Leading at the Intersection of Underrepresentation
Session Summary: In many organizations, being “the only one” in the room carries weight. For women who are also navigating additional dimensions of underrepresentation, whether as women of color, LGBTQ+ leaders, professionals living with disabilities, first-generation professionals, or others with intersecting identities, the visibility can be amplified, the pressure heightened, and the expectations more complex. These leaders are often asked to represent, educate, and perform at exceptional levels, all while carving out authentic space for themselves.
This powerful panel explores what it truly means to lead at the intersections of identity. Panelists will share candid reflections on navigating microaggressions, managing bias and scrutiny, setting boundaries around emotional labor, and redefining leadership on their own terms. Attendees will gain practical insight into building resilience without burnout, leveraging lived experience as strategic advantage, and fostering cultures where intersectional leaders are supported, not spotlighted. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how to move from tokenization to empowerment and how organizations can shift from performative inclusion to meaningful belonging.
This Session is Sponsored By:
Speakers
Felecia Mallett
Moderator
Felecia Mallett is a Client Relationship Manager at Koppers Inc. with more than 20 years of experience in transportation, operations, and industrial supply chains. She currently serves in a leadership role supporting logistics and sales operations within the railroad and infrastructure sector, where she oversees complex transportation networks, plant coordination, and customer solutions across the Southeast region.
Throughout her career, Felecia has built a reputation for operational excellence, strategic problem solving, and strong leadership within the industrial and transportation sectors, where women, particularly women of color, have historically been underrepresented. Her work bridges logistics, sales strategy, and plant operations, allowing her to drive both efficiency and growth within the organizations she serves.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Felecia is deeply passionate about leadership, representation, and creating opportunities for women in the industry. She believes strongly in leading with authenticity, resilience, and faith. These values have shaped both her career and her life.
As a mother and grandmother, Felecia also brings a deeply personal perspective to her leadership journey. She is committed to mentoring others, building stronger communities, and demonstrating that women can lead powerfully at the intersection of resilience, faith, and opportunity.
Yaqi Wo
Panelist
Dr. Yaqi Wo is a currently Global Product Management and Strategic Marketing Leader at PPG Industries, a fortune 250 company in the paints and coatings industry, with $16 billion revenue operating in over 70 countries.
Yaqi excels at cultivating inclusive environments where innovation, diversity and forward-thinking approaches thrive. Yaqi is global sponsor of PPG’s Asian Employee Network (AEN), working with >60 leadership team members globally, she leads the team to focus on people development, supporting profitable business growth, and giving back to the community. She is passionate about fostering environment where we celebrate that diverse team performs better, through education, exposure, and transparent discussions.
She also leverages her passion, perspective, and expertise, to support new initiatives that have long-lasting impact serving under-represented communities. Yaqi is currently serving as a board of director in Literacy Pittsburgh, as well as finance and investment subcommittees, expanding tools and resources for free adult education program, including English, reading, writing, digital skills and more.
She has received multiple awards recognizing her work in advancing and mentoring other women and girls in the community, including the Women of Distinction of Science by Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania 2026, Young Athena Award of Greater Pittsburgh 2023, PPG Cultural Change Maker award in 2023 and PPG Way Silver Star in 2022.
Yaqi holds a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and is currently pursuing MBA degree with University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Kenan Flagler Business School. She currently lives in Pittsburgh with her husband David and daughter Emma (4y) and Zoe (1y), and enjoys mixology, exercising and traveling. She is also a passionate cook and baker, who loves to share her love with friends and neighbors through food.
Suzy Billington
Panelist
Suzy Billington has a passion for operations, safety, and inclusion in the manufacturing industry. She currently works as the Process Safety Specialist and PSM/RMP Coordinator for BASF Corporation at their Wyandotte, Michigan Site, where she is responsible for site-wide Process Safety support.
Suzy spent the first 5 years of her career in Operations Engineering, also at the Wyandotte Site. She is especially proud of the robust, sustainable Process Safety programs that she created and implemented in each of these facilities during her time in these roles.
Suzy is also a sponsor for BASF’s FLAME (Female Leaders Advancing Manufacturing Excellence) program, a cohort-based development program focused on developing and retaining female talent in manufacturing.
Prior to working at BASF, Suzy attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. There, she earned two back-to-back undergraduate degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
Suzy spent much of her upbringing traveling overseas with her family, and has lived in Cairo, Egypt and London, England. She graduated from high school in Moscow, Russia, before returning to the United States for university. Suzy still loves to travel, and in her free time she also enjoys reading, piano, board games, card games, video games, and ice skating.
Suzy currently resides in Michigan with her wife, Melody, and their four cats.
Penney Simmons
Panelist
Penney Simmons is a Senior Sales Enablement Analyst with W. R. Grace's Materials Technologies division in Columbia, Maryland. With more than 41 years of professional experience, including over 25 years at Grace, she has built a career defined by resilience, continuous learning, and collaborative leadership.
Beginning her Grace career in Corporate Finance as an Executive Secretary, Penney advanced through multiple roles by embracing growth opportunities and developing expertise in process improvement, change management, data governance, and commercial excellence. Today, she partners with leaders across the organization to drive business performance through Salesforce enablement, process standardization, and operational improvements.
A first-generation college graduate, Penney earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management while working full-time, demonstrating the perseverance and determination that have guided her career. Prior to Grace, she worked with organizations supporting individuals with disabilities and newly blinded adults, experiences that fostered her lifelong commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and empowerment.
In 2026, Penney joined the Board of Directors for WE ACT (Women Employees and Allies Championing Together) as Community Outreach Director, where she helps create programs that promote connection, mentorship, and employee engagement.
As a woman leader, first-generation college graduate, and advocate for inclusion, Penney is passionate about helping others recognize the strength of their unique experiences. She believes leadership is less about title and more about lifting others up, building meaningful relationships, and creating environments where people can thrive.