Diverse: a SWE podcast

This episode is sponsored by Fortune Brands Innovations. In this episode, Karen Morris, vice president of environmental health, safety, and security at Fortune Brands Innovations, discusses how to build an engineering career that can shift and evolve through different seasons of your life. Over her 30+ year career spanning more than a dozen roles, Karen reflects on the career-defining moments that...

Leadership coach, author, engineer, and executive Sabina Nawaz shares how managers and employees can build stronger working relationships in this episode of Diverse. Recorded live at WE25 in New Orleans, Sabina draws on her 14-year career at Microsoft — including advising Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer — to break down what causes leaders to struggle and how to avoid becoming “that boss.” Hear how le...

Kim Burton, director of project engineering at Textron Aviation, joins SWE President-Elect Kerrie Greenfelder for a leadership conversation that’s out of this world. Drawing on iconic moments from Star Trek: Voyager, Kim shares how Captain Kathryn Janeway shaped her path into engineering and inspires her leadership philosophy today. Hear lessons from the show that offer real-life guidance for STEM...

Kristin Hagen, biomedical engineering student at the University of California, Irvine and lifelong dancer, shares practical tools from the dance world to help women in STEM take up space and present with confidence. Live from the WE25 Diverse Podcast Studio in New Orleans, Kristin shares how choreography, muscle memory, posture, and improvisation can transform the way engineers show up during pres...

This episode is sponsored by Bechtel. Josefina Alvarez and Kira McKay, supplier quality representatives at Bechtel, sit down with SWE President-Elect Kerrie Greenfelder to discuss how they landed their first jobs through the SWE and SHPE career fairs and also discovered a side of engineering they never knew existed. Recorded live at the WE25 Diverse Podcast Studio in New Orleans, hear about the be...

Women engineers often struggle to set boundaries or say “no” at work. Srividhya Pallay and Tsega Tefera, solutions architects at Amazon Web Services, joined us live in the WE25 Diverse Podcast Studio to share real-world lessons around overcoming imposter syndrome, finding the confidence to speak up in meetings, and unapologetically protecting their time and energy in their STEM careers. In convers...

The common advice for career growth is to “move up” into management — but what if your true passion lies in staying close to the technology itself? In this episode, host Sam East speaks with Deb Whitis, Ph. D., and Amrita Maguire, both of the SWE Technical Career Path Affinity Group, about what it means to grow, lead, and make an impact as engineers while staying on the technical career path. From...

In this episode, Karen Horting, CEO and executive director of the Society of Women Engineers, sits down with Olympic gold medalist and industrial engineer Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, the first Black woman to win gold in the 100-meter hurdles — a milestone she achieved at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Benita shares how she balanced the demands of engineering school with her Olympic training, the les...

This episode is sponsored by Nucor. When Johanna Threm, vice president and general manager at Nucor, started her career, she envisioned designing buildings and bridges as a civil engineer. In conversation with SWE Executive Director and CEO Karen Horting, Johanna shares how she transitioned to the steel industry, the lessons she’s learned from taking bold career risks, and the importance of “lifti...

In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, SWE CEO and Executive Director Karen Horting sits down with Sarah EchoHawk, president and CEO of Advancing Indigenous People in STEM (AISES), to discuss visibility, allyship, and access for Indigenous engineers. Sarah shares her family’s deep legacy of public service, the role of tribal colleges in reclaiming education, and how Indigenous knowle...

This episode is sponsored by Resideo. In this episode, two engineers share how curiosity, empathy, and innovation shape their work creating smart home technologies. Helen Meza, systems integration lead engineer at Resideo, shares her inspiring path from Peru to the U.S. and discusses how she leads global teams with empathy and adaptability. Kyra Neal, mechanical design engineer at Resideo, reflect...

What is it like to navigate STEM while living with a visible or invisible disability? In this episode, Haylee Mota, a recent engineering graduate who is blind, shares how she found her path to aerospace through robotics, hands-on research, and self-advocacy — overcoming barriers like inaccessible course materials. Angelie Vincent, a mid-career aerospace engineer living with autism, diabetes, and c...

This episode is sponsored by Draper. How do you know when it’s the right moment to make a career change? In this episode, Maureen Masiulis, director of space sensing, domain awareness, and control at Draper and acting vice president and general manager of Draper’s Space Systems Business Unit, shares her STEM journey from robotics in middle school to leadership roles in the aerospace and defense in...

From escaping Vietnam as a refugee to becoming vice president of global front-end procurement at Micron Technology, Thy Tran has lived a story defined by resilience and purpose. In this episode, FY26 SWE President Inaas Darrat sits down with Thy to discuss her extraordinary path to earning 13 patents, leading global teams, and embracing new challenges in business and leadership. Hear Thy’s reflect...

Engineers Jabreel Walker and Morgan Smith of the GradSWE Affinity Group share their experiences in graduate school in this episode of Diverse. In conversation with host Sam East, they discuss their motivations for pursuing graduate school, the challenges of returning to school after a break, and the differences between the undergraduate and graduate experience. Hear their advice for engineers who...

Suzanna Valdez Wolfe, CEO of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), sits down with Karen Horting, CEO and executive director of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Suzanna shares her journey from El Paso, Texas, to leadership roles in Washington, D.C., and now at SHPE, where she champions familia, community, and belonging in STEM. Hear the uniq...

This episode is sponsored by Turner. Blanca Diaz, vice president and construction executive at Turner, and Leah Turner-Jenkins, special projects division manager at Turner, started in the same university engineering program — but their careers took sharply different paths. In conversation with host Sam East, Blanca and Leah reflect on the pivotal teachers who steered them toward engineering, their...

Kelsea Fitzgerald, director of operations at Chevron's Engineering and Innovation Excellence Center (ENGINE), shares her journey from studying chemical engineering in the U.S. to taking on a global leadership role in Bengaluru, India. In conversation with Larry Guthrie, director of content strategy at SWE, Kelsea encourages women and allies to build self-trust by taking uncomfortable steps out of...

This episode is sponsored by Jabil. Cassie Gruber, director of sustainability business solutions at Jabil, explores how engineers can shape a more sustainable future in this episode of Diverse. In conversation with Larry Guthrie, director of content strategy at SWE, Cassie explores her unconventional career path from studying art and philosophy to leading global sustainability strategies in manufa...

Cassandra Morecroft King, deputy program manager at BlackSea Technologies, did something most people only dream about: she quit her ocean engineering job in oil and gas and set out to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. But the toughest part wasn’t the hike itself — it was reentering the engineering workforce afterward and figuring out how to frame her unconventional journey as a career strength. I...

In honor of the 10th anniversary of SWENext, this episode of Diverse brings a special mother-daughter conversation. Bharti B., operations manager at Keysight Technologies, reflects on what it was like to be one of the few women in her computer science classes growing up. Aavya B., who is a SWENext influencer as well as Bharti’s daughter, shares how she’s carrying that legacy forward by founding th...

Melanie Lang, co-founder and CEO of FormAlloy, details her entrepreneurial journey and inspires engineers to take bold risks in this episode of Diverse. In conversation with FY26 SWE President Inaas Darrat, Melanie reflects on the pivotal decision to leave a stable career in aerospace and defense to launch her own business. Hear the mistakes Melanie made along the way, her tips on embracing failur...

Motivational speaker Dr. Ruth Jones reflects on the importance of leaving a purposeful legacy in this episode of Diverse. As the second African American woman in Alabama to earn a Ph. D. in physics, Dr. Jones shares her trailblazing journey and career advice in conversation with FY26 SWE President Inaas Darrat. Hear what it means to lead as your authentic self, the importance of helping the next g...

Carol Holland, board of directors chair-elect of the Construction Management Association of America, sits down with Laurie Shuster, editor-in-chief of SWE Magazine, to discuss the evolution of the construction management industry and how AI and digital twin technologies are reshaping the field. She shares stories from her high-profile career and breaks down persistent myths about working in constr...

Speaking up in engineering classes, labs, and group projects isn’t always easy — especially at the collegiate level. In this episode of Diverse, Eden Katz, vice president-internal at Columbia SWE, and Lauren Grae, vice president-external at Columbia SWE, sit down with host Sam East to reflect on how they’ve built confidence as women in engineering, including the moments they spoke up and what happ...