Taylor Dickerson named new WIMOs president

Holly Normand (left) is stepping down as WIMOs president, while Taylor Dickerson (right) has been named the new president.

As Holly Normand of Ingram Barge Company steps down from her role as executive president of the Women in Maritime Operations (WIMOs) Association, Kirby’s Taylor Dickerson has been named the new association president.

Normand, liquid cargo senior sales representative at Nashville, Tenn.-headquartered Ingram Barge Company, has served on the WIMOs board for five years.

Normand will work with Taylor on transitioning over the next month or so as her term ends. Dickerson was the previous national treasurer, hence there is an immediate opening for the national treasurer role at WIMOs.

She began working for Ingram Barge Company in 2006 at the Reserve, La., location in customer service handling logistics in the Gulf region. In 2014, she moved to vessel operations and managed Ingram’s fleeting facility in Port Allen, La. Then in 2017, she took the opportunity to join the dry cargo sales team, handling the Gulf region and a wide range of cargo. And in July 2022, she took on a new challenge and joined the liquid cargo sales team covering the Gulf region.

She was named a Marine Log Top Women in Maritime in 2020.

“Holly Normand has poured her heart and soul into WIMOs while serving as national president for almost five years,” says Kasey Eckstein, founder and executive director of WIMOs. She has done an incredible job growing the organization and even spearheaded the first WIMOs Annual Golf Tournament in New Orleans, which continues to serve as a vital fundraiser that allows WIMOs to carry out our mission of Educating, Engaging and Elevating women. We can’t thank Holly enough for everything she has done for WIMOs, and we would not be where we are today without her leadership.

“Although a bittersweet transition, we are very excited to welcome Taylor Dickerson as our newly elected WIMOs national president. Taylor was voted into this position by our general membership which is comprised of over 800 women from over 200 companies nationwide. It is rare to find women at the executive level within the inland and coastal barge industry, but with Taylor’s excellent leadership skills and very strong networks within the maritime and oil & gas industries, she has been able to break the glass ceiling proving women are a real value to our industry. All these attributes are what make Taylor the ideal candidate to lead WIMOs Association into the future. I am genuine when I say that we are so fortunate to have Taylor at the helm of WIMOs. We cannot wait to see how Taylor will help advance women in maritime operations to accomplish their goals over the next five years!”

Taylor Dickerson

Dickerson serves as the vice president of the project management office for Kirby Corporation, where she is responsible for managing the portfolio of executive level projects in environmental sustainability, technology advancement and innovation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, process improvement and efficiency, analytics, and more.

She started her career in the maritime industry in 2008 (15+ years experience) with Kirby and has served in many roles within logistics, sales, operations, maintenance, safety, finance, and most recently, special projects.

She holds a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and Energy from Tulane University, and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Management and Entrepreneurial Studies from Texas State University. Dickerson also serves on the three separate boards of directors: President of Texas Waterway Operators Association (TWOA), National President of Women in Maritime Operations Association (WIMOs), and Vice President of Hiro Health Corporation.  She has also recently been named one of The Waterways Journal’s “40 Under 40” for 2023.

Her professional passions include adding value through innovation and efficiency, creating unique strategic solutions, and empowering and mentoring women. She currently is a volunteer mentor for the WIMOs Mentorship Program, as well as serves on the selection committee.

Dickerson recently served as a panelist at Marine Log’s Tugs, Towboats & Barges (TTB) event in Mobile, Ala., last month, where she joined the discussion on women in the TTB market.