Chloe Reeves: Breaking the Mold
Okmulgee and Okmulgee County are home to unique businesses and people who help them succeed. Okmulgee is also home to several institute of higher learning, providing training in an array of fields and preparing a workforce for now and the future. Who are they? Read on as the Times begins a new showcase feature.
– Meet Chloe. “My name is Chloe Reeves. I am a CNC machinist and programmer.”
Reeves is a passionate young woman who, against traditional norms, with encouragement from her father, decided to embark on a journey into the world of CNC machining.
“I graduated from Green Country for CNC machining in 2019 and I’ve been doing CNC machining ever since.”
— Breaking the ‘Mold’
Historically, women like Reeves have faced challenges in entering the male-dominated realm of CNC machining. One being the stereotypes of the manufacturing industry as a whole.
The manufacturing industry, with its emphasis on precision and technical expertise, has often been a less-explored territory for women.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women currently represent less than 30 percent of this industry. However, change is in the air. Initiatives and educational programs have emerged, aiming to dismantle gender barriers and encourage more women to pursue careers in manufacturing and CNC machining. Chloe is just one example of the increasing number of women finding their place in this technical field.
“I’m somebody that likes to do stuff with my hands rather than sitting at a desk on computers all day,” she said in explanation. “And so out of the few options that I had, my brother also took CNC machining, and so it’s like a little bit of a look into that before I chose which class I wanted to take. And I thought CNC sounded really fun, I could design stuff and make stuff with my own hands and have a part.”
Reeves, along with her peers, go through specialized training programs, honing skills in CNC programming, machine operation, and other technical aspects.
“After I graduated from CNC machining I went back as an adult student for drafting the year after so I’m also certified in drafting.”
These programs are instrumental in equipping women with the necessary expertise to thrive in the world of CNC machining. The NIMS Certified CNC Machine Operator program offered through Green Country Technology Center, not only taught Reeves skills in the classroom, but also provided an opportunity to hone those skills with healthy competition at ‘the largest showcase of career and technical education in America’, SkillsUSA.
“I was actually on a team at Green Country,” Reeves recalls, “I was a three person team there was a machinist, a drafter and a programmer. All of us were CNC machinists, but each of us did a job. Me in that competition. I actually took up the drafting part of that. And my team, we actually made it to Nationals two years in a row.”
According to their website, SkillsUSA is America’s proud champion of the skilled trades.
“We’re a student-led partnership of education and industry that’s building the future skilled workforce our nation depends on with graduates who are career ready, day one.” This national organization, founded in 1965, hosts competitive events that showcase the talents of young individuals in trades ranging from carpentry and welding to graphic design and healthcare. Beyond the competitions, SkillsUSA fosters leadership, teamwork, and communication skills, empowering students to thrive in their chosen professions.
The month of December is the official four-year mark for Reeves in her CNC career. But working with Liberty Partners has provided more growth opportunities.
“I’ve mainly been machining but this past year when I joined Liberty Partners, I started programming as well,” she said.
Liberty Partners, a local aviation modification firm globally known for their experience and excellence in the aviation modification field, has been providing engineering, certification, upholstery & interior, and parts manufacturing & fabrication services, since 2003.
Working with aircraft owners and companies, Liberty Partners takes on projects where they ‘design, generate all certification data, fabricate parts and assemblies, perform required tests and inspections, and finally deliver to our customer a fully approved and certified part, ready to be installed in an aircraft.’
“We can either build to your print, or if you want us to design it and create it, we can do all of that and back it up with all the engineering that you’re going to need,” Doug Bressler, Director of Operations said. “So that’s what makes us kind of unique because they started out as an engineering firm so we got a good foundation of that. Engineering and Design. And now we have the manufacturing side to go with that.”
For Reeves, this is where the machining and programming comes in.
“…Take something from a computer screen, a model on a computer screen and being able to translate that and put it on the machine and take a chunk of metal and make it into a part. Just seeing it come to life…we get a hand in designing and making and trying to put things together and so when we work together and design apart, it’s really cool designing it and then being able to turn around and manufacture it and seeing those pieces come together in real life and form this mechanical part. Yeah, I think it’s so cool to be able to do that.”
Reeves is a part of, not only the manufacturing industry but also the aviation industry as well. Another male dominated profession, women in aviation are the minority.
Attending the Oklahoma Women in Aviation conference this past year, Reeves along with Martha Diaz, Business Accounts Manager for Liberty Partners, get to experience and share the energy of other like minded, aspiring women.
“It’s just where different women, whether they’re in the military, whether they’re in different aviation companies around, get up and speak to high school and college age girls to say, you know, there is something there’s something to do aviation,” Diaz said. “So we try to promote that. Believe it or not, we post jobs for engineers. We post jobs for shop personnel, even test technicians and very few women apply … I think we’re somehow under communicating to women, that they should apply for every job that they feel qualified for, you know, even if they think it’s something they want to do, but maybe not sure, apply for it anyway. So we need to remember not just secretaries and bankers, and tellers.”
— Closing the Gaps
Transitioning from CNC machining to aviation, we find that women have historically been underrepresented in the pilot profession. Despite the skies beckoning dreamers of all genders, fewer women have taken up the role of pilots compared to their male counterparts. Beyond the cockpit, women have been contributing significantly to aviation in various technical and engineering roles. From aircraft maintenance to aerospace engineering, women like Chloe are breaking barriers and making their mark in these critical areas.
Encouragingly, the narrative is changing. Initiatives promoting diversity and inclusion in aviation are gaining traction. Chloe’s journey mirrors the broader trend of more women entering various roles within the aviation industry, each contributing their unique skills and perspectives.
Leadership positions within aviation-related companies and organizations are also witnessing a shift. Women are taking on management, administration and executive roles, shaping the future of aviation.
Chloe’s story is just one of many, highlighting the ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive environment in both CNC machining and aviation.
As we celebrate her breaking barriers milestone, it serves as a reminder that diversity and innovation go hand in hand, propelling these industries into a future where talent knows no gender boundaries.
“I know one thing that I’ve always wanted to do being a woman in CNC machining is to inspire more women to get into this role because I know there’s a lot of women who pick other careers because they feel like they can’t do it. And I want to be that inspiration for them being like you can do this if you want to work with your hands you can get into this and you can be just as good if not better than the guys in this industry,” Reeves said.
And it all began by classes being offered through Green Country Technology Center, where classes can be taken by high school students, tuition free. A total game changer.
By the time you graduate high school, you are equipped not only with your diploma but also a skill you can build your life on and walk out into the big world with the advantage A win is in fact a WIN!
