Aileen Fahme holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, San Diego and an MBA from the University of Redlands. Aileen works at Solar Turbines as the Manager of Logistics and Shipping for the Package Systems Operations Group.

Aileen has dedicated herself to inspiring the next generation by volunteering with Solar Turbines’ SWE employee resource group on outreach activities and was the SWE-SD FY22 & FY23 Recording Secretary for the Executive Council and the Outreach Committee Executive Sponsor. She has led many outreach events including the SWE booth at “Engineering Day at the Mall” and the regional FIRST Robotics competition. Her recent volunteer activities include SWE Outreach event coordinator for San Ysidro STEM Fair, speaker for Westview High School SWENext Club, and speaker for IME 2024 Women in Manufacturing Engineering Panel. The SWE-SD Section recognized Aileen’s contributions by awarding her Outstanding Engineer Award and President’s Volunteer Service Award.

Aileen is not only a leader within the SWE-SD organization, she has also held leadership roles at Solar Turbines. Aileen was the Subject Matter Expert and eventually Group Lead for her role as a Project Applications Engineer. Her experience as a Group Lead prepared her for her current role as a Manager of Logistics and Shipping, where she oversees a team of 12 employees.

Aileen is a highly qualified candidate for SWE-SD Executive Council President for FY25. Aileen’s people-first approach and dedicated advocacy for women in STEM has solidified her reputation as a respected leader. Aileen’s experience on the Executive Council, and her current position as Co-Chair of the SWE-SD Outreach committee prove how passionate she is for the SWE organization and inspiring the next generation. 

Dr. Tracy Nguyen, O.D., is a distinguished optometrist in San Diego with a commitment to optometry and engineering mentorship. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of California, San Diego, and earned a Doctor of Optometry degree from the Southern California College of Optometry.

Dr. Nguyen is recognized as a champion of STEM diversity and advocate for outreach. Since joining SWE-SD in 2019, she has made significant contributions as the Outreach Chair for FY22 and FY23, as well as FY24 Vice President. Her active engagement in SWE-SD and community involvement have enhanced the impact of SWE-SD.

Her passion for advocating for women in engineering is exemplified by her support for her daughter’s journey. Currently serving as the Executive Council Vice President of the Society of Women Engineers San Diego, Dr. Nguyen was recognized as a Diversity Champion and Member of the Year. 

She extends her mentorship beyond SWE, participating as a FIRST Robotics mentor, volunteer, and judge. Dr. Nguyen has received national recognition, including the Spark Award and Engaged Advocate Award from SWE. Featured in the San Diego Business Journal’s Top 50 Women of Influence in Engineering for both 2022 and 2023, her greatest accomplishment lies in empowering mentees for successful engineering careers. With a solid foundation in optometry and a commitment to STEM outreach, Dr. Tracy Nguyen stands out as a leader, mentor, and advocate for diversity and excellence.

Cassidy Thornbury is a water resource engineer with a B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering and a M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from SDSU. During her time at SDSU, she was actively involved in the SWE collegiate section along with other engineering organizations where she took on several officer positions including treasurer for the Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society. For two years, she was responsible for handling all financial affairs and budgeting for the organization including maintaining accounting records, preparing quarterly financial reports, collecting membership dues and sponsorship payments, maintaining bank accounts, and authorizing reimbursements. Since college, she has been actively involved in SWE San Diego professional section serving as the FY21 Community Outreach Chair and K-12 Outreach Co-Chair, and the FY24 Recording Secretary. She currently works at Carollo Engineers, a firm that specializes in the planning, design, and construction of water and wastewater facilities. She serves as the office ambassador for Carollo Cares, a community outreach program at her work, and has led fundraising events for Water for People to help provide clean, safe drinking water for people around the world. Along with her passion for water engineering, Cassidy has great attention to detail and organizational skills which makes her the perfect fit for the role of Treasurer. Having recently served as the Recording Secretary, she is already familiar with the operations of the Executive Council and is eager to step into this new role.

Kathleen Parker is a mechanical engineer with over a decade of experience working in manufacturing and supply chain in the technology and medical device industries. She earned both her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Santa Clara University and currently works as a Staff Engineer in the MedTech industry.

Kathleen has enjoyed participating in SWE and similar initiatives for many years - starting during high school in a program similar to SWENext, through her collegiate section, and now as a SWE San Diego member. She volunteers with her company's Women in STEM employee resource group, and first became involved with SWE SD in 2022 through volunteering for outreach initiatives and attending various events. Within her company’s Women in STEM ERG, Kathleen has led annual SWE initiatives over the past 3 years such as encouraging and supporting SWE award nominations (Individual Awards, Patent Recognition, and Mission Awards), planning a community meeting, and coordinating attendees at the SWE Annual Conferences. Kathleen also joined the SWE San Diego Executive Council in January 2024 as Corresponding Secretary and since then has been managing the monthly newsletter, website updates, and many of the social media posts - collaborating with other leaders to coordinate the details.

Kathleen has held various leadership roles over the years ranging from technical project management to planning events and activities, and is an organized, detail-oriented person. She is interested in the Recording Secretary position so that, if elected, she can continue to contribute to the Executive Council and support the SWE San Diego community in FY25, utilizing the skills and experiences she has learned. 

Debra Kimberling is an aerospace engineer with experience in industry, government, academia and nonprofit leadership. She is currently the president of the San Diego County Engineering Council - a nonprofit umbrella organization of local engineering society chapters.

Debra has served at the international Society level as a Director and Strategic Planning Chair. She was the founding chair of SWE’s K12 Outreach Educator program, the SWE Late Career and Retiree (LCR) Affinity Group, and the SWE LCR Legends - a program creating SWE pioneer Wikipedia profiles. Debra was recognized with the 2023 SWE Distinguished Service Award for her lifelong accomplishments advancing the SWE mission at WE23.

Within SWE San Diego, Debra has primarily served the business side: as Advocacy Director, Corporate Connections Director, President, Speakers Bureau Chair and supported committees including Fund Development, Public Relations and even serving as the you-name-it STEM competition judge and informal historian. She established her company’s first Employee Resource Group and dedicated it to advancing DEI and the SWE mission. She has mentored many SWE members and diversity champions in bringing SWE into their own company, college or club.

As a SWE Fellow and life long SWE SD advocate, her goal is to strategically help build up the section’s long term depth of base support, to make its long term volunteer and leadership pathway more robust. One opportunity for sustaining organizational success is to tap into seasoned members for speakers, donors, and mentors. Debra has successfully coached volunteers through the years to tap into their creativity and build their sense of self-efficacy. Her driving force is to bring a sense of joy and accomplishment to the SWE volunteer experience.