Faces of ECIA – Dawn Manhart

What is your involvement with ECIA and what have you gained from your engagement with the association?

I've been involved with ECIA since 2014, when I joined the Global Industry Practice Committee (GIPC), where I served as a member, and later as chair and co-chair. Today, I serve as a member of the Manufacturers Council. Over these years, I've gained an incredible network of industry peers, a much broader view of the challenges and opportunities facing our industry beyond just my own company's four walls, and genuine friendships that have made the work more meaningful.

What does your company do and what is your role in your company?

Knowles is a global leader in high-performance electronics, built on a legacy of engineering excellence dating back to 1985 through acquisitions like Cornell Dubilier, Novacap, and Syfer. We design and manufacture high-performance capacitors and RF/microwave filters, as well as hearing health solutions, serving demanding markets like MedTech, Defense, Industrial, and Electrification. As Sr. Director of Global Channel Sales, I lead a team responsible for global distribution, Inside Sales, and Customer Service, essentially owning the customer and distributor relationship across our business.

What is your favorite thing about this industry?

Hands down, the people. This industry is full of genuine relationships built over years, sometimes decades. I love that you can sit down with partners and peers from different backgrounds and regions , and despite all the differences, everyone's driving toward the same goal, solving customer problems, and building a stronger industry together.

What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?

Traveling with my daughter to places neither of us has been before. There's something special about discovering somewhere new together rather than one of us "showing" the other around. Outside of that, it's about spending meaningful time with friends and family.

What is the best piece of career advice you've ever received?

The best advice I've received is to be the mentor you were fortunate to have. I've had mentors who challenged me, helped me believe in myself, and ultimately advocated for me, and that combination made a difference in my career. They pushed me toward opportunities I wasn't sure I was ready for, saw potential in me before I fully saw it myself, and spoke up for me in rooms I wasn't even in. That's the standard I try to hold myself to now. But what I've come to appreciate most is that mentoring isn't a one-way street. It's not just about explaining things, it's about listening, encouraging, and pushing the mentee to look at things differently. And in doing that, the mentor often ends up seeing things differently too, learning just as much from the mentee as the mentee learns from the mentor.