Coreen Blaylock: Opening Doors for New Professionals

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The IPC Excellence in Education Award is given to individuals who have made a significant contribution and demonstrated leadership in workforce development while building a culture of continuous learning within their organization and across the electronics industry.

Coreen Blaylock, project management and ping operations at Lockheed Martin, shares her unconventional introduction to the industry and how her work in STEM education and building industry partnerships has been instrumental in reinvigorating the manufacturing workforce. Lockheed Martin’s commitment to continuous education has provided veterans and displaced workers the training and financial support they need to be successful in our exciting industry.

Patty Goldman: Cory, congratulations on winning this award, which highlights IPC’s focus on education and workforce development.

Cory Blaylock: Thank you. First, I’m honored to work at Lockheed Martin, a company that’s committed to cultivating the next generation of technical talent that supports our nation’s most critical needs. We utilize STEM outreach and partnership, and we have educational institutions like the local one that I partnered with at Angelina College, as well as K–12 school districts, and we focus on hiring and training those regional students here in Lufkin. We want current and future Lockheed Martin employees to be well prepared.

Goldman: Why is continuous self-improvement and learning so important to you personally?

Blaylock: Because without it, people can miss out on great opportunities that could be life-changing, and I’m a perfect example of that myself. I came to the electronics manufacturing industry by way of the scenic route. I’m fairly new; I made a mid-career change. I spent the first 12 years of my career as an educator in the public school system. I left the classroom in 2015 to begin a new career at Lockheed Martin. I realized that I had a lot to learn about electronics manufacturing at that point. Throughout my career at Lockheed Martin, I’ve gone from not knowing anything related to electronics manufacturing to becoming a certified trainer. I teach new operators, assemblers, technicians, and engineers about IPC standards and the applications that they will use in the production and manufacturing settings when they begin their careers.

To read this entire interview, which appeared in the 2023 issue of Show & Tell Magazine, click here.

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