Trista Smith currently serves as the Vocational Program Manager at Argonne National Laboratory, where TRISTA is involved with the Battery Workforce Development Group within the Sustainable Transportation Education & Partnerships Department. With a commitment to making STEM accessible, Trista actively participates on the boards of AeroStars in Chicago, the Susanna Lankai Debrah Educational Foundation in Accra, and the Gary Eastside Community Development Corporation in Gary, Indiana. Previously, Trista worked as a Manufacturing Technical Specialist at IMEC Illinois, where expertise in technical and workforce development solutions significantly contributed to growth opportunities for manufacturers in Illinois. Trista’s career also includes a role as VP of Training and Manufacturing Operations at BSD Industries from 2014 to 2021, leveraging over 20 years of experience in various manufacturing roles to design effective workforce training and curriculum.