The Manufacturing Institute’s 2025 Women MAKE Awards recently honored Stephanie McPherson, plant engineer at Smithfield Foods’ Cumming, Ga., facility, celebrating her lasting impact in manufacturing and demonstrated leadership, innovation and dedication in her field.

Stephanie McPherson, plant engineer at Smithfield Foods’ Cumming, Ga., facility. Photo courtesy of Smithfield Foods

“Stephanie is a tremendous role model for women in STEM,” said Doug Sutton, chief manufacturing officer for Smithfield Foods. “Her expertise in electrical systems, reliability and continuous improvement is an exceptional asset to our business, and her mentorship has helped many early-career women achieve their potential at Smithfield.”

McPherson is Smithfield Foods’ first female plant manager for maintenance and engineering in the company’s nearly 90-year history. She oversees the development and implementation of all maintenance systems at the company’s Cumming, Ga., facility and ensures work is scheduled efficiently to maximize productivity.

She joined Smithfield Foods in 2014 as a corporate industrial engineering manager at its Grayson, Ky., facility and transitioned to the role of maintenance and reliability manager by 2019, where she successfully implemented Smithfield’s standard reliability process. In June 2022 she joined Smithfield’s Junction City, Kan., facility as a plant engineer and transferred to its Cumming, Ga., facility in July 2024.

Four months into her new role in Kansas, McPherson faced a personal tragedy with the unexpected death of a family member, leading her to become the guardian of her two-year-old great-nephew. Balancing her career and new responsibilities as a single mom, she quickly turned her focus to finding harmony between her professional and personal life while continuing to make a positive impact on those around her.

“I feel empowered by the level of accountability I hold myself to and the end results of challenges and goals in both my career and my personal life,” said McPherson. “I also feel empowered by saying, “'Thank you for your efforts today,' to my individual team members, because together we succeed.”

McPherson is a certified maintenance and reliability practitioner and a member of several professional organizations, including the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Practitioners, Smithfield’s Women’s Connect employee business resource group and Women in Manufacturing.

Source: Smithfield Foods