Downloadable 2023 Program and Schedule at-a-Glance.

2023 IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Forum USA East 

Thursday, October 26
3:00pm-6:00pmRegistration
4:30pm-6:30pmNetworking Reception
6:45pm-9:15pmSocial Event TBD

Friday, October 27
7:00am-4:30pmRegistration
7:15am - 9:00amBREAKFAST BUFFET
7:55am-8:00amIEEE Foundation - 50th Anniversary Video Montage
8:00am-8:10amOpening Remarks:
Carole Carey & Helen Winfrey
2023 WIE Forum USA East Conference Chairs
8:10am-8:20amWelcome Note:
Drew Lowery, IEEE Region 2 Director
8:20am-8:50amKeynote:
"How to ASK and Get Exactly What you Want, Professionally and Personally"
Laura Fredericks, CEO & Founder, THE ASK
Track 1: INNOVATION & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Track 2: PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
& EMPOWERMENT
Track 3: LEADERSHIP &
MENTORSHIP
9:00am-9:30am"Stand up, Speak up, Power up: Growing Your Career, Business and Life through Speaking"
Debra Christofferson, IT Security Consultant/Principle, Cloud Security Alliance		"Managing Up as a Woman in Engineering: Empowering Yourself and Others for Success"
Helen Percival, Director, Lead Systems Engineer, Calian Advanced Technologies		WORKSHOP
"A New Skill in Your Leadership Toolbox: Setting Boundaries"
Carrie Root, Alpha UMI
9:40am-10:10am"Large Language Models (LLMs) & Me"
Carnegie Mellon University
Katherine-Marie Robinson, Assistant Design Researcher, Software Engineering Institute (SEI)
Violet Turri, Associate Software Developer, Software Engineering Institute (SEI)		"Engaging Women in Engineering and Related Majors through Mentoring, Outreach, Research and Events"
Joan E. DeBello, Associate Professor and Chair, Division of CS, St. John's University
10:15am-10:50amCOFFEE BREAK & EXHIBITS
10:50am-11:20amPANEL
"Empowering Women: The Rise of Female Entrepreneurship"
Moderator: Dena Haritos Tsamitis, Director, Information Networking Institute (INI) at Carnegie Mellon University
Panelists: Deboshree Dutta,Founder & CEO of Criya (YC), Startup Advisor, Cynthia Kuo, Associate Professor of the Practice, Information Network Institute (INI) at Carnegie Mellon University		WORKSHOP
"Fortify Your Personal Brand Through Conference Speaking: Where to Start & How to Stay on Track"
Gail Davis, Director, Scarlino Speaker Strategies		"How to Be Your Authentic Self as a Leader"
Mary Ann Saunders, Engineering Manager, Rampart Communications
11:30am-12:00pm"Tips and Best Practices for Early Career Success from an Intern Manager"
Laura Fulton, Design Researcher, Google
12:10pm-12:40pm"Interrupting Your Spiral - Stopping Negative Thoughts in their Tracks"
Meagan Lambertson, Technical Writer, Rampart Communications		"The Glass Cliff and the Pandemic: How to Navigate the Challenges of the New Workstyle"
Michele Heyward, CEO, PositiveHire Inc.		"Leading the Change Management Experience in the Digital Era"
Lauren Harrington, Industry Director, Hybrid, Rockwell Automation,
Leanne Bihn, Industry Sales Director-Warehousing, E-Commerce, and Logistics, Rockwell Automation
12:50pm-2:00pmLUNCH BUFFET
1:15pm-2:00pmKeynote:
"CHIPS for America Fireside Chat with the Department of Commerce"
U.S. Department of Commerce
2:10pm-2:40pm"Using Generative AI (ChatGPT) as an IEEE Volunteer"
William Fowlkes, IEEE Region 1 Treasurer		CAREER FAIR & EXHIBITS
PANEL
"Strategies for Career Momentum for Women in Technology"
Carnegie Mellon University
Moderator: Nancy Mead, Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Software Engineering
Panelists:
Anita Carleton, Executive Leadership Team Member and Division Director Software Engineering Institute,
Carol Woody, CERT, Software Engineering Institute,
Robin Yeman, Software Engineering Institute
2:50pm-3:20pmWORKSHOP
"Learn to Code with ChatGPT"
Chang Liu, Professor, Ohio University
3:30pm-4:00pm"What Type Of Leader Do You Want To Be?"
Pete Eckstein, IEEE Region 1 Secretary
4:00pm-4:30pmCOFFEE BREAK & EXHIBITS
4:30pm-5:15pmKeynote:
Duquesne Light Company
"The Women Behind Pittsburgh's Grid"
Moderator: Maria Chis, Manager, Substation Control Engineering
Panelists: Anna Slobodnyak, Substation Asset Management Engineer
Michelle Antantis, Senior Consulting Engineer
Jessica Valentine, Advanced Grid Solutions Engineer
5:15pm-5:45pmKEYNOTE
Jane Barr, Vice President, Global Industry, Rockwell Automation
5:45pm-6:00pmDAILY WRAP-UP
Carole Carey & Helen Winfrey
2023 WIE Forum USA East Conference Chairs

Saturday, October 28
7:00am-10:00amRegistration
7:15am-9:15amBreakfast Buffet
7:50am-8:00am BREAKFAST WELCOME
"Opening Remarks"
Celia Shahnaz, 2023 IEEE WIE Committee Chair
8:00am-8:15am"A Look Ahead Into 2024 IEEE WIE Forum"
Bala Prasanna, Region 1 Director-Elect
Charlotte Blair & Rhonda Green, 2024 Forum Leaders
8:15am-9:15amKEYNOTE:
"Women Engineers at Pitt"
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering
Opening Speaker: Mary Besterfield-Sacre, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Moderator: Anne Robertson, Associate Dean for Faculty Development
Panelists: Dr. Mai Abdelhakim, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Kara Bocan, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Susan Fullerton, Associate Professor, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Jun Yang, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Peipei Zhou, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Track 1: INNOVATION & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Track 2: PROFESSIONAL
GROWTH & EMPOWERMENT
Track 3: LEADERSHIP & MENTORSHIP
9:25am-9:55am" In the Future, We Are all Entrepreneurs"
Nikki Green, Life & Business Resiliency Expert, Green Chameleon Collective		PANEL
"Breaking Barriers: Imposter Syndrome, Leadership, and Promoting Diversity"
Rampart Communications
Moderator: Michelle Gellert, Director Professional Development
Panelists:
Julia Andrusenko, Senior Communications Engineer,
Meghana Doddapaneni, DSP Engineer
Mary Ann Saunders, Engineering Manager
Lauren E. Johnson, Human Resources Manager
"Building Your Resiliency Skills and Dual Career Lessons Learned"
Noel Schulz, Chair in Power Apparatus and Systems in the School of
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University.
10:05am-10:35am"SMART Power Flow Controllers – A Necessity for Future Power Grid"
Kalyan Sen, President and CTO, Sen Engineering Solutions 		"Empowering Women in Engineering: Nurturing Leadership Skills for Success"
John Adair, Chief Cybersecurity Engineer, Marymount University
10:35am-11:05am
COFFEE BREAK & EXHIBITS "IEEE WIE Regional Meet and Greet Networking Event"
Coffee Break Meet/Greet WIE R1/R2/R3 WIE Leaders
11:05-11:35am
"Harnessing AI to Sharpen Your SUPER Powers for Success"
Rhonda Farrell, CEO & Transformation Strategist 		"Women in Engineering in Instrumentation, Controls, and Electrical Discipline at Shell"
Arshiah Yusuf Mirza, Senior Electrical Engineer, Shell Techworks
Tobenna Emecheta, Team Lead Instrument & Analyzer, Shell Techworks
11:45am-12:15pm
PANEL
"Balancing Act: How Women Leaders Excel in Life, Career, and Senior IEEE Roles"
Senior IEEE Leaders
Moderator: Melanie Ford, Associate Professor, Penn State Behrend
Panelists: Kathleen Kramer, IEEE President Elect Candidate
Jill Gostin, IEEE MGA Vice President
Kathy Herring-Hayashi, IEEE Region 6 Director
Theresa Brunasso, IEEE Region 3 Director
12:15pm-12:45pm
2023 FORUM WRAP-UP
Carole Carey, Helen Winfrey & the 2023 IEEE WIE Forum USA East Organizing Committee.