WofA Appoints MDOT's Michelle Miller To It's Board of Directors

ORANGE PARK, Florida — Women of Asphalt (WofA) is excited to announce the appointment of Sheila Barkevich, Northeast Division Performance Manager at CRH Americas Materials, as its new President and Ashley Batson, J.D., Manager of Government Relations, Road Construction, at Ingevity as Treasurer. Both Barkevich and Batson have been involved with the development of WofA for over five years. Rachel Quam, Americas Area Manager at Caterpillar Inc., was also elected to join the Board. Lastly, Michelle M. Miller, P.E., HMA Mix Design Engineer at the Michigan Department of Transportation, was elected to be Branch Liaison to the Board. Board members will begin serving in June, bringing with them a unique perspective and the same unyielding drive to inspire greater giving and create a brighter future for women.

“I want to sincerely thank the WofA members for the opportunity and trust to serve as WofA President,” said outgoing President and new Past President, Amy Miller, National Director for the Asphalt Pavement Alliance. “It has been a valuable experience both personally and professionally serving the Board. The directors and I are proud to have Barkevich, Batson, Quam, and Miller on our leadership team. These individuals will add tremendous value to the organization with their expertise from across the public, private and nonprofit sectors.”

Sheila Barkevich graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and immediately went to work for Callanan Industries, Inc., a CRH Co. She has spent her career in various roles at Callanan and while there earned an MBA from the University at Albany. Barkevich has participated on the NCAT and NEAUPG Steering committees and was co-chair of the NYSAPA technical committee for several years.

Ashley Batson joined Ingevity as the Manager of Government Relations, Road Construction, in 2021 and is a founding member of WofA. Prior to that, Ashley served as the South Carolina Asphalt Pavement Association as Executive Director for ten years. She began her career as a federal judicial law clerk and then worked in private practice before transitioning to government relations and association management. Ashley earned a Juris Doctorate from the Charleston School of Law in 2007. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Spanish from Clemson University in 2003.

With 20 years of experience at Caterpillar Inc., Rachel Quam’s career has spanned roles in engineering, sales, strategy, and leadership. She leads a team focused on dealer and customer training, customer experience, prioritizing product needs/gaps within the regions, and driving profitable growth aligned with the enterprise goals. She holds an MBA from Bradley University and an electrical engineering degree from South Dakota State University. Quam is highly engaged in Society of Women Engineers, Women’s Initiative Network (a Caterpillar Inc. employee resource group), and Women of Asphalt, proudly helping launch the Women of Asphalt Minnesota/Dakota Branch and serving as the Vice Chairwoman.

Michelle M. Miller began her career as a student mixing, compacting, and testing asphalt in the basement laboratories of Michigan Technological University. This led to her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Immediately after college she began work in asphalt mix design and quality control. After 14 years of working for asphalt paving contractors in Wisconsin and Michigan she became the HMA Mix Design Engineer at the Michigan Department of Transportation in 2021. She is a licensed professional engineer in Michigan and Wisconsin.

“Women working in the asphalt industry are vital to the long-term sustainability and prosperity of this industry and our economy,” said Barkevich. “It is a privilege to represent such a critical sector as President of WofA, which is committed to empowering women in asphalt industry careers.”
Sheila Barkevich, Ashely Batson, Rachel Quam, Michelle M. Miller, and Amy Miller join the following WofA Board Members:
• Audrey Copeland, Ph.D., P.E., Secretary of WofA, President & CEO of the National Asphalt Pavement Association
• Kirsten Fowler, P.E., Executive Director of the Asphalt Pavement Association of Indiana
• Debbie Novak, Sales Representative for Missouri Petroleum Products Co. LLC
• Marquisha Williams, The Heritage Group—Safety Representative

To learn more about the WofA Board and read member bios, click here.

Founded in 2017, WofA, a 501(c)(6) organization, works to increase awareness of opportunities in the industry, elevate knowledge through education and resources, and provide platforms to create supportive relationships and growth. In addition to traditional board of director duties, each board member serves as a Board Champion of one of the organization’s main goals, furthering mission-focused initiatives. For more information about Women of Asphalt, www.womenofasphalt.com, info@womenofasphalt.com.

Women of Asphalt (www.womenofasphalt.org) is a national coalition supporting women in all aspects of the asphalt industry through mentoring, education, and advocacy, and by encouraging women to seek careers in the asphalt industry.