Alumna Serves as New Society of Women Engineers President-Elect

From UC News:

Alumna Serves as New SWE President-Elect

Chemical engineering alumna, CEAS ’87, and proud Bearcat for life, Stacey DelVecchio, is serving as president elect of the Society of Women Engineers.

Date: 10/15/2012
By: Arthur Davies
Phone: (513) 556-9181

The University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science prepares its graduates to be much more than engineers. They are multidimensional agents of transformation. CEAS ’87 alumnus and proud Bearcat for life Stacey DelVecchio recently assumed the role of president elect for the Society of Women Engineers. With an unmatched background in chemical engineering and management, DelVecchio is an ideal candidate to serve as a role model to women engineers around the world.
 

For more than six decades, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) has given women engineers a unique place and voice within the engineering profession. The organization is centered around a passion for its members' success and continues to evolve with the challenges and opportunities reflected in today's exciting engineering and technology specialties. SWE’s mission is to stimulate women to achieve full potential in their careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity.
 
DelVecchio hopes to do justice to SWE’s longstanding mission while adding a touch of her own to the tradition. She plans to assist the organization in its global expansion initiative. DelVecchio recently returned from the SWE “Women Engineers Leading Global Innovation Symposium” in Bangalore, India. The symposium’s aim was to exchange information about engineering developments and challenges across disciplines and countries with a diverse group of women engineers. Also at the symposium was CEAS civil engineering senior Morgan Schroeder, who was one of only ten collegiate women selected to represent the United States at the conference.
 
“It was so nice to see an impressive young lady taking charge of what she wants to do, and she’s a Bearcat like me! I believe that it speaks so highly of UC by having Morgan represent them,” affirms DelVecchio.   
 

DelVecchio and Schroeder at the SWE “Women Engineers Leading Global Innovation Symposium” in India

DelVecchio brings with her to SWE not only a top-flight college education but also extensive career experience. For more than 23 years, she has been employed with Caterpillar Inc. DelVecchio has worked in process and product development for non-metallic components and production support for paint and process fluids. She was also heavily involved in the build- and start-up of a green-field facility in China.

As a certified Six Sigma Black Belt—a professional who can explain Six Sigma quality assurance and principles, including supporting systems and tools—DelVecchio worked on projects that included lean manufacturing, failure analysis, and employee engagement. Prior to leading an engineering pipeline transformation project as a manager at Caterpillar Inc., DelVecchio was the hose and coupling engineering manager for Cat Fuel Systems. She was also their new product introduction manager. DelVecchio’s accumulated managerial experience has armed her with the necessary tools and expertise to lead the best engineering talent.

As for education, it was the acclaimed co-op program that attracted DelVecchio to UC. Not to mention the fact that it was close to home for the Cleveland native.

“Academically, I had the experience of adjusting from being at the top of my class in high school to being in the mix of a room full of people who were in the top of their class. After I found my study buddies (who were my study buddies for years), my academic life went a lot smoother. I had friends that could always help me through the rough spots and I could return the favor for them.

"Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at UC. I met a great group of friends my first year in Memorial Hall (which was a dorm at that time). We stayed in Memorial on the same floor for two years, and then moved off campus to a house on Victor Street. The experience of living with seven women in one house is something I will certainly always remember. That, coupled with the good fortune of meeting my husband, a mechanical engineering major, during my senior year are things that put a smile on my face to this day,” DelVecchio reflects.

Throughout her time as SWE president elect and president, DelVecchio will be on a human resources special assignment for Caterpillar, Inc. She considers this time to be a major turning point in her life as she decides whether to go back to product development, stay in HR or to continue her efforts in the global recognition of women in engineering. Whichever route she chooses, DelVecchio will no doubt succeed.