SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 17)

ing school to obtain her engineering degree. Over 16 years in night school, she earned four degrees: an associate in architectural design; a BSME; an executive MBA from Michigan State University; and a master’s in liberal studies, focusing on philosophy and world history. Her 30-year career with Chrysler Motors included assignments in engineering, finance, manufacturing support, international, and vehicle and component testing. Tiefenbach’s assignments continued to grow in responsibility and size. While at Beijing Jeep in Beijing, China, she instituted an onsite, hands-on training program to broaden the engineering staff’s technical skills. During her assignment at Toledo Assembly Plant in Toledo, Ohio, she hired a team of engineers to reduce warranty and be the on-site engineering support needed to meet aggressive quality improvements. During her most recent assignment, her staff of 250 people, in four locations and three shifts, supported all of Chrysler’s 52 diverse laboratories with preventative maintenance, computer simulations tools, and computer-driven technology support. Having worked for 37 years, Tiefenbach is currently pursuing her interests in community support with the Girls Group of Ann Arbor, while obtaining her certification to teach yoga. Joch and her husband, Charles, have been married for 13 years. They have three children and enjoy traveling and learning about the history, architecture, and cultures of cities around the world. Joch is a member of IEEE and IEEE Women in Engineering. She also teaches religious education classes and is an active member of the PTA. Brittney Elko, Collegiate Board Representative Brittney Elko graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, with a degree in engineering science and a focus in chemical engineering. Diana Joch, Speaker of the Council Diana Joch is a senior life member of SWE, having worked to provide activities and programs to members, promote and publicize SWE throughout the community, and develop future SWE leaders. Since joining the Society as a collegiate member in 1991, she has served at the local level as the Baltimore-Washington Section president, vice-president of professional development, and section representative. At the regional and national levels, she has been Region E secretary, deputy speaker of the council, and council of representatives governance FIG chair. Joch has also served on the bylaws and membership committees and is the 2008 conference representative to the conference program board. A senior systems engineer with the Mission Systems Division of Northrop Grumman Corporation, Joch has more than 15 years of experience in the IT industry designing, developing, and maintaining distributed systems for the Intelligence Community. She has made critical contributions to U.S. national security systems and financial networks through her software engineering and management expertise. She currently serves as the software development release manager and program office liaison to external systems, addressing architecture and interoperability issues. Joch holds a BSCE from Boston University and a MSCS from American University and is a certified Intelligence Analyst and Six Sigma Black Belt. She recently began her career as a process engineer in the home care/cleaning division of The Clorox Company in Pleasanton, Calif. Elko became a SWE member in 2005, accepted the role of vice president of the Trinity University Section in 2006, and became section president in 2007. She grew membership by more than 100 percent and led Trinity University to win first place nationally among small sections as Outstanding Collegiate Section. Elko also served as the script development chair for Region C and developed a creative problem-solving module that placed second at the national conference. In 2008 she served as section president and Region C collegiate representative. In the latter role, she worked to pass an amendment within the council of representatives that increased the number of collegiate votes. Elko also accepted the corporate sponsorship chair for Region C, leading Trinity to co-host the 2008 Region C conference and bringing in record attendance and funding. As a participant on the national governance FIG, she assisted in the development of a new structure for the COR. Elko’s other activities at Trinity University included serving as co-president of Trinity Women in Science and Technology, news anchor for Trinity TV, member of the women’s golf team, resident assistant, and FACE AIDS. In her spare time, Elko enjoys piano, karaoke, cooking, golf, planning social events, and exploring San Francisco. I Board members include, from left, back: Bernice Brody, director of professional development; Melissa Tata, director of external affairs; Karolyn Tiefenbach, director of strategic initiatives; Diana Joch, speaker of the council; and Betty Shanahan, CAE, executive director and CEO, F. SWE. Front row, from left: Alyse Stofer, director of regions; Brittney Elko, collegiate representative; Siddika Demir, director of education; and Erin McGinnis, director of membership initiatives. SWE FALL 2008 17

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Fall 2008

SWE - Fall 2008 Heritage Club Contents Farewell Message from FY08 President Michelle Tortolani Congratulations SWE Magazine A Conversation with FY09 President Virginia Connolly, P.E. Introducing the FY09 Board of Directors View from the Executive Suite Editor's Page Public Policy Update SWE Retention Study, Part 6 Membership Information & Calendar A&B SWE Member Kristina Johnson First Woman to Receive John Fritz Medal University Labs Fuel a New Era in Energy Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2008 Opening the Gateways to Engineering Your Collegiate Section History is Waiting to Be Discovered Honoring the Legacy of Ada Pressman, P.E. Report from WEPAN Engineering World Proposed Bylaws Amendments Point of View Correction Career Toolbox Corporate Partnership Council Book Review SWE Smiles In Memory Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Fall 2008

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