Nissan Executive Recognized as Woman of Influence in Nashville
Rebecca Barker Vest
It’s no secret that America’s auto industry, like many industries, is a boy’s club, with male members of company leadership handily outnumbering women. Strides have been made in recent years, but in many ways there is still a long way to go. It’s always nice, then, when women are recognized for their leadership skills to help shine a light on the ability of ladies to accomplish just as much as the men. One of these recent awards has gone to Rebecca Barker Vest, the Vice President Of Corporate Development And Social Responsibility for Nissan North America.
The Nashville Business Journal’s list of “Women of Influence” recognized Vest’s commitment to making Nissan into a more diverse place and encouraging girls to consider entering STEM and automotive careers. The “corporate development” part of her title means that it is Vest’s responsibility to direct not only workplace diversification but corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, like Nissan’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity and the Nissan Foundation. She also manages relationships with manufacturers that craft parts for Nissan and internal audit.
In her free time, Vest is committed to working in the community, serving on the boards of the Pencil Foundation and the Nissan Foundation, mentoring at the University of Kentucky (her alma mater), and volunteering at Nashville’s First Presbyterian Church. She also helps produce DigiGirlz, which brings in about 100 high school students to talk to female engineers and learn about what futures in STEM could be.
This is hardly the first time Rebecca Barker Vest has been recognized. She has previously been honored as Minority Business News’ Champion of Supplier Diversity, Wheels in Motion‘s Leading Automotive Award, as well as Automotive News’ Top 100 Leading Women of the North American Automotive Industry. Congratulations Ms. Vest, we can’t wait to see what’s next.
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