PLOVER, WI—Ellen Voie is being honored as a Champion of Change for her effort to develop an innovative way to grow and expand the transportation industry to women.

Voie, president, CEO, and founder of the Women In Trucking Association, was invited to the White House along with 12 other Champions to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Every week the White House honors “ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things” through its “Champions of Change” initiative and this week it recognized leaders in the area of transportation.

“Meeting our nation’s transportation challenges requires innovative thinking and the leadership skills to translate plans and dreams into greater mobility, better jobs, and more livable communities,” LaHood said.

Voie founded Women in Trucking in 2007. Their mission is to encourage women to consider a career in the trucking industry, to address challenges that women in trucking face, and to celebrate the success of its members.

“When you hear the words ‘truck driver,’ you probably imagine a big, burly guy wearing a ball cap, with a tattoo below the sleeve of his t-shirt,” Voie writes on her blog. “While it is true that 95 percent of professional drivers are men, there are nearly 200,000 female big rig drivers in the United States.”

In 2011 the Women In Trucking Scholarship Foundation was formed to provide funding for members pursuing a career in any aspect of the trucking industry including areas of safety, maintenance, leadership, and driving.

“It is very exciting to have Ellen recognized for her work,” said Leigh Foxall, chairperson for Women In Trucking. “It is evidence that Women In Trucking’s efforts to bring awareness to the great careers in the transportation industry is being recognized. It was an honor for both Ellen and members of the board to attend this event at the White House on behalf of the entire trucking industry.”

Read the full story on Virtual Strategy magazine.