
About Stephanie:
I am currently a Quality Engineer for GLOBALFOUNDRIES in Essex Junction, Vermont, and have held various positions in process engineering and quality at the Vermont 200 mm Semiconductor fab for the past 6 years. Before that I was a graduate of the University of Maine, and received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. It was at the University of Maine that I started my journey with SWE, and have maintained that passion since. I’m proud to say that this is my 10th year of involvement with SWE! In those 10 years, I’ve held a number of positions at the section level from Section Treasurer, Vice President and President between the UMaine Section and the North Country Section in Region F. Moving to Vermont, my first course of action was to find my local SWE section. “SWE is Your Constant” from WE16 was a theme that rang true for me, and still does today. During my time in Vermont, I became more involved with my Region, and ultimately becoming one of the Region F Professional senators. I am currently in my 2nd year of my Senate term at a time when SWE as a whole is going through its most expansive changes and growth. What a time to be involved in SWE!
Is there a particular motion that you’re passionate about proposed to the Senate for WE17?
There’s been A TON of activity in the Senate, with some really major motions being passed. In January, for instance, we officially passed a motion to support moving forward with the governance overhaul as a whole. Like many of my constituents, these motions that have come out leave me with a range of feelings, excitement, concern, hope. It’s such a mixed bag, and I cannot wait to see where this journey takes us. As far as a motion I feel passionately about, it’ll have to be hands down the upcoming vote on collegiate voting rights. Motion S-1804: Collegiate Member Voting Rights will be a landmark update for collegiates, giving them the right to vote in SWE elections and giving them an official voice in our society. This is something in particular I have felt strongly about since my involvement in college. A large percentage of our SWE population are collegiates. They’re part of the leadership pipeline, both in the workforce and in SWE. While there’s a very small percentage of members that currently actively vote, my hope is that by passing this motion, we’re sending the message to collegiates that they matter, and we want them involved. In my experience with my region, it’s been some of the collegiate sections that have come up with some of the most creative ways to improve engagement in their SWE sections. We vote on this motion at the senate meeting in WE17.
What are you looking forward to next?
Well, I’m also involved in the Leadership Summit Task Force this year. Being on this task force is giving me a tactical role that is a counterbalance to the strategic work that I am doing in the Senate. It is giving me the opportunity to interface with our membership and really hear their concerns and then work on taking that information and putting towards a real life proposal for how our society is going to function moving forward. This helps with my Senator role, as it gives me an expanded view of what our constituents really care about. Both roles are fulfilling in different ways. We hope to have a proposal for the leadership summits completed by the end of FY18, so stay tuned!