Voices of Kodiak
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to recognize the amazing women of Kodiak who help drive our vision of an autonomous future forward every day. From their unique perspectives and experiences to their personal stories and valuable advice, we’re lucky to have them on the Kodiak team. We hope their words will inspire and encourage others to pursue their dreams and aspirations, both in their personal and professional lives.
Rachel Kremm
Vehicle Programs Project Engineer
What advice would you give yourself when you started your career?
The fear of bothering someone isn’t a good reason not to ask questions or request help. Get involved in everything and make your presence known.
What would be your advice to inspire women and young professionals?
Don’t wait for opportunities to find you! Try everything and give yourself permission to mess up and learn. Mistakes are the best teachers and shouldn’t deter you from trying.
Jennifer Dong
Communications Specialist
What motivates you?
I strongly value the people who surround me. They motivate me to reach higher and dream bigger. That’s part of why I appreciate the people at Kodiak. Everyone I’ve met is passionate about their work and wants each other to succeed.
What is the best advice you’ve received from another woman?
Find other strong women to surround yourself with and to have as mentors. It’s amazing the impact it can have on both your professional and personal life.
What advice would you give yourself when you started your career?
Don’t be afraid to take up space and make mistakes, especially when you’re early in your career. This is the time to learn and refine. It’s okay to say you don’t know something and ask for help.
Channing Shives
Sr. Supply Chain Manager
What advice would you give yourself when you started your career?
You don’t have to know how to do things perfectly to start. Don’t let your self-doubt limit your potential. There is always room to grow, even if it’s in a different direction than you originally expected.
What would be your advice to inspire women and young professionals?
Don’t be afraid to try lots of things, and never stop learning from the people around you that inspire you.
Soona Bernstein
Partner Program Lead
What is the best advice you’ve received from another woman?
“Trust yourself.”
A lot of times, we question ourselves and let others make the decisions. We have to trust ourselves because if not, why would anyone else?
What would be your advice to inspire women and young professionals?
“Put people first.”
It’s the people that will make things happen. Regardless of what you’ve written, built, or created, if you haven’t made the effort to bring people along and helped them understand the value or potential, it won’t go very far.
Lauren Harper
Sr. Strategist and Business Operation
What motivates you?
I want to be able to give back to all of the people in my life who have helped me get to where I am: my family, friends, coworkers, etc. I also want to take part in creating a product that transforms the world in a positive way, which I believe the KodiakDriver will do!
What would be your advice to inspire women and young professionals?
You don’t have to know everything to get a job or be good at a job. In fact, you learn 90% of what you need to succeed on the job, so just say yes and work hard.
Estelle Bardon
Technical Program Manager
What is the best advice you’ve received from another woman?
Keep time for yourself. There is work, there are kids, but there is also you. We have a tendency to forget our needs in favor of others.
What would be your advice to inspire women and young professionals?
Be curious. Keep learning. Ask questions. The world is full of unknowns that can fill your life with happiness.
Destiny Thomas
Autonomous Operations Specialist
What motivates you?
Being able to take care of my family; I always want to be in a position where I can help someone I love.
What advice would you give yourself when you started your career?
Be open to anything and everything; absorb as much information as you possibly can.
Laura Shane
Staff Hardware Engineer
What is your proudest achievement, both personally and professionally?
At work, there is a special sense of accomplishment that comes with hitting major test milestones alongside your team. I used to work on electric airplanes – and seeing that new airplane fly for the first time was incredibly rewarding. With autonomous trucks, getting into the truck and seeing how far the technology has progressed month over month never ceases to amaze me.
Outside of work, I feel proud every day when I see my young son learning so many new skills and exploring the world around him.
What advice would you give yourself when you started your career?
Use the beginning of your career to help hone in on what you’re passionate about. Remember that it’s important to actively seek out mentorship – this won’t always fall into your lap!
Lareena Merritt
Sr. Workplace Manager
What would be your advice to inspire women and young professionals?
Believe in yourself, keep striving to achieve your goals, and keep learning. Learning something new and challenging will never hinder you; it will always help in some way.
What is the best advice you’ve received from another woman?
Always challenge yourself to do your utmost best. Do that, and you will have success.
Amanda Arani
People Operations Manager
What is your proudest achievement, both personally and professionally?
At work, I’m most proud of Kodiak’s onboarding experience. As our People Operations Manager, creating a welcoming, inspiring environment for someone’s first day is one of my favorite parts of my job. First days can be so nerve-wracking, and there is so much information to absorb. Taking some of that pressure off is important to me.
Outside of work, my proudest achievement is breaking into motorsports. It took me years of attending drift events and even hosting them before I was willing to try driving myself. I was afraid to be the only woman driving at the event and be bad at it. Once I broke through that personal barrier, I became passionate about creating a space that would make other women feel comfortable too. Since I started drifting three years ago, I’ve been able to get numerous women behind the wheel at events and even inspired some to invest in their own drift car. I’ve been able to teach women to drive a manual and do their first donuts in an hour or less!
Why did you join Kodiak?
I applied to Kodiak because I was excited about the future of autonomous vehicles. I joined Kodiak because of the amazing conversations I had with our leaders during the interview process. I stay at Kodiak because of the wonderful culture created by the passionate, smart, thoughtful coworkers that I get to learn from every day.
Suzanne Woll
Manager, Systems Engineering and Safety
What is your proudest achievement, both personally and professionally?
I had a hand in putting hardware both inside and outside of the International Space Station.
Outside of work, I am appreciative that I’ve been able to have a career and a family. I didn’t realize when I was younger that, back then, having a career often meant choosing not to have children. Meanwhile, I was able to be married for 30 years now and have four boys who are now young men.
What would be your advice to inspire women and young professionals?
There is no perfect path. It is yours to design and change along the way. The goal is to be successful on your own terms and on your own timeline. Don’t compare yourself to others. Just be the best, authentic you that you can be.
Lauren Gearhart
Talent Acquisition Manager
Why did you join Kodiak?
When Kodiak first approached me, I wasn’t looking to make a move. After multiple conversations with the recruiter about the culture and what I could accomplish, I decided to give Kodiak a shot. The onsite interview left me in awe of how collaborative the team is, as well as how committed everyone is to the success of the company. It felt like a place where I would be empowered to be my best self. Since joining, I can confidently say that has all played out to be true.
What is the best advice you’ve received from another woman?
The trajectory of my life is controlled by the narrative I create. I can change my future by changing how I speak and feel about myself.
Zsuzsanna Major
VP of People
What advice would you give yourself when you started your career?
Trust your gut and your own judgment. Be confident, and don’t doubt yourself. Surround yourself with people who care about you, who will be there for you when you succeed and when you fall.
Why did you join Kodiak?
I believe in Kodiak's vision and mission and want to be a part of building a company and a solution for improving safety on highways, the lives of truck drivers, and also the supply chain issues that have been crippling the US and global economy over the last many years.
