Wichita Society of Women Engineers

About the Wichita Section of the Society of Women Engineers

The Wichita area Society of Women Engineers section was chartered in 1982 by a dynamic group of eight women, and has since grown to over 50 members. We are a non-profit organization of made up of both men and women who are dedicated to making known the need for women engineers and encouraging young women to consider an engineering education. Our local section strives to create a balanced environment that blends our members personal and professional lives.

Our section shares the mission and goals of our national organization, which provides additional opportunities for our section. Within national, we are a part of Region i.

All sorts of people are members of SWE. Learn about the benefits of membership.

Executives & Committee Chairs

President ~ Angela Schroeder

I currently work for Cessna as a Senior Stress Engineer. Prior to that I worked at Boeing in Wichita as a Structural Engineer.

I received my BS in Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. I then went on to earn a MS in Aerospace Engineering through a joint program with the University of Maryland and NASA Langley Research Center.

My hobbies include running, scrapbooking, reading and most recently learning how to knit. I am married and have one daughter.

I first joined SWE while in college at Washington University and have continued my membership as a professional in the Wichita Section.

Vice President ~ Allison Wright

I graduated from Iowa State University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering and a minor in Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation. I work at Spirit AeroSystems in Manufacturing Research and Development as a Nondestructive Inspection Engineer.

I am an active volunteer within Girl Scouts and currently lead a troop of middle school girls, a Girl Scout Lego Mindstorms team, train adults and girls in outdoor and leadership skills, among other activities.

My hobbies include surfing, camping, canoeing, working with Girl Scouts, traveling, playing board games and cooking. I was married on September 19th, 2009 in my hometown of Encinitas, CA (near San Diego).

I joined SWE as a student at Iowa State University and have continued my membership as a professional in the Wichita Section.

Treasurer ~ Heather Jones

Secretary ~ Jessica Stitt

I graduated from Wichita State University in December 2008 with my Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a minor in mathematics and in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. I started working at Spirit as an intern in 2008 and have continued with the company upon my graduation. I work in the Parts Management Lean group and I am very involved in the Spirit Women in Engineering Professions & Technology and the Community Partners Network through Spirit. Outside of work I am also very involved in my sorority alumni group.

I first joined SWE while a student at Wichita State University and have transitioned my membership to a professional in the Wichita Section.

My hobbies include softball, my dog Charlie, traveling around the globe, board games and being an aunt.

Section Representative ~ Vickie Glancy Cannon

I am a process engineer at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita. I have worked in structural design on the 737. I have also taught, implemented, and coached process improvement activities throughout the Spirit plant.

I have a mechanical engineering degree from Wichita State University; and I have a degree in marketing, international business, and Spanish from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

My husband is an avionics engineer at Boeing Wichita. I have two sons, one at Kansas State studying computer & electrical engineering, and one at Wichita Heights High School. I am involved in church, community theater, and Boy Scout activities.

I am the Wichita Section representative to the SWE Region I Council. I have been a member of the Society of Professional Engineers since 2006.

Region I Senator ~ Vicki S. Johnson, Ph.D.

I have a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla, a M.S. in Flight Sciences from George Washington University, a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas and an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix.

In addition to SWE, I am active in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and University United Methodist Church. My parents are retired in Sun City West, Arizona, and my sister and brother-in-law are chemical engineers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I live in Bel Aire with Honey Bunny the cat and have the Wichita Section SWE supplies stored in my garage.

I started my SWE career as the Faculty Advisor for the collegiate section at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The Wichita section's Girl Scout Tub project through an Exxon Mobile grant was my introduction to SWE in Wichita. I've been President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Chair of the Engineering Expo at various times during my nearly 10 years in Wichita. I am a SWE Life Member and am proud to be serving a two-year term representing Region I in the new SWE Senate.

Region I Governor ~ Cindy Hoover

I am currently the Director of Fuselage Engineering for the Boeing 777, 767 and 747 programs at Spirit AeroSystems. Prior to this I was the Director for Lean Operations within the Spirit Fuselage Segment. I came to Spirit in late 2007 from LSI Corporation, where I was the Director of Customer Operations and Site Manager for the Wichita, KS facility. I have more than 19 years of industry experience in engineering, project management, Six Sigma, and a variety of operations management roles.

I received my bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from WSU, an executive MBA from Friends University and a Six Sigma Black Belt Certification from Six Sigma Academy.

My husband and I have three sons. In addition to numerous school activities, our family time is spent at the soccer fields and traveling to soccer tournaments. I enjoy helping the community and currently serve on the board of trustees for the Wichita Area Technical College and Sedgwick County Technical Training Authority, the board of directors for the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland and the board of advisors for Wichita State University's College of Engineering.

I have been very active in the Society of Women Engineers at the local and region level, and am currently serving as the Region I Governor for the five state areas around Kansas.

Newsletter ~ Marsha Meili

I have been employed at Boeing/Spirit for 27 years. Currently I am a Define Manager on the Sikorsky CH-53K Program for Spirit's Fuselage Segment. 

When not working or volunteering with SWE, I volunteer at church, my neighborhood watch group and Habitat for Humanity. I also enjoy doing Career Guidance activities. My other hobbies include gardening, biking, amateur radio and spoiling my nephew and niece.

I joined SWE in Wichita in 1984 and am now a Life Member where I am active in the local, regional and national arenas.  I have also received the SWE Distinguished Service Award. 

Expo Chair ~ Rikki Schreiber

Employed by Spirit AeroSystems, I am currently the design manager for Boeing 777 / 767 / 747 Sustaining Programs. Prior to management I worked in Manufacturing Research & Development, 767 and 787 structures design groups.

I received my Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Kansas. After working for a few years I took advantage of Boeing's tuition reimbursement program and went on to earn my Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University.

I first joined SWE while in college at KU and then rejoined as a professional a few years ago. I helped co-chair the 2009 Expo event and will continue in that roll this year along with being the Section's Secretary.

Website ~ Kim Burton

I am a senior engineer at Cessna Aircraft company, specializing in avionics and electrical systems integration. I have been with Cessna since 2002, when I earned my bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering Technology from Pittsburg State University. In 2008 I received a master's in Electrical Engineering from Wichita State University. I am a Six Sigma green belt and a private pilot.

I've been a member of SWE since college and love the message this organization sends about what women can contribute to important fields. The Wichita section has given me the opportunity to co-chair our annual Engineering Expo three years in a row.

My husband is a nightclub DJ. We have four guinea pigs. We have one daughter who was born last June.

WCES ~ Rachael Woods

I work for Spirit AeroSystems as an Intellectual Property Engineer managing the invention program. I graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a Civil Engineering B.S. and have one semester left on a Technology Management M.S.

Publicity ~ Adrienne Wosel

I work in manufacturing research and development at Spirit AeroSystems. In 2002, I earned a bachelor's degree in Plastics Engineering and Technology from Pittsburg State University and a Master's degree in Administration from Texas A&M in 2006. I am also attending Friends University, pursuing another Master's in Business Administration.

I enjoy the networking opportunity SWE is able to provide and I look forward to another fun and exciting year.

Outreach ~ Barbara Davis

I retired from Cessna aircraft in 2099 after a total of 28 years. I earned my BS in Aerospace Engineering from West Virginia University in 1968.

I have been a member of SWE since 2001 and a life member since 2005. I was the Wichita Section representative to the Council of Representatives from 2002 through 2007 and the Section President from 2008-2009.

My husband Cliff, also an Aerospace Engineer, is retired from Cessna Engineering Flight Test. We have a son and a daughter, one grandson and a second due in October 2010. My favorite activities are reading, gardening and needlework. In addition to SWE, I volunteer at Exploration Place, with Girl Scouts and anywhere I can find someone doing aviation or engineering activities with kids.

Membership ~ Deana Fitzsimmons

I graduated with a B.A. degree, Public Address in 1973 from Wichita State University; and earned a M.A. degree in Communication Theory in 1985, also from Wichita State University. From there I hired into Boeing-Wichita in 1978 as a Personnel Representative for the Engineering department. In 1995 moved into Staffing and administered the Summer Intern program for Boeing-Wichita, and traveled the U.S. recruiting both professional and college graduate engineering candidates to support needs for staffing requirements. From 2001 to present I am the Contract Labor Admin supporting the administration of contract labor services including acquisition and maintenance of contract labor personnel serving Boeing through suppliers. I have been a member of SWE since December 1998.

Scholarship/Awards ~ Cassie Schroeder

I graduated from Iowa State University in 2008 with a Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering with a Minor in Nondestructive Evaluation. I interned with Spirit AeroSystems twice, and now work there full time as an Research and Development Engineer in the Propulsion Structures and Systems segment of Spirit. I am currently pursuing a MS in Operations Management at Friends University.

My hobbies include reading, biking, cooking, knitting, and most recently decorating cakes. My husband Matt also works at Spirit as an engineer in a different Research and Development group.

I first joined SWE as a collegiate member and Iowa State, and was very active with their outreach activities, including organizing science badge days for Girl Scouts in Iowa. I now enjoy the opportunity to stay active in the Wichita SWE section.

Fundraising ~ Amanda Maish

I am currently a Project Scheduler and Manufacturing Engineer at Hawker Beechcraft. I have previously held internships at LSI, Boeing, and CNH. I have also worked with ICM, Cessna, Nex-Tech Processing, JF Associates, and the FAA. My job responsibilities have included green initiatives, government compliance (OSHA, FAA, DOT, EPA, KDHE, ANSI and ISO-14001), process improvement, quality problem-solving, inventory control, managing supplier relationships, project scheduling, data capture and analysis, economic analyses, facilities layouts, and computer tools for data management and collection.

I have a Bachelors of Science in Industrial Engineering from Wichita State University with a minor in Business Administration.

I have been involved with Youth For Understanding, Institute for Industrial Engineers, APICS, Toastmasters, and Project Management Institute.

My hobbies include painting, music, juggling, photography, photo editing, water sports, traveling, tennis, and recently golf.

I joined SWE as a freshman in college and first got involved with WSU's Shocker Mindstorms and later progressed into President for the WSU section. I was also part of the Program Development Grant national committee for a year while in college. I have attended two national conferences and one regional conference. I now have the privilege of being the Fundraising Chair for the Wichita section.

WSU counselor ~ Allison Terry

COR Alternate ~ TBD

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