CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP), the eighth largest accounting firm in the United States, announced Virginia Harn, a principal in CLA’s Minneapolis location, was named chair of the 2022 Women in Manufacturing® Association (WiM) board of directors.

“I am incredibly honored and excited to uphold WiM’s dedication to supporting, promoting, and inspiring women in the manufacturing sector,” said Harn. “The WiM mission blends perfectly with our CLA purpose of creating opportunities for our clients, our people, and our communities.”

In her new role, a two-year term effective April 1, 2022, Harn looks to broaden the WiM membership to welcome more privately owned manufacturing companies. That includes corporate membership pricing to allow smaller companies affordable access to the association resources, information, and connections that otherwise might not be available to them.

“On behalf of the entire WiM organization, I’m pleased to welcome Virginia to the board chair role,” said Allison Grealis, founder and president, WiM. “We look forward to working together to move the organization forward.”

CLA has been a corporate sponsor of the national WiM trade association since 2016, and women across the firm have been involved at both the national and local levels in a wide range of leadership and participation roles.

“We are proud of Virginia for the important work she’s doing,” said Samantha Metcalf, managing principal of private industries at CLA. “We are honored to be part of a journey that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion within the manufacturing industry, and we recognize its significance in helping to address workforce challenges facing manufacturers today.”

CLA is also the exclusive sponsor of the WiM Management Development Program (MDP), which provides leadership training for women in the manufacturing workforce with fewer than three years of management experience. CLA provides annual scholarships, including six scholarships that cover half the tuition for the November 2022 MDP program.

The Women in Manufacturing® Association is a more than 14,000-member-strong association dedicated to supporting, promoting and inspiring women who have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry. It encourages the engagement of women who want to share perspectives, gain cutting-edge manufacturing information, improve leadership and communication skills, participate in sponsoring programs, and network with industry peers. For more information about WiM, visit womeninmanufacturing.org.

To learn more about CLA’s manufacturing and distribution team, please visit CLAconnect.com/industries/manufacturing-transportation-and-logistics-overview.