Marcia Ayala, president of Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc. © Aurora Specialty Textiles.

Marcia Ayala, president of Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc., has been selected as a panellist to speak at the International Fabrics Association International (IFAI) Women in Textiles Summit 2020, which is being held from 19-21 February in Nashville, Tennessee.

IFAI’s Women in Textiles Summit is a networking and educational forum for both men and women in the textile industry and explores how women are contributing to the success of their organizations and the evolution of the industry at large.

Marcia Ayala is an engineer and textile manufacturing executive with experience in fields as diverse as nuclear energy, carbon materials, coatings and textiles.  She was originally hired by Aurora Specialty Textiles Group as Director of R&D and in the 14 years since has been promoted several times – most recently to company president. In that role she now leads one of North America’s major textile coaters and finishers.

She will speak on Friday 21 February on a panel titled The Next Generation: Attract, Mentor and Develop Future Leaders. The panel discussion will focus on recruiting future leaders, navigating career paths and mentoring to build the next generation of leaders in the textiles industry.

Through her various roles at Aurora, Marcia has supported several programs that encourage today’s college students to pursue manufacturing careers. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Valley Industrial Association, the industry association that supports the manufacturing industry in Northern Illinois, including greater Chicago.

“I am very excited to be included on a panel with so many talented women in our field and to have the opportunity to share my own experiences with others,” Marcia said. “I’m also looking forward to the networking opportunities at the Summit and the chance to learn from others.”

Additional information on the Summit and the speakers is available on the IFAI Women in Textiles website.

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc. is a leader in coating, dyeing and finishing of both woven and non-woven fabrics. Based in Yorkville, Illinois, USA, the company has a 137-year tradition of innovation and in 2015 invested in a new state-of-the-art, wide-width coating and finishing line, and a new facility, that dramatically expanded their ability to serve customers.

Products include digitally-printable textiles, specialty home products, tape-backing products and technical textiles for a wide variety of industries. Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc., is a Meridian Industries, Inc. company and ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified.  Aurora is also an industry leader with regard to sustainable manufacturing practices and a recipient of SGIA’s Sustainable Business Recognition Award in 2019.

www.auroratextile.com

www.ifai.com/women/speakers