What led you to your career as a software and systems engineer?
I went to public school in rural Pennsylvania, and didn’t hear a lot about engineering professions. However, I was lucky enough to be in school at a time when computer classes were being introduced as a standard part of the accelerated curriculum in middle and high school.
One day my mom, while talking to a Microsoft customer service rep, tells him “oh my daughter codes and is going into computer science.” The rep suggested software engineering, where instead of just focusing on programming, I’d be focused on designing large systems as well. Coding is an important tool, but I get to help architect entire systems. I owe a lot to that customer service rep!
Did you plug into any networks to support your educational and career goals?
I joined The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in college and it was a tremendous asset to me. Software engineering was a relatively new field at the time, there were only a few institutions in the U.S. offering degrees in the field. Mine was only the 6th graduating class in software engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology. About 7% of students in the program were women, and I felt we were very well supported, but my engagement with SWE at an early point really helped me see successful women up the career path and a future in my field.
You’re now on the Society Board of SWE as the Director of Professional Excellence. What’s the most exciting thing you’re focused on?
One of the things I’m excited by is giving members better options for learning that will advance their careers. We are in the process of revamping the entire professional development structure and also looking at expanded offerings for our International members. The content will be more accessible and diverse and give us the ability to use content from organizations like Booz Allen. And we have a terrific podcast series for anytime/anywhere connection!
We’re also restructuring the coaching functions to be more consultant oriented, just like Booz Allen, to help mentor sections and affiliates and better achieve the mission of SWE. This goes hand in hand with being able to expand our educational offerings and really have an impact both nationally and internationally.
What has been the biggest impact of SWE on your career?
It’s the constant reminder that I belong here doing what I do. The further that I go along in my career, the fewer women I see represented—both in management and in engineering. Through SWE, I know there are other women who have been there before me and they’ve tackled these issues and are there to support me while I take on new challenges.
