WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Kate Rybarczyk
Maintenance Manager, Westerly Wastewater Treatment Plant, NEORSD earned a personal training certification and shared her passion with others. Rybarczyk enlisted in the Army National Guard - Military police and as a lifetime athlete and wellness advocate, started working at a sporting goods store while on reserve status. While working there, she became friends with a NEORSD employee who recommended that she apply for a security officer position. Unfortunately that position was no longer available but when NEORSD's Human Resources staff asked Rybarczyk if she would be interested in a custodial position, her answer was a quick yes.
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ccording to a report by the World Economic Forum, “Female talent remains one of the most underutilized business resources, either squandered through lack of progression or untapped from the onset.” While some progress has been made in narrowing the gender gap in different fields of responsibilities, much work remains to be done to bridge the gap particularly in areas such as science and technology. Some organizations have taken special efforts and established a framework for gender diversity to level the playing field. Amid all the challenges, some women have also paved the path of success and shed light in their fields becoming an inspiration for the next generation. In a field traditionally dominated by males, Kate Rybarczyk, maintenance manager at Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD's) Westerly Wastewater treatment plant, breaks the mold. The plant uses a state of the art treatment process and is located on 14 acres east of Edgewater State Park, currently serving more than 107,000 residents in Cleveland and surrounding suburbs and treating an average of 33 million gallons of wastewater each day. Recently, Rybarczyk shared her story with Phenomenal Woman Magazine and excerpts follow: Although she didn't know it then, Kate's passions in life have prepared her for the career path she has chosen. Growing up, she was always involved in sports and has been passionate about athletics her entire life. In high school, she met a woman who was a bodybuilder and that changed her life. In her senior year of high school, she 22 ▒ JULY-AUGUST 2017
She joined NEORSD, exerted courage and perseverance and steadily climbed the ladder to assume her current position of Plant maintenance manager. She learned a lot about the District's activities and became interested in pursuing her career there. Her work ethic, she says is a derivative of how her parents nurtured her and credits them immensely. Rybarczyk said “I want to not only do something right, but also to do it well: good is good, but why not try for more?” adding “at the Sewer District, I gained a better understanding of the work and realized that the foundation was there to allow me to establish a career.” Rybarczyk's deep interest and love of work at NEORSD is reflected by her accomplishments, where she received Class I, Class II and Class III Wastewater Operator licenses. In addition, she received an associate degree and is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree. When asked how she decided to pursue a career that has traditionally been dominated by men, she said “it was accidental, really, but since my start as a custodian, there was a natural progression to the role I have now. I have a strong sense of justice – right and wrong – and I like to fix things that aren't working properly.” Adding “I am passionate about a lot of things, but I like to solve puzzles and work with my hands, things that have been crucial to my roles at the Sewer District.” She concedes that the physical demand in maintenance works are high but said “growing up with two brothers, my belief was that if they could do it, I could do it too.” Responding to how a typical workday looks as the maintenance manager, Rybarczyk says “I arrive at the plant around 6:15 each morning, and review all work requests that have been submitted from the night before. We have a staff meeting each morning at 8 to review the plans for the day and I assign tasks to my team.” She likes to plan schedules for her team a few days before so she can ensure all supplies are in place for the tasks at hand.