Extraordinary women are blazing new trails in the marine shipping industry
Rebecca Yackley, Jenna Macdonald and Cassie Kelly share their experiences as leaders in an evolving industry
Women leaders are crucial to the ongoing evolution of the marine shipping industry, helping transform it into a modern, multi-faceted network that’s crucial to the global economy.
To learn more, we spoke with three extraordinary leaders about why they love their jobs, the challenges they face and how they’re helping the industry thrive.
Rebecca S. Yackley
Director, Office of Trade & Economic Development, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
In an intensive two-week maritime training course at the University of Cambridge in England around the year 2000, Yackley met the administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS).
The administrator was new in his role at the time, starting to learn the intricacies of one of the most important marine transport networks in the world; but Yackley was already a seasoned expert. She’d spent more than a decade as a civilian intelligence analyst with the U.S. Navy, keeping tabs on the flow of illegal goods through marine networks.
The administrator recognized the value of her skillset and offered her a marketing job with the GLS, a wholly owned government corporation within the U.S. Department of Transportation. The GLS jointly oversees a massive marine waterway known as Highway H2O with its Canadian partners at the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC), connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes.
“I’m not a marketing person,” Yackley recalls telling her future boss.
He assured her the marketing side of things could be taught — it was her extensive maritime background that made her an excellent fit for furthering the organization’s mission goals.
After returning to Washington, D.C., Yackley dwelled on the idea of venturing into a whole new world of maritime operations. A couple of months later, she accepted the offer and launched into a rewarding new career. Almost 25 years later, she’s a key member of the GLS leadership team, helping push the marine shipping industry to new heights and advocating for more diversity and inclusion in a traditionally male-dominated field.
“It is a great career opportunity regardless of what mode of transportation you choose to focus on,” says Yackley, who currently leads a team that develops and executes opportunities that raise awareness of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System as a supply chain for cargo or a destination for cruise ship passengers. She also develops education opportunities for Seaway stakeholders, helping them remain on the marine shipping industry’s leading edge.
“My advice to young women is to explore the transportation industry and see if it sparks an interest.”
Jenna Macdonald
Sales manager, Atlantic Canada, Logistec Corporation
At university in Halifax, Macdonald earned a business degree and planned on a career in banking, but watching the flow of ships and cargo at a nearby container terminal ignited an interest in marine shipping.
Inspired by the industry’s potential, she wrote to the CEO at the Port Authority in her home province of New Brunswick, saying she wanted to work there and help develop the business from the ground up. When they offered her a job, she jumped at it.
That was about 17 years ago. Macdonald worked as director of marketing at the port in northern New Brunswick for more than a decade and served about three and a half years as vice-president of marketing, communications and government relations.
Now, she works as the sales manager for Atlantic Canada at Logistec Corp., a leading marine services provider, operating in 60 ports and 90 terminals across North America.
It’s challenging work, and there’s no such thing as a typical day — but much of it involves growing the business, working with customers and helping them succeed.
“The environment has changed a lot of the last 17 years,” says Macdonald. “I think opportunities for women in the industry are growing and becoming a more common practice.
“Don’t settle,” she adds. “Know your value and make sure you work for a company that respects it as much or more than you do.”
Cassie Kelly, M.eng, P. Eng, P.M.P
Manager, Engineering Niagara, The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
As a kid growing up in Montreal, Cassie Kelly often joined her father and siblings on Sunday drives to the Côte Sainte-catherine Lock on the Great Lakesst. Lawrence Seaway.
Even then, she understood this narrow, deep-seated marine pathway was — like the rest of the Seaway — a remarkable feat of engineering. Her father, also an engineer, would hold court with Kelly and her siblings, explaining how the Seaway enabled massive ocean freighters to exit the Atlantic and reach the heartlands of North America via the Great Lakes.
“The infrastructure is really interesting; it’s a significant part of Canadian history,” says Kelly, a multidisciplinary engineer who serves as an integral part of the Seaway leadership team.
“Yet, we have leading-edge technology to run this historic infrastructure … at the Seaway we have some amazing people, and it’s really great to bring them together.”
As the head of engineering for the Welland Canal, Kelly has an endlessly fascinating job. It engages many important facets of her diverse skillset, requiring constant learning and a commitment to personal growth.
It’s also extremely important work that feeds one of North America’s most important economic engines.
There are many other well-paying jobs available in the marine shipping industry, and Kelly is quick to encourage other women and girls to consider it as a career path.
“I think it gives them an opportunity to do almost anything they can dream up,” she says.
“The jobs are challenging and fulfilling. You’re always doing something different.”
To learn more about shipping on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway and its global connection, visit hwyh2o.com.