After having five children and leaving an abusive marriage at a young age, Donna Cartwright embarked on her journey and started a new chapter.
She contacted a temporary workforce staffing agency, went on to work for a major consumer packaged goods company and eventually graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in business and minor in chemistry. She's held positions such as senior scientist, director of global innovation, director of product management and now senior director of technology at Novolex.
"I'm proud to have collaborated on innovative products which have resulted in three patents. Additionally, I have been honored to receive several awards for product development throughout my career," she said.
As the senior director of technology for Novolex's flexible polyethylene business, Cartwright and her team work on research and development projects and processes.
"A day in the life may be running trials in a plant, working on new blends for products or working with our marketing team to launch a new product to market. For example, last week, my team was in innovation sessions with customers, finding opportunities to create new products to meet needs that they have in their portfolios," she said.
"We look for opportunities to improve efficiencies and new processes within project management and for ways to refine how we respond to customers and provide products as quickly as possible in an ever-changing, ever-growing market," she added. "We also look for sustainability opportunities and ask ourselves how we can help customers meet their sustainability goals. I am proud of what my team and I are accomplishing for the industry."
When she joined the plastics industry, Cartwright was surprised to find there weren't more women.
"Amplifying women's voices in plastics, who come from various backgrounds, will help make the plastics industry seem more accessible to minority groups," she said.
Cartwright said she is most proud of the choices she made that led to her creating a safe, happy life for herself and her children.
"For me," Cartwright said, "breaking the mold is about doing things differently, challenging assumptions and norms, listening to and considering diversity in thought, and finding new ways to be better in my personal and work life."