Barbara Ross honoured with PTDA’s 2021 Wendy B. McDonald Award
October 25, 2021 | By Maryam Farag
PTDA Foundation President Keith Nowak presents the 2021 Wendy B. McDonald Award to Barbara Ross of Garlock Sealing Technologies during the PTDA 2021 Industry Summit.
Photo: PTDA Foundation. 
PTDA Foundation President Keith Nowak presents the 2021 Wendy B. McDonald Award to Barbara Ross of Garlock Sealing Technologies during the PTDA 2021 Industry Summit.
Photo: PTDA Foundation.
The Power Transmission Distributors Association Foundation (PTDA) announced that this year’s recipient of the Wendy B. McDonald Award is Barbara J. Ross of Garlock Sealing Technologies.
Wendy B. McDonald was one of the power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industry pioneers. To honour her memory, in 2014, the PTDA Foundation established the Wendy B. McDonald Award.
“It recognizes a woman who has established herself as a critical contributor to her company’s success and has affected positive change within the PT/MC industry.”
Ross began her career at Garlock in 1973, working alongside her father. What started as a summer job evolved into a 46-year career in the PT/MC industry.
At Garlock, Ross honed her skills working for various departments, from finance to marketing to administration, before being named the company’s first female distribution centre manager. With this distinction came a move from upstate New York to Atlanta. Additional career advancements within the industry and relocations proved promising for Ross, who soon discovered her niche in marketing. In 2014, Ross became the VP of Sales and Marketing for Garlock’s Rotating Seal Division, a role in which she continues to lead.
She currently serves on the PTDA Foundation Board, as chair of the PT WORK Force Work, Education Resource and Knowledge Committee and on the Funding Committee. She also serves on the PTDA Industry Insights Committee.
