The Human Engine of AI: Three Women Rewriting Supply Chain Rules

ALPHARETTA, GA – August 31, 2026 – In the world of enterprise software and global logistics, press releases announcing award wins are a daily occurrence. They are part of the corporate rhythm, often filed away as standard marketing fare. But occasionally, an announcement serves as a flare, illuminating a deeper transformation underway. The recent news that three women connected with AI firm Aptean have been honored by the 2026 Women in Supply Chain Forum™ is one such moment.

On the surface, it’s a story of well-deserved recognition for Aptean CTO Jenny Peng, Senior Solutions Consultant Kay Fetter, and Azin Cooksey, a transportation manager at Aptean customer Odeko. But looking past the corporate congratulations reveals a more compelling narrative about the symbiotic relationship between human ingenuity and technological empowerment. It’s a story where AI isn’t a faceless force of disruption but a tool wielded by sharp, innovative leaders to solve intractable problems, drive efficiency, and—most importantly—redefine what’s possible in the arteries of global commerce.

The New Blueprint for Logistics

The most potent examples of technological impact are rarely found in a vendor’s slide deck; they are written in the operational ledgers of their customers. Azin Cooksey, a Transportation Manager at the fast-growing distributor Odeko, is a case in point. Honored as a “Rising Star,” Cooksey didn't just adopt a new software system; she architected an entire transportation operation from the ground up using Aptean's transportation management system (TMS).

Odeko, which supplies a sprawling network of independent coffee shops and cafes, faced a complex logistical puzzle. With 19 warehouses and a mix of parcel, less-than-truckload (LTL), and full truckload shipments, a standard, one-size-fits-all solution was a non-starter. Cooksey’s insight was to refuse the out-of-the-box process. "I didn't want to fit Odeko into somebody else's process flow. I wanted to create one that was right for us," she stated. This philosophy drove her to design a customized, unified system that could manage the company’s multifaceted shipping needs from a single platform.

The results are a stark illustration of what happens when vision meets capability. Cooksey’s bespoke system slashed Odeko’s freight booking error rate from a costly 11% down to a lean 2%. Even more impressively, it allowed the company to triple its shipment volume—from 300 to 900 shipments per month—without adding a single new hire to the transportation team. Her work even led to the development of a new box-level parcel tracking feature, Pack Verify, which is now being adopted by other companies. This is not just an efficiency gain; it's a fundamental change in a company’s growth trajectory, enabled by a leader who saw technology as clay to be molded, not a rigid box to be squeezed into.

Bridging Technology and Operations

If Cooksey represents the visionary operator, then Kay Fetter, an Aptean Senior Solutions Consultant and “Trailblazer” award winner, represents the crucial translator who makes such transformations possible. With over a decade of hands-on experience in the trenches of transportation operations, Fetter brings a credibility that technology alone cannot confer. She speaks the language of both the C-suite and the dispatch floor, understanding the strategic imperatives of AI while remembering the visceral stress of a 2 a.m. crisis call.

"Having been that person getting a 2 a.m. call because a carrier didn't show up on time in California, I can truly appreciate the technology enhancements that have taken place over the years," Fetter reflected. This lived experience informs her work guiding Aptean customers, helping them design future-state TMS systems that leverage advanced AI, orchestration, and agentic capabilities. Her role isn’t just to sell software, but to solve puzzles, using her “toolbox” to create systems that deliver not just ROI, but a better quality of life. One of her recent projects, a TMS and data management implementation for a chemical manufacturer, delivered a formidable 18% efficiency gain while giving 28 employees their weekends back. This dual-impact—boosting the bottom line while improving human capital—is the hallmark of successful digital transformation.

Architecting the AI-First Workforce

At the strategic apex of this transformation is Jenny Peng, Aptean’s Chief Technology Officer and the recipient of the “Workforce Innovator” award. Peng is leading the company’s evolution into an “AI-first” organization, a transition that goes far beyond product features. She is reimagining how work itself gets done, championing AI-native workflows where employees orchestrate routine tasks with intelligent agents, freeing their time for higher-value work like creative problem-solving and strategic decision-making.

Under her leadership, the Aptean Intelligence platform is being embedded across the company’s product suite, not as a bolt-on feature but as a foundational element. For Peng, the greatest promise of AI is not in the code, but in the workforce. It’s about giving people new capabilities and expanding what individuals and teams can accomplish. This perspective is a critical counter-narrative to the prevailing fear of AI-driven job displacement. Instead, she sees a future of job evolution and opportunity creation.

This philosophy extends directly to her leadership style. An active mentor, particularly for women in technical fields, Peng focuses on helping people see and seize opportunities. "Technology can change what people are capable of, but leadership helps people see what they are capable of," Peng noted. Her insight that leadership is about “helping someone recognize a door that was already there and giving them the confidence to walk through it” is especially resonant in an era of rapid technological change. Building an AI-powered future requires not only smarter technology but also a more inclusive and empowering environment where a broader range of talent can lead.

A Bellwether for a Changing Industry

The recognition of Cooksey, Fetter, and Peng is significant not only for their individual accomplishments but for what it says about the supply chain industry as a whole. The Women in Supply Chain Forum™ Award, presented by leading industry publications Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive, has become a credible barometer of progress. With a record number of over 300 submissions for the 2026 awards, and with nearly a quarter coming from male counterparts nominating their female colleagues, it’s clear that the conversation around diversity and recognition is gaining momentum.

These awards are more than just a celebration; they are a representation of progress in a field that has been historically male-dominated. By highlighting the tangible successes of women as operators, consultants, and strategic leaders, the industry signals what it values: innovation, collaboration, and results. The stories of these three winners demonstrate a powerful, emerging paradigm where human talent is the critical catalyst that activates the potential of artificial intelligence, forging a supply chain that is not only more efficient and resilient but also more human.