A trailblazer throughout her career, Erica Baird shares her story of climbing the ranks at one of Indiana’s most prestigious companies. 

An engineer by training, Baird, currently the Executive Director at Cummins Global Sales and Services, says her career started when she sold mining equipment in Southern California and Hawaii. In a field usually dominated by men, Baird was the only woman of color in her position at the time. 

Shortly after, she became a project manager overseeing global expansions for Cummins’s oil, rail, and gas divisions. Baird said there was a lot of pressure, and as far as she could tell, she was the first woman of color in this position.  

Despite the hurdles, Baird said, “I have succeeded every step of the way.” At a recent presentation during the RALLY Innovation Conference, Baird spoke about how she navigated corporate America as a woman of color and the importance of building a strategic network.  

Baird encourages younger women to learn the entire business, understand their customers’ needs, and effectively communicate their impact in the industry. She says to make sure “you have everything you need to be a fully successful business.”