Welcome to another enlightening episode of The Association 100 podcast, where we delve into the essence of association impact and innovation. We are thrilled to host Dr. Alexis McKittrick, the esteemed president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), during a pivotal time—Engineers Week.
Alexis, with over 20 years of dedication to SWE, shares her insights and the organization’s efforts to spotlight women’s achievements and opportunities in engineering. This episode comes at a perfect time as Engineers Week is in full swing, celebrating the contributions and potential of women engineers.
Key Highlights:
- Engineers Week Initiatives: Alexis outlines SWE’s exciting lineup for Engineers Week, including a CBS’s Mission Unstoppable segment and the impactful 50K coalition aiming for 50,000 diverse engineering graduates by 2025. “It’s been going for a number of years and just concluded its work,” Alexis notes, emphasizing the ongoing need to foster diversity in engineering.
- Challenges Facing Women Engineers: Despite progress, Alexis points to concerning statistics: women earn only about 13% of engineering degrees, with an even smaller percentage for women of color. She also addresses the persistent pay gap and the ‘leaky pipeline’ phenomenon where mid-career women leave the field at higher rates.
- Technology’s Role and SWE’s Initiatives: Discussing new technologies, Alexis stresses the importance of diverse perspectives for innovation and highlights SWE’s efforts, like the SWENext program and Invent It, Build It event, to engage young women and girls in STEM.
- Public Policy and Engineering: With a background in both engineering and policy, Alexis advocates for engineers’ involvement in public policy decision-making, emphasizing their crucial role in data-driven governance.
- SWE’s Internal Focus on DEIB: Proudly reflecting on SWE’s adaptation during the pandemic and its emphasis on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), Alexis shares initiatives aimed at ensuring a sense of belonging within SWE and its broader impact on the engineering community.
- Global Expansion and Future Goals: Alexis celebrates SWE’s global growth, with a record number of global ambassadors and affiliates worldwide, as a testament to the organization’s commitment to creating gender parity in engineering globally.
Join us in this inspiring episode as we explore how SWE champions women engineers during Engineers Week and beyond, paving the way for a more inclusive and innovative future in engineering.
Resources:
- Check out SWE’s latest DEIB Report from October of 2023.
- Statistics on Employment of Women in Engineering
- State of Women in Engineering
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