Peer Groups

Women In Motion Peer Groups provide a supportive community where women facing common challenges can connect, share experiences, and gain practical insights from peers who understand their journey. Our aim is to combat isolation and stigma by offering a safe space where women can freely discuss personal and professional issues and receive mutual support. Through facilitated discussions and shared information, our groups empower by building confidence and fostering a sense of belonging among women in our community.

WIM Peers Groups is a Member Benefit and if you are not a member of WIM, we encourage you to apply prior to signing up. 

The sign-up process has now closed. There is a spot left in the Compliance & Safety in Trucking and Driver Focused groups, for more information contact Nikki Thomas. 

Meet the Facilitators

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Karen Vellutini

Karen Vellutini has been in the international logistics industry since 1988. Her professional experience encompasses many facets of the industry, including ocean carriers, terminal operators and motor carriers. She is currently the President for Devine Intermodal, a logistics company headquartered in West Sacramento, CA providing trucking/warehousing/3PL services throughout the western states.  Karen's previous positions include management positions with Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) and American President Lines (APL).  

Karen is the Chairwomen of Women in Logistics (WIL). Additionally, she is the incoming Chairperson of the American Trucking Associations’ Intermodal Carrier Conference, a member of the Port of Oakland’s Port Efficiency Taskforce, the World Economic Forum’s Blockchain for Supply Chain working group, a member of the US State Department’s International Speaker Program, and Advisory Board Member for California Maritime Academy’s school of International Business and Logistics and a guest lecturer at California State University, San Francisco.

Karen is a Northern California native and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from California State University, Fresno.

Monica Abesamis

Monica is an experienced executive leader in strategic people management and human resources with a career spanning over 17 years. As the former Head of People Success at Nuro, she possesses a wealth of experience in cultivating and scaling dynamic teams through various stages of growth. Her professional journey includes dynamic roles, such as Director of HR at Levi’s Stadium, HR leader at NASA Ames Research Center, and Director of People and Culture at a local non-profit. Monica plays a pivotal role in fostering an environment of excellence and inclusivity at Range. Her dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion is exemplified through her commitment to implementing people-focused strategies that drive positive transformation within teams.

Executive Leadership (At full capacity) 

Facilitators: Karen Vellutini, President, Devine Intermodal, and Monica Abesamis, Chief People Officer, Range Energy
Meeting Time: 3rd Thursday of each month | 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT
We invite senior-level women leaders who hold top positions within their organizations to join this peer group. This group is designed for those who are looking to build meaningful relationships with other high-achieving peers and share mutual support. Members will find a safe space to discuss challenges, exchange ideas, and collaboratively develop best practices that can enhance their leadership and influence.

This group is full and no longer taking sign ups. 

Kelsey Gibson

Monica is an experienced executive leader in strategic people management and human resources with a career spanning over 17 years. As the former Head of People Success at Nuro, she possesses a wealth of experience in cultivating and scaling dynamic teams through various stages of growth. Her professional journey includes dynamic roles, such as Director of HR at Levi’s Stadium, HR leader at NASA Ames Research Center, and Director of People and Culture at a local non-profit. Monica plays a pivotal role in fostering an environment of excellence and inclusivity at Range. Her dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion is exemplified through her commitment to implementing people-focused strategies that drive positive transformation within teams.

Compliance & Safety in Trucking

Facilitator: Kelsey Gibson, Director of Enterprise Safety, Covenant Logistics Group
Meeting Time: 2nd Thursday of every month | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
This group is designed for networking and building relationships in the safety field. Our focus is on supporting professionals who are well-versed in regulatory standards but seek guidance in advancing their careers and exploring innovative approaches to safety. We aim to address challenges like career growth within organizations and how companies uniquely apply safety to align with their cultures. Through shared experiences and ideas, members can discover new strategies to enhance their impact and help their organizations thrive.

Laura Duryea

Laura Duryea has transitioned into the role of Manager of Recruiting after being involved in various roles within the Transportation Industry for the last 30 years. She started her driving career after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Viola Performance.

After 2 years of driving, she left the industry to run a fishing lake and campground in Coopersburg, PA, but the call of the road led her to return to driving with her team partner and now husband. While running a dedicated run for Schneider, she purchased a farm in York County, PA and started a pastured livestock and organic vegetable business while driving full time. When the account was lost, she left Schneider and joined United Natural Foods delivering groceries to Natural Food Stores on the Eastern Seaboard. After 3 ½ years, she transitioned into Management as the Driver Trainer Supervisor. During this time, she was also Secretary of the Dover Volunteer Fire Department and ran Bingo as a fundraiser for the Department for 10 years.

Once her husband decided to return to OTR driving, she was once again on the road and living the life of a nomad. After joining Boyle as a team driver, she fell in love with the company and was delighted to be awarded the Recruiting Manager position. Helping team drivers find a company they take pride in is her mission.

Driver Focused

Facilitator: Laura Duryea, Director of Driver Recruitment and Professional Growth, Boyle Transportation
Meeting Time: 4th Tuesday of every month | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
This peer group is designed for women drivers and those involved in driver recruitment and retention to come together, share insights, build connections, and navigate the unique challenges of their roles. Participants will benefit from guided discussions on key topics such as overcoming challenging conversations, stepping out of their comfort zones, identifying barriers for women, fostering accountability, and managing workplace perceptions. Join to network, learn, and grow alongside peers who understand your journey and support your professional development.

Pamela Bracher

Within her 18 years in the transportation industry, Pam has held various leadership positions and defended truck accident and cargo claims in various stages of pre-litigation and litigation. After almost 10 years in private practice, Pam began her transportation career by moving in-house with U.S. Xpress, Inc. to oversee a team of commercial auto liability, cargo, and subrogation claims examiners, and a crisis response call center. Pam then moved into a unique role in the transportation risk management sector supporting the Knight-Swift Transportation, Inc. family of companies and its captive insurance company, Mohave Transportation Insurance Company. Pam joined the American Trucking Associations (ATA) in 2022, where she works to advance the interests of the trucking industry on a wide range of public policy and regulatory issues, including lawsuit abuse reform, predatory towing reform, and cargo security. 

Pam graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Law after earning her BA (Political Science) from Emory University and her MPA (Financial Management) from the University of Cincinnati. She joined Miller & Martin PLLC in Chattanooga upon graduation from law school, where she focused her litigation practice on railway transportation, commercial, and products liability litigation, and tried cases in state and federal courts. Pam is also a Tennessee Rule 31 listed civil mediator. She is licensed in Tennessee and Georgia. 

Legal Matters in Trucking

Facilitator: Pamela Bracher, Deputy General Counsel, ATA
Meeting Time: 2nd Thursday of every month | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
The mission of the Legal Matters in Trucking Peer Group is to facilitate relationship-building and provide an additional forum for professional and leadership development. Welcoming members who are in-house lawyers or those who work in or are interested in working with in-house legal and/or claims teams.