Rogers of Little Rock to its national board.

Rogers is the senior vice president of Bridges Sales and Estimating at W&W|AFCO Steel, the largest steel fabricator in North America with 19 fabrication facilities in seven states nationwide.

Among her high-level affiliations, she is a member of the Executive and Marketing Committee for the National Steel Bridge Alliance and an active member of the Associated General Contractors (AGC), American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), and Women in Transportation (WTS).

Vaughan is the immediate past chair of the Tennessee Trucking Association. She’s been recognized as a driving force behind technical education initiatives in Tennessee at the state and local levels.

With backgrounds in engineering, human resources, and manufacturing, and serving in a current role as the director of government relations at McKee Foods, an American snack food manufacturer, Vaughan brings a wealth of expertise to the BPBP National Board.

“Connie and Amy are dynamic additions to the Be Pro Be Pro National Board as we continue to grow the scope of our work in developing the next generation’s technical workforce,” said Andrew Parker, executive director of Be Pro Be Proud. “As a growing presence, their depth of knowledge enhances our commitment to fostering collaboration among industry leaders to drive innovation and advocate for technical career opportunities nationwide.”

Be Pro Be Proud is a workforce development initiative originated by the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas (AIA) that successfully connects students around the country to high-tech, high-paying technical careers.

Be Pro Be Proud was launched in Arkansas in 2016 and has since licensed efforts in Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee and has impacted 340,000 people and eight industries to date.

For more information about Be Pro Be Proud, visit here.