FY23 Executive Council Statements

FY23 SWE-SD President - Candace Gray

I am excited and honored to lead SWE-SD as your FY23 President. I believe strongly in our mission to empower women as engineers and leaders and look forward to inspiring the next generation of women in STEM. In my tenure I hope to grow our membership, develop new corporate relationships, and continue providing quality outreach programs to our communities. I can’t wait to take this journey with you!

FY23 SWE-SD Vice-President - Ally Hardy

My name is Ally Hardy and I could not feel more honored to be elected Vice President on the SWE-SD Executive Board for FY23. As a (somewhat) recent college graduate, I am still figuring a lot of things out including what my future career is going to look like. However, one thing I know for sure is that I want to help empower the women around me to support them in their careers and outside lives, as well. Having a strong, female support system through my childhood, college years, and early career has been one of the things I am most grateful for. This amazing opportunity to build relationships across the San Diego STEM community and be a part of this empowering organization makes me beyond excited for this upcoming year. I am also driven to increase the interest and engagement in STEM of girls ranging from kindergarten all the way into college. Some of my earliest life memories were formed within the walls of my family's engineering firm and manufacturing shop, so you can say engineering has been in the blood since the very beginning. I was lucky enough to have parents and extended family that pushed me to challenge myself in a field that has historically lacked diversity because stars were the limit and STEM could simply be cool. I want to promote these same values within our communities.

I graduated from San Diego State University a couple years ago during the pandemic back in May 2020 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an emphasis in Bioengineering. Joining SWE at SDSU was one of my best college decisions where I served on the executive board as VP of Membership and Events alongside several of my best friends. Since transitioning into the professional world, I have stayed in San Diego and have been at Becton Dickinson (BD) since graduation. Within BD, I currently am a R&D Product Development Engineer leading global projects focused on innovative multi-therapy infusion systems. The only other thing I know for certain is that I want to wake up everyday and feel that I am making the world a better place by improving the life of people everywhere, and as a global medical technology company, BD helps me strive towards this goal.

I cannot wait to meet you and I am looking forward to this upcoming year serving you alongside the rest of the executive council!

FY23 SWE-SD Treasurer - Lauren Lipman

I am beyond thrilled to serve on our FY23 Executive Council as Treasurer. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to lead. I have been a member of our section since 2020 and have co-chaired the PR committee with Star Jahansouz for the past year. I hold a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and I currently lead customers on their cloud journey as an AWS Customer Solutions Manager.

A few of my goals for FY23 include: 1/Drive new industry partnerships in our community, 2/Identify opportunities for SWE to be more impactful to our members, sponsors, and supporters.

I have some big shoes to fill taking over from Kirsten who has done an outstanding job over the past two years. I will work closely with her to ensure we keep momentum into FY23. I am looking forward to the year ahead!

FY23 SWE-SD Recording Secretary - Aileen Fahme

I would like to thank the SWE local membership for giving me the opportunity to serve as Recording Secretary for the SWE-SD Executive Council for FY23. As part of the Executive Council, I am fully prepared to dedicate my time and effort to support the goals of the SWE-SD committees and SWE's mission.This coming year, my plan is to leverage my many years of experience in the corporate world, to mentor, encourage, and advocate for young women in STEM. I'm excited to bring energy and enthusiasm to the Executive Council for FY23!

FY23 SWE-SD Corresponding Secretary - Rachelle (Dumaguing) Aguas

Hello, my name is Rachelle Aguas and I am a technical writer/editor, process specialist, for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) with an English degree. I love to support women and encourage growth, so I am excited for my transition from FY22 Membership Engagement Chair to FY23 Corresponding Secretary on the Executive Council. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to continue to learn more about SWE-SD’s organization and share my knowledge and experience with the community in our effort towards empowering women in STEM.