Pioneer Industries’ Rising Star

Elaina works in Pioneer Industries’ Quality Assurance (QA) department as a manager. Her quest for knowledge and creating a better life for herself have attributed to her ascent in Pioneer Industries (PI), our aerospace manufacturing business.

The Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) recently gave Elaina the “Rising Star” award because of her drive to gain knowledge and excel in her work, and rapid rise as QA manager at PI. Elaina is a model employee who proved that if you are willing to get out of your comfort zone, learn and take the chance that is being offered to you – you can launch a new and successful life.

Her journey included addiction, incarceration and going through Pioneer’s treatment and job training programs. She was hired on at PI in the part mark division, and she proceeded to work, learn and educate herself up the ladder.

“Pioneer helped me to achieve a life that I can be proud of now.”  Elaina

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Elaina’s experience with Pioneer Human Services, started through the King County Drug Diversion Court program when she enrolled in our 90-day co-occurring treatment program. In the program, she gained the knowledge and skills that would help aid her in making better decisions and set her onto a positive path in life.

Elaina shared, “I started to internally process things that had happened to me and the choices I made and realized I was causing many of the things. I started to understand accountability.” She continued, “I started to follow the counselor’s guidance by practicing mindfulness, meditation, keeping a journal, using positive affirmations, and engaging in counseling and group sessions. It was so apparent that I needed to do some work to change my actions and life.”

After completing the co-occurring treatment program, Elaina found herself eventually applying to the Roadmap to Success job-readiness training program at Pioneer where she learned basic skills to help her gain and maintain a job. After graduating, she applied and was hired for a job at PI starting in the aerospace part mark department and metal/vinyl assembly.

Elaina was determined and got up every day at 2 AM to make all her bus connections so she would get to work on time. She worked her way up to in the assembly department and eventually applied for the Quality Assurance 1 (QA 1) position, starting off in aerospace parts finish line inspection.

While working, Elaina was able to buy her first car. Having a car was a tremendous help in getting her to work on time without having to wake up so early every morning. As Elaina worked in the QA department, she took every opportunity possible to increase her knowledge and learn everything about QA and aerospace quality. Her determination and desire for more knowledge led her on a positive path of gaining knowledge and earning many important certifications that have catapulted her career.

When she was promoted to QA II, she was able to take an AS9100D internal auditor training course that educated her in the standard requirements, allowing her to become part of the internal auditing group at PI. She also started learning Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) inspection and programming, and worked her way up to become the QA Lead at Pioneer Industries’ Plant 1.

When a Quality Engineer position opened up at PI, Elaina applied and was hired allowing her to gain further knowledge about quality inspection and PI’s different departments, processes and how they all operate together. To further her knowledge, she earned her A9100D Lead Auditor certification that indicates an individual has the knowledge and skills to lead or conduct audits of quality management systems (QMS) in the aviation, space, and defense industries.

Then, as a Quality Engineer, Elaina conducted Root Cause Corrective Analysis (RCCA) internal audits and participated in third party audits. RCCA is a systematic approach to identifying and resolving problems by focusing on the underlying causes rather than just addressing symptoms. It’s a problem-solving technique that helps organizations understand why something went wrong and implement solutions to prevent recurrence.

Elaina was also offered the opportunity to earn her AATT for AS9100D, which is the same course that third party auditors are required to complete in order to audit a company’s quality system. “I enrolled as wanted to ensure I had the same knowledge as third party auditors when they came to our plants. I felt it was extremely important that when I spoke with auditors, we had the same understanding and comprehension of the standard,” Elaina said.

Recently, Elaina was promoted to Pioneer Industries’ Quality Manager position to help ensure that PI is meeting aerospace quality requirements. Elaina shared, “I never thought I would be in manufacturing environment, let alone managing a team of people. On my own time, I took self-paced online leadership and management courses in the evenings and weekends to increase my communication and management skills. It was so important that I gained knowledge to help better understand the basics of management and communication as it’s really ‘the team’ that makes our QA department so amazing.”

At the end of April 2025, Elaina was informed that she was a winner of the “Rising Star” award that is part of the PNAA’s Women in Aerospace annual event in May. The Rising Star award recognizes women who have demonstrated a drive for excellence and have inspired change and innovation in the workplace. It specifically honors women who are not afraid to challenge the status quo, share new ideas, and foster a positive and innovative thought process.

Tom Welsh, PI Senior Quality Assurance Manager, said, “I noticed early on that Elaina had what it takes to succeed in aerospace quality. She just needed the support and direction. Elaina has taken every opportunity presented to her to gain the knowledge needed to succeed and thrive in this industry. It has been a pleasure to provide the path needed, and watch her on her journey.”

Elaina exemplifies PI’s mission of empowering justice-involved individuals, as she has grown into a respected leader who upholds the organization’s core values. She also serves as a board member for the Engineering departments class at the Puget Sound Skills Center.

“Pioneer helped me to achieve a life that I can be proud of. I learned to be self-sufficient and commit to my job and responsibilities. It is important to believe in yourself and not let fear of failure take over. If someone is offering you a chance – take it! Put your all into that opportunity and you just might surprise yourself,” Elaina concluded.