Dierdre “Dee Dee” Fultz was pregnant and discussing her plans with her boss at the Chrysler manufacturing plant. “I remember he said to me, ‘I’ve never managed a woman before. How does this work? Do you come back after maternity leave?” she says.
“We’ve come a long way in the past 20 years,” says Fultz with a laugh.
To begin with, Fultz is now the boss— the plant manager for Stellantis’ Indiana Transmission Plant in Kokomo.
She also points to workplace advances like paternity leave and more flexible schedules for working parents, as well as the “progressive culture” she says the new Stellantis is trying to build. But she is passionate about the industry’s need to continue creating working conditions that support women. “We in leadership need to be flexible, to consider the needs of a person—whether that’s a man or a woman. How can you be flexible enough to attract them into the industry, and also keep them in the industry?” she says. “I was a singl…