Cleaning Roundtable: Women in Cleaning Roundtable

Ada Baldwin, Director of University Housekeeping at North Carolina State University, led her department in receiving the Green Seal Certification. This certification represents the Green Seal Standard for Commercial and Institutional Cleaning Services (GS42). NCSU is the first university in North Carolina to receive this certification and sixth in the nation.

Ada received her Bachelor's Degree in Communication from Virginia Tech and her Masters of Arts Degree from Central Michigan University in Business Management. She served in the United States Air Force maintaining secure air to ground communication for the White House, Pentagon, State Dept. and other governmental agencies. Ada has served on committees for national and international organizations while also holding key positions.

Ada is a certified John Maxwell coach, trainer, and speaker. She has spoken at several national and local conferences and written articles about leadership and best practices.

Ada strives to ensure that staff members know they are respected, valued, and appreciated. She believes that cleaning for health and providing a safe and sustainable environment are top priorities for the campus community.

Laura Craven, vice president of marketing & communications, oversees marketing and corporate communications for Imperial Dade, a distribution company headquartered in Jersey City, NJ. Her responsibilities include brand and reputation management, internal and external communications, marketing communications, experiential marketing events, DEI and employee engagement programs, and media relations. She manages a dispersed team of marketing and design professionals across the organization.

Laura has been with the company for over 18 years and has contributed to the organization's tremendous growth and managed the rebranding efforts in 2017. As a LEED AP, Laura consults on sustainability initiatives for customers and at industry events and as a GBAC Trained Technician she helps businesses create hygienic indoor environments.

Before joining Imperial Dade in 2004, Laura was director of marketing for Network Distribution, a Chicago-based association of independent distributors. Her prior roles included project manager and purchasing agent at HAVI, a company specializing in supply chain management for leading brands.

Laura holds a BS in Accounting from Elmhurst University. She has earned executive certificates in Content Marketing and Social Media Marketing from The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and Customer Experience from Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University.

Laura is the Co‐Chairwoman of the ISSA Hygieia Network, an organization that focuses on advancement of women in the cleaning industry. She is an incoming member of the ISSA Board of Directors for 2023-2025. Laura is a frequent guest speaker at conferences, universities, and podcasts.

Linda Silverman, daughter of Maintex founder Ralph Silverman, grew up working at the company during summer vacations and was familiar with the company's many operations. She officially joined the family owned business in 1978 as a salesperson. Linda assumed many roles at Maintex in sales management, marketing and strategic planning.

Named President of Maintex in 2010, Linda is co-owner of the company with her brother Stu. She continues to be active and engaged in a number of leading professional associations and is dedicated to opening doors for women in the industry. Linda served on several cleaning industry Advisory Boards and is currently a Board Member of Network Distribution.

Her leadership position in the industry includes serving as the second female President and International Director of ISSA. She served two terms as Secretary of the ISSA Foundation, is a past Chair of the ISSA Quality Standards Committee, and is a current Co-Chair and founding member of the Hygieia Network for the advancement of women in the cleaning industry. Linda is also a recipient of the prestigious Jack Ramaley Award. Additionally, Linda serves on several community charitable boards.

Linda earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.