Erie Manufacturing Executive Named to National Trade Association Board

Denise Okafor, chief operating officer of an Erie-based locomotive components manufacturer, has been named to the board of a national manufacturing trade association, a position that gives the region's rail-supply sector a seat at the table for federal policy discussions it has rarely had.

Okafor said she plans to use the role to push for infrastructure procurement rules that favor domestic content requirements, an issue she says directly affects Erie's remaining rail-equipment manufacturers.

"Erie built locomotives for over a century," Okafor said. "The supply chain around that history is still here, but it competes against imported components on price alone unless procurement policy accounts for the difference."

Colleagues describe Okafor as someone who rose through the plant floor rather than an executive pipeline, starting as a quality inspector before moving into operations leadership over a 19-year career at the company.

The trade association board meets quarterly and advises on regulatory comment letters submitted to federal agencies. Okafor said her first priority will be gathering input directly from smaller Erie-area suppliers who rarely have the resources to engage with federal policy on their own.