The selection was made at the International Board of Directors meeting on 11 April 2014 and the award will be officially presented at the opening banquet of the 2014 AWMI International Conference in Savannah on 13 November 2014.
 
Carol Chizmar graduated from Penn State University in 1988 with an Associate of Science, Business Administration major with highest distinction. She began her career in the metals industry with Cressona Aluminum Co. (Cressona, Pa.) in 1979. The company was later purchased by Alumax Inc. in 1996, Alcoa in 1998 and eventually became Sapa Extrusions North America following a joint venture between Alcoa and Sapa in 2007. She has held various positions including sales service representative, customer service manager, genesis manager and director of customer service. Carol is currently the fabrication new business coordinator working with Sapa's North American locations and also works on other various projects supporting the commercial organization and the NA Customer Service Team.  
 
Carol joined the New York Chapter of AWMI in 1984 and later transferred to the Philadelphia Chapter after it was opened in 1988. She joined the Philadelphia Chapter Board of Directors in the mid-1990s, serving as the programs chair and later moved to vice president and eventually served as president of the Chapter for a number of years. Following her term as president, Carol joined the Northeast Regional board as vice chair and advanced to regional director of the Northeast Region in 2007. In 2011, she was elected to the Executive Committee as international membership chair, the position she holds today.
 
During her tenure as international membership chair, she has implemented a number of new initiatives, including the creation and issuance of AWMI membership cards and the establishment of the Chapter of the Year Membership Cup, awarded to the Chapter that not only met its membership goal but also exceeded it by the greatest percentage. This award has helped create new excitement and activity among the Chapters. Carol also formed a Membership Committee in 2013 in order to stay close to the issues within the Chapters and Regions as they work to grow the ranks of individual and corporate members of AWMI.        
 
Carol has been a member of numerous other committees including the Annual Conference committee, the Finance committee and the AWMI Cornerstone Award committee. 
 
"Serving as international membership chair has been a very rewarding position for me as I get to work with all of the Chapter chairs and the Membership Committee, a truly great group of individuals. AWMI's membership continues to grow thanks to all their hard work," Carol said.
 
Carol resides in Pottsville, Pa., and in her spare time, she enjoys gardening, reading, and traveling.
 
The Member of the Year award is the highest honor awarded by AWMI. Members are nominated and selected by their peers for exemplifying the Association's goals of education, mentoring, networking and growth.
 

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The Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) is an organization of professionals, founded in California in 1981, to promote and develop the growth of women in the metal industries. AWMI believes that women in similar industries can benefit themselves and their companies through relationships, education and shared knowledge. The programs and activities of AWMI are intended to enhance members' skills and experience, address challenges confronting the industry, and promote members' career growth with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of women employed in the metal industries. Membership is open to both women and men who are seeking to develop all aspects of their professional development and career advancement.