Dallas SWE thanks Collins Aerospace for renewing as a Platinum Sponsor of Dallas SWE! We look forward to partnering with Collins Aerospace this year as we continue to pursue our mission of supporting women and girls in STEM. Thank you, Collins Aerospace!
Congratulations to Danielle Henry, Dallas SWE’s October 2023 Member of the Month! Danielle’s initial introduction to Society of Women Engineers was through a peer at Florida State University’s collegiate chapter. As she progressed in her professional career, she was a part of the Savannah Professional Chapter of Society of Women Engineers. She was able to use her passion and tenacious drive to set up a professional chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) in Savannah GA. As she has moved around and progressed in her career, she has tried to find a way to stay connected to Society of Women Engineers.
In 2013, Danielle started her career in the aerospace industry with Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah GA. She was able to be apart of the startup of the G500 program. In 2016, she progressed into an Operations Industrial Engineer role then a Regional Operations Industrial Engineer role with United States Postal Service in Raleigh, NC and Atlanta, GA. She then went into an Operations role as an Area Manager with Amazon Customer Returns in Phoenix, AZ. In Spring of 2019, she began working as an Industrial Engineer for Abbott Laboratories in Scottsdale, AZ. She was a part of their Medical Devices division where they manufactured the components the go into pacemakers. More recently she started working in Logistics with a Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Company called Geodis. In 2022, she relocated to the Dallas area to continue her role as a Sr Engineer.
Danielle has Lean Six Sigma Yellow, Orange and Green Belt training that extends across multiple companies. She enjoys coaching and training others about Lean. Her favorite part about her line of work is leading others to meet project and performance goals. She is always looking for opportunities to improve processes and performance to meet company and customer needs.
Danielle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Florida State University. She also holds membership with the National Society of Black Engineers nationally and locally with the DFW Chapter. During her 12+ years as a career professional she has been a part of multiple Inclusion & Diversity Councils and Employee Resource Groups. Danielle is always looking for ways to close the gaps for minorities and women in the STEM field. She is always ready to promote the STEM field with young girls and minorities.
When asked what she appreciates most about SWE, she states “I appreciate that no matter where I have participated with SWE they are always creating or a part of initiatives that promote and spread the STEM field to the youth. Thank you Dallas SWE for giving me the opportunity to continue my passion for promoting STEM to the youth.”
Dallas SWE held the Kickoff Event on September 16th, 2023 at Yard House in Addison. We welcomed new and old Dallas SWE members while we talked about Dallas SWE’s upcoming events and plans for FY24.
Cyonna (VP of Outreach) and Rana (President) had a chance to talk about upcoming Outreach and Professional Development events, as well as exciting things to look out for like WE23 in LA and opportunities to join Dallas SWE committees. DYW will be on March 2nd this year, and the Outreach Committee is planning various mini DYWs throughout the year to keep the momentum going! One of the upcoming Professional Development events will be Shelley’s talk regarding advancing in SWE and other various volunteering and leadership opportunities at a society level. In addition, Ashley (Book Club Lead) talked about upcoming Book Club meetings and Meena (VP of Membership) shared the upcoming Fall Social at Cottonwood Park. Finally, to keep in touch in between events, join the Slack! We will be posting up monthly meetups and it is a great platform to ask questions and share thoughts!
All attendees had the chance to introduce themselves and talk to one another over a great meal. It was a great opportunity to connect with people after the summer!
Overall, the event was a successful start to FY24, and Yard House was an extremely accommodating venue. We hope to see everyone at more Dallas SWE Events in the future!
Dallas SWE held a Professional Development Event titled “How to Win Your First 5 Days of Work (or new Position)” on September 21st, featuring panelists from Analog Devices Inc. The panelists included Suri Kameswararao, Madhavi Kulkarni, and Abby Wolf. Suri is the Director of the Digital Design Engineering team, Madhavi is the Director of Digital Verification for the GMSL team in the Automotive group, and Abby is a Firmware engineer in the Microcontrollers team.
The event was sponsored by Analog Devices Inc., a Gold Level Sponsor for Dallas SWE. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about Analog Devices and their importance in the industry hosted by Kathy Vehorn.
The Q&A session with the panelists was engaging, with topics ranging from managing up to managing expectations in a new role. Suri recommended tailoring goal setting for senior employees, stating, “Someone planning to retire in the next two years should not have the same development plan as a new hire to the industry.” Madhavi emphasized the importance of trust and communication in managing expectations, stating, “It all starts with trust and communication and the art of saying yes to things with constraints and your ability.” Abby shared her experiences as an entry-level employee, offering valuable insights on how to excel in a new role.
The need for managing up was also discussed, with the panelists highlighting the importance of controlling the flow of information to your boss and keeping them up-to-date on critical tasks. Managing expectations in a new role was another popular topic of interest, from both the perspective of a team member and a manager.
Overall, the event provided valuable insights and tips on how to excel in a new position and navigate the workplace with confidence. The sponsorship by Analog Devices Inc. showcased their dedication to supporting professional development opportunities for women in engineering and their significance in the industry.
A Society of Women Engineers leadership position is a great way to develop leadership skills transferable to your professional career, build friendships and mentoring relationships, try new ideas, and give back some of the value you’ve gotten from SWE. Attend this virtual professional development session to learn about SWE’s Leadership Competency Model and the volunteer leadership opportunities available in SWE at every level, from our local Dallas section to charting the strategic vision for our society of 43,000+ members! Attendees will be entered in a raffle to win some SWE swag and other goodies!
Extra Credit: If you want to feel extra prepared for this session, we encourage you to take the free “Introduction to the SWE Leadership Competency Model” module in SWE’s Advance Learning Center.
November 15, 2023
7-8PM
Location: Zoom
Shelley Stracener has seventeen years of professional experience in 3 major industries: business computing, aircraft cabins, and medical devices. She is currently a Principal Systems Engineer at LivaNova’s neuromodulation division, a medical device organization that designs and manufactures Class III implantable neurostimulator systems for treatment-resistant epilepsy and difficult-to-treat depression. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Baylor University and is currently a Master of Science in Engineering student for Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Shelley is a third-year Senator for the Society of Women Engineers and has held numerous other SWE leadership positions as a collegiate and professional at the Section, Committee, and Society level. In her free time, she enjoys riding her recumbent bicycle, crocheting, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her husband and two dogs.
Register for this event below or on Eventbrite.
Congratulations to Morgan Muir, Dallas SWE’s October Member of the Month!
Morgan has been a member of SWE since 2017, when she joined as a part of the Southern Methodist University section. As a collegiate member, Morgan took on various leadership roles. Her journey within SWE included serving as the Mentorship Chair, Treasurer, Vice President, and President. Since her college graduation in 2021, she has continued to mentor collegiates and provide insight into the college-to-career transition.
Currently, Morgan serves as the Dallas SWE Collegiate Counselor for SMU, where she is excited to foster the development of the next generation of engineers. She is also actively involved in the Professional Development Committee.
In her professional career, Morgan is a Systems Engineer at AT&T. As reflected in her work, she is always eager to learn new skills. Since 2019, she has held various industry roles including Radio Access Network engineering, project management, quality engineering, and product development.
Morgan holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Southern Methodist University with a minor in Mathematics.
One of the things she loves the most about SWE is the passion everyone has for fostering a supportive community. She is grateful to have been inspired by so many brilliant women who have shaped her professional career.
