SHPE - Spring 2009 - (Page 36)

Inside the Circle: Employer Profile NAVAIR T Lucy Sapien and Sandi J. Wong McKellips at NAVAIR NI, San Diego hough they didn’t find out until they occupied the same office at NAVAIR, Sandi Wong McKellips and Lucy Sapien share remarkable similarities. Both are Hispanic women and grew up in the same hometown. Both graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso as Metallurgical Engineers, albeit three years apart. Both chose NAVAIR, intrigued by what this government organization offers civilian engineers. Both seized opportunities at NAVAIR which have led them to interesting careers they never imagined. Sandi is a Materials Engineer/Contracts Liaison/Organizational Unit Management Representative for ISO 14001 Initiatives. She began her career at NAVAIR lured by a stateof-the-art laboratory. Before the laboratory’s ribbon cutting, Sandi had moved to Ground Support Equipment, where she was a Mechanical Engineer for several years before being offered the opportunity to write contracts. NAVAIR, excited about her willingness to delve into acquisition, paid for her Master’s in Federal Contracting from George Washington University. Sandi is one of nine people in San Diego to hone this credential. Lucy also started out as a Metallurgical Engineer in NAVAIR, but at two geographically different facilities (Alameda, CA and San Diego, CA). After several years in materials engineering plus a year (outside of NAVAIR) in environmental engineering for the Navy, Lucy was encouraged to serve as Energy Manager. She accepted the change and now manages the energy program for the entire facility. Says Lucy, “NAVAIR offers lots of training and lots of different avenues, but you have to know your goals.” Lucy has received tuition reimbursement for her career development and is currently pursuing her certification in energy management (CEM). While they took different career paths, both were attracted to NAVAIR for similar reasons – flexibility and stability. Sandi enjoys the flexibility she has experienced as a Mom. She is a strong proponent of women in Science, Math, and Engineering. Sandi was the 1993 SHPE National Banquet Chair. In 1994, she was nominated for a White House Fellowship and appointed as the SWE National Family Issues Chair. Sandi is among the core group that developed the award winning NAVAIR Science Enrichment Program. In 1997, Sandi was awarded the San Diego Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Award for the field of Engineering. Currently she is on the San Diego Boards of Society of Women Engineers, SHPE, and Expanding Your Horizons. Lucy also pursues outside interests. She was the president of the Golden Gate Chapter of the American Society for Materials International (ASMI) in 1994-95, as well as serving in other capacities for ASMI. Lucy is currently involved in many public information and educational programs throughout San Diego to promote Energy and the Environment in the community. She is also involved in providing internships to Hispanic students via the Mexican American Engineering Science Association Program (MESA) through San Diego State University. “Stability was one of the selling points for me,” recalls Sandi. She was often questioned about her choice. “In hindsight,” she says, “I joined for the stability and stayed for the flexibility.” Stability does not equal boring. Sandi informs young engineers considering the organization that the government offers versatility. “The latitude is tremendous.” Lucy interned in private industry before joining NAVAIR and compared the benefits and the working conditions and notes the advantages. “I had diverse interests coming into NAVAIR. I was fortunate to get quite a bit of training.” Though both work in San Diego, they cite opportunities at NAVAIR’s other locations in Florida, North Carolina, and Maryland. Lucy points out, “You can stimulate your career and obtain educational and professional opportunities. You can grow from support engineering to management.” Please see our ad on facing page. 36 SHPE ❘ Spring 2009

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Spring 2009

SHPE - Spring 2009 Contents President’s Letter A Letter from the CEO Calendar Browser Diana Gomez, SHPE: The People's President Grace Lieblein, GM: A Driving Force in Mexico Dr. Elsa Murano, Texas A&M: Education with Impact Regions Connect and Explore Common Base 'Learn by Doing' A Grad Degree, for Free? Programs & Services Think, Pair, Share: Partnering to Increase STEM Awareness Inner Circle Employer Profiles STAR Awards: Call for Nominations Regional Roundup

SHPE - Spring 2009

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