Women's Industry Network Opens Nominations for New Founding Mothers Award

Nominations for the Women’s Industry Network’s inaugural Founding Mothers Award are open. The new honor will celebrate the six “founding mothers” of WIN, and celebrate the organization’s creation and true mission within the collision repair industry. 

The Founding Mother Award honors the women who are shaping the future of the collision repair industry — women who demonstrate passion, perseverance, and purpose every day. The award was created and presented by WIN’s Founding Mothers Frederica Carter, Geri Kottschade, Gigi Walker, Patricia Serratore, Kathy Mello, and Marcy Tieger.

“Key considerations for this new, prestigious award will include excellence in their craft, as well as mentoring others to success in repair excellence,” said Kottschade, WIN Vice Chair. “The new Founding Mothers Award is open to all women and will annually recognize an individual that is ‘intently involved with the true craft of collision repair, as their skills need to be still active on the shop floor – either as a hands-on refinish technician and/or painter.’” 

WIN was founded 20 years ago by the six pioneering women who saw a need for connection, mentorship, and opportunity in the automotive collision industry. Their vision built the foundation for WIN’s mission to empower women across all levels of the trade. For this award, Founding Mothers Kottschade, Carter, and Tieger are actively providing input.

According to the career platform Zippia.com, which uses publicly available statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and its own proprietary data, there more than 80,180 auto body technicians currently employed in the United States. Of that total, only 4.8% of all auto body technicians are women. This has doubled over the past decade, when there were just 2.34% female techs back in 2015. 

“Collision repair, especially on the shop floor, has long been a male-dominated industry; and while there certainly has been progress, we see WIN’s previous efforts, along with this latest, annual Founding Mothers award, as another continuous way to bring awareness to the availability and skills that women can successfully bring in professional repairs and refinishing excellence,” Kottschade said. 

Specific Evaluation criteria for the new Founding Mother’s award include: 

• Industry Visibility & Leadership – Inspiring others and advancing the trade 

• Professional Accomplishments – Demonstrated excellence and at least two years of full‑time shop experience 

• Mentorship and Support – Guiding and empowering coworkers 

• Community Involvement – Promoting diversity, inclusion, and outreach 

Nominations are available now through January 19. The award is open to all women in the collision repair industry. Neither the nominator nor nominee needs to be a WIN member, and all nominations help WIN celebrate women who lead, mentor, and inspire a stronger, more inclusive industry. 

This year’s class of 2026 MIWs and the inaugural Founding Mothers award recipient will all be celebrated at WIN’s Annual Conference, May 4-6, in Tucson, Arizona. Members and nonmembers will gather to Empower Excellence. 

For more information about the Founding Mothers award and nominations, click here.