SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 5)

FY08 PRESIDENT’S FAREWELL Expanding Our Influence It has been an honor, a privilege, and a tremendous experience to serve as the Society of Women Engineers fiscal year 2008 president. I have had the opportunity to work with many of you this year as we achieved the objectives of our strategic plan. As a result of your outstanding support and dedication, we have made significant progress toward fulfilling and furthering our mission and addressing important issues facing women in engineering and technology. This year we expanded our influence in the areas of education, industry (professional development and retention), awards and recognition, and public policy; strengthened and expanded our strategic vision; and demonstrated the value of SWE membership with outstanding programs and services. Following are highlights of our accomplishments in FY08. FY08 President Michelle Tortolani, left; Lisa Frehill, Ph.D., executive director of CPST; SWE Executive Director and CEO Betty Shanahan; Donna Shalala, Ph.D.; and Semahat Demir, Ph.D., FY08 director of external affairs, took part in a SWE-led congressional briefing to report on the retention study and Beyond Bias and Barriers report. Education We launched a new K-12 outreach microsite to introduce girls to the world of engineering and technology. The site provides career guidance materials for students, parents, teachers, and engineers. We expanded our outreach to informal educators, such as the Girl Scouts and Girls Inc., by creating professional development training for their respective staffs. Such training will give these organizations greater comfort in leading girls in engineering and technology activities and greater ability in engaging engineering and technology professionals as volunteers. We partnered with Assessing Women and Men in Engineering (AWE) to use a suite of assessment tools to measure and enhance the effectiveness of our outreach programs, identify and integrate best practices, and collect data on the intended outcomes. Retention Study We formally released and published the results of our retention study. The results offer insight and analysis that, along with best practices and case studies, will help employers better understand the root causes of retention issues surrounding the engineering work force, particularly for women and minorities. The results of the study were highlighted in several publications, including The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, National Journal’s Technology Daily, and the American Society for Engineering Education’s PRISM magazine. Awards and Recognition We increased the recognition of the achievements and successes of women engineers via publicity from the retention study. Several SWE members were honored with prestigious external awards, including Eleanor Baum, Women’s Hall of Fame 2007 inductee; Kristina Johnson, 2007 American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) John Fritz Medal; Priscilla Nelson, 2007 AAES Kenneth Andrew Roe Award; and Suzanne Jenniches, 2007 AAES Chair’s Award. I had the privilege of representing SWE at each of these awards ceremonies. Professional Development Our professional development-focused committees worked together to strengthen and expand our professional development program. We offered an exciting array of 15 Web seminars and six podcasts on topics such as preparation for entrance into the work force, workplace challenges, diversity and inclusion, and leadership and management tools for success, for the collegiate, entry level, and mid-career market segments. Members used this training to develop new skills, fine tune current skills, and bring these skills back to their workplaces to excel and serve as role models for others. Public Policy We accepted an invitation to chair the planning committee for the newly formed Congressional Diversity and Innovation Caucus. In this role, we are planning Betty Purkey of Texas Instruments, left, received the Work/Life Balance Award from Tortolani at the WE07 conference in Nashville. SWE FALL 2008 5

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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