Women & Business Honoree: Megan Terrell

Megan Terrell

HOWMET AEROSPACE INC.

“The inputs you surround yourself with dictate your output.” 

Megan Terrell works with numbers, but her approach to business is rooted just as firmly in people. As people analytics manager at Pittsburgh-headquartered Howmet Aerospace Inc., Terrell develops an organizational approach to HR metrics and predictive modeling. The Oklahoma native moved to Pittsburgh in 2021 and now calls Lawrenceville home.

Terrell describes herself as “data-driven,” a “lifelong learner,” a “thoughtful listener” and a “tool builder” — qualities that shape how she approaches analytics, emerging technology and the people affected by both.

Howmet Aerospace launched in April 2020, with corporate roots that trace to the 1888 founding of The Pittsburgh Reduction Company, which later became the Aluminum Company of America, or Alcoa. Today, Howmet has more than 27,000 employees in 25 countries. Terrell’s work looks toward another period of change as she collaborates with the company’s AI team on artificial intelligence and machine-learning tools.

Her vision combines technology with community. Terrell wants to cultivate “a network that opens doors for others” through partnerships with local organizations, mentoring and shared opportunities. She sees empowering people and technology together as a path toward sustainable growth.

That community focus is also visible outside her core analytics work. Terrell co-founded Howmet’s Outdoor Club and serves as Pittsburgh co-lead of the Howmet Women’s Network. She helped raise $25,000 for the Pittsburgh Women’s Center and Shelter through the Howmet Foundation and helped solicit $9,000 to sponsor the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge and build a bridge.

“The inputs you surround yourself with dictate your output,” Terrell said in offering advice to other women. She encourages women to build a community, know their worth, learn to negotiate, develop creative outlets and meet people whose backgrounds and perspectives differ from their own.

One lesson has remained with Terrell since she was 14, when she spent a summer with an aunt who volunteered at food halls and homeless shelters. Her aunt taught her that ignoring someone can be a particularly painful form of cruelty — and that something as simple as a smile or hello can matter. It’s a people-centered lesson that continues to sit alongside the data in Terrell’s professional life.