Loree Moore lives in Glen Carbon, Illinois with her husband and daughter. Loree’s father works as a quality control technician and her mother works in accounting. 

Loree’s first memories of SkillsUSA Illinois are from her freshman year of high school. A fellow classmate was excited for the upcoming SkillsUSA Illinois State Leadership & Skills Conference, and asked Loree to partner with her to compete in Web Design. 

During the closing session at the conference, Loree listened to speeches given by outgoing state officers. Many of the speeches were reflecting on shared experiences, and delivered heartfelt advice to the newly elected officers. The speeches resonated with Loree, and she decided she wanted to run for state office in the upcoming year. The first time she ran for office, Loree was not elected. Later that year, she was appointed to a position that had opened. She was a state officer for three years in high school and served one year as a national officer in college. 

Throughout her time as a national officer in SkillsUSA, Loree experienced various leadership development opportunities, including L.E.A.D. She acknowledges that the curriculum design, learning objectives and outcomes, and intentional student engagement accelerated her development journey. Loree now uses much of what she learned from SkillsUSA in a corporate environment. 

In her entry level position as an engineer, Loree remembers managing design projects which included various disciplines, such as customer engagement, supplier management, design, manufacturing and more. In these roles, she was required to speak to people in many different functions, with varying levels of responsibility. The framework skills she learned in SkillsUSA were used to communicate with her teammates to move her projects forward. She credits SkillsUSA Illinois with building her capability to navigate challenging projects calmly and effectively.

A few years into her career, Loree became an engineer at Boeing, where she still works today. During her time with the company, Loree has worked in various roles on multiple aircraft platforms, and now serves a team as an engineering manager. Loree says she still draws on much of the framework development she received during her time in SkillsUSA Illinois. 

Loree says she has rarely felt that being a woman in a male- dominated field is an obstacle. She has spent her career seeking a diverse set of mentors – spanning experiences, industries, backgrounds, and more – to help her grow. This included the peers, advisors, and business partners she met throughout her journey with SkillsUSA Illinois. Loree credits her employer for creating a supportive environment where employees are empowered to speak their mind. Loree reports that SkillsUSA Illinois contributed to her confidence, preparedness, and communication abilities. 

Loree is grateful for her experience in SkillsUSA Illinois. She had no idea at the time that her involvement would contribute so greatly to the life and career she has built, but she knows it is all connected. She encourages anyone to give the organization a try and to jump in with both feet. “You can be an early adopter or a late adapter,” Loree says. “You can collect these incredible experiences, or you can wish you leaned in after the fact.”