Lexi Champion
National Director, STEP Ahead The Manufacturing Institute
Lexi is the National Director of STEP Ahead at The Manufacturing Institute, the nonprofit workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). In this role, she leads initiatives aimed at closing the skills gap in manufacturing, empowering women to excel and take on leadership positions within the manufacturing industry.
Prior to joining The Manufacturing Institute, Lexi spent eight years at Stand Together, where she held multiple positions, including directing grantmaking efforts to support nonprofit organizations addressing poverty in their communities. She also worked in fundraising and events, where she developed donor stewardship and engagement strategies while managing giving societies to enhance philanthropic impact.
Lexi earned her B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Georgia, where her dedication to social change was ignited. Originally from Athens, Georgia, she now resides in Arlington, Virginia.
Seminars
- Drawing on The Manufacturing Institute’s work convening manufacturers across the U.S., this session surfaces emerging culture‑led practices that are improving retention, safety, and workforce stability across a wide range of plant sizes, geographies, and operating models
- Sharing early insights from manufacturers that are seeing tangible results, including significant reductions in attrition and sustained improvements in safety and engagement, by intentionally reshaping workplace culture rather than relying on isolated programs or perks
- Exploring how HR leaders can learn from what is already working elsewhere in the sector and adapt proven cultural approaches within their own organizations to strengthen retention and long‑term workforce resilience
- Which elements of these approaches are universally applicable across plants, geographies, and workforce segments, and which depend on local context or legacy culture?
- How can HR move beyond programs and initiatives to embed culture into operating models, decision‑making, and day‑to‑day problem solving on the floor?
- What does effective partnership between HR and Operations actually look like when culture is treated as a driver of output, safety, and resilience?
- Where do organizations commonly lose momentum by focusing on engagement activity rather than structural enablers such as accountability, capability, and leadership behaviors?
