​Let’s welcome the SWE-RMS FY21 Executive Council!
We asked each EC member to share a fun fact and what they would like to accomplish this year.
​

​Lisa Woodward, President
Lisa Woodward will be continuing in her second year as section President. Lisa spent most of her career in environmental engineering. Recently she is working as a project advisor for the senior design class at the Colorado School of Mines.
 
From Lisa: My husband and I are remodeling most of our main floor so life without a kitchen is challenging. It is a good thing it is summer so we can grill outside. But, I think all of the inconveniences will be worth when we are finished. This year, I am looking forward to working with the EC on innovative ways to connect our membership, outreach and to increase our diversity in these challenging times.
 
Picture is Lisa at Animal Kingdom walking over live alligators.

Christi Wisleder, 1st Vice President
Christi Wisleder is a Civil Project Engineer at Merrick & Company, leading transportation and major drainage design projects as a design consultant for local public works agencies in the Denver metro area. Christi has held many different support roles within the RMS section and was also on the 2020 WE Local Raleigh Local Host Committee Program Subcommittee.
 
From Christi: I’m looking forward to strengthening our section’s corporate partnerships and seeing our virtual capabilities and connections expand. I would like to teach my huskador Maybelle an extraordinary dog trick. My previous dog could open the fridge, fetch a beer, and then close the fridge. While Maybelle will not be taught to open the fridge (she’d eat everything), there is plenty else for her to learn.
 
Picture is Christi (pink scarf) enjoying WE Local Raleigh as part of the LHC.

Ashley Kreuder, VP of Outreach
Ashley works in sustainability and her expertise in life cycle assessment (LCA) allows her to make decisions and justify the best potential outcome using facts and assessment of potential trade-offs. Ashley is also currently the Girls Exploring Science Technology Engineering and Math (GESTEM) committee chair.
 
From Ashley:  I look forward to getting our section more involved in local outreach events and SWENext! (SWENext is a way for girls to become a part of the SWE engineering community as a student through the age of 18). I would like to go to the Grand Canyon this year.
 
Picture is Ashley with her husband in front of the CO state dinosaur.

Sarah Green, VP of Membership
Sarah Green is continuing in her second year as VP of Membership. Sarah works as a Regional Technical Manager for Keurig Dr Pepper. Her favorite things about SWE are meeting other like-minded engineers, inspiring students to pursue engineering, and growing through professional development events. 
 
From Sarah: I worked on an ice cream project for about a year after college! After eating so much of it for work, I took a break from ice cream for a year or two but enjoy it now. I hope to start kegging my own beer soon!
 
Picture is Sarah en route from Vancouver (city) to Vancouver Island.

Heather Munoz, VP of Professional Development
Heather Munoz is continuing in her second year as VP of Professional Development. Heather is an Engineering Director at Sundt Renewables working on large scale photovoltaic solar projects. She will be working on ways to continue expanding the RMS Women In “X” development series.
 
From Heather: I’m looking forward to getting back into running, one of my favorite hobbies, after taking a year off. Half marathons are my favorite distance to train for. One of my goals is to find ways to better serve the RMS membership with virtual development opportunities. 
 
Picture is Heather skiing at Aspen Highlands.

​Kaitlin Chapman, VP of Professional Enrichment
Kaitlin Chapman works as a Quality Engineer at Medtronic and is in her second year on the RMS EC. Her favorite things about SWE include connecting with fellow female engineers, gaining professional development skills, and inspiring the next generation of engineers. In her free time, she loves hiking with her dog, baking, and reading.
 
From Kaitlin: I am looking forward to helping expand the professional development opportunities for our members in SWE RMS and continue to expand my SWE network! This year I am looking forward to saving money for the many travels I am planning once the virus is better.
 
Picture is Kaitlin with her dog Libby.

Jennifer Buechler, Treasurer
 Jennifer is continuing in her second year as Treasurer and has been an active RMS member since moving back to Colorado in 2015. Jennifer is an Engineering Project Manager at Spectra Logic, managing software engineers and technicians to support the manufacturing line. In her free time, she loves hiking, skiing, and cycling.
 
From Jennifer:  I've climbed 31 out of 58 of the 14ers (mountains over 14,000 feet)! Since travel options are limited this year, I'm focusing on hiking, trail running, and climbing in Colorado.
For a professional goal for this year, I'm working on strategic thinking and developing a vision for my team.
 
Picture is Jennifer on the North Ridge scramble up Mt. Neva.

Maureen Masiulis, Secretary
Maureen is new to the RMS EC this year. Maureen is a Sector Lead in the Tactical Solutions Survivability and Strike mission area at Ball Aerospace. Maureen has previously been honored with the Society of Women Engineering’s Distinguished New Engineer Award and Society of Women Engineer’s Emerging Leader Award. 
 
From Maureen: Although I have been an active SWE member since 2003, I didn't join a section until recently.  I look forward to learning more about section operations and hope to bring some new ideas from previous Society & Member at Large roles.  What I hope to accomplish this year - Thrive through change! It will be a whole new ball game supporting remote learning for two elementary students for two parents who work full time in roles that require on-site support many days and occasional travel. I look forward to sharing challenges & best practices with all of you!
 
Picture is Maureen enjoying the outdoors.

​Check out the other committee chair members supporting RMS on our leadership page.

The results of the 33nd annual Great Women in Engineering and Science Essay Contest are in! The competition was fierce again this year with an outstanding 170 entries from 14 schools in Colorado and Wyoming. A panel of 14 volunteer judges enjoyed reviewing all of the essays. Congratulations to every entrant!
 
The top three awards are a $75, $50, and $25 prize in addition to the science kit and science book awarded to the honorable merit and honorable mention recipients. The top three award winners are listed below in no particular order. Their prizes will be announced at the Society of Women Engineers Rocky Mountain Section award ceremony, which will be held remotely this year. The following students will receive a personal invitation to the event:
 
Abigail Bybee of Highlands Ranch, CO for her essay on Rachel Carson. Abigail attends 6th grade at Arrowwood Elementary School and was sponsored by teacher Fay Von Tilius.
 
Matilda Garcia Stevenson of Longmont, CO for her essay on Rachel Carson. Matilda attends 6th grade at Westview Middle School and was sponsored by teacher Veronica Barbosa.
 
Connor Thiessen of Parker, CO for his essay on Rita Levi-Montalcini. Connor attends 6th grade at Parker Core Knowledge Charter School and was sponsored by teacher Heather Puckett.  ​

The Society of Women Engineers awards members for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the society with our Summit Awards.

This year's winners include:

Outreach – Sara Ellis
*Presented to a SWE-RMS member who has made an outstanding contribution to Outreach programs and activities within the section for the current fiscal year.

Sara Ellis has been the Chair or Co-Chair for the SWE RMS Great Women in Engineering and Science Essay Contest for the last several years, keeping the tradition of this contest going - it is now in its 33rd year! Sara has provided consistent leadership to the contest, ensuring that 6th grade students throughout Colorado and Wyoming have the opportunity to participate, and that the finalists are recognized in a big way at the annual awards ceremony. In 2020 in particular, Sara had to adapt to the situation caused by the COVID-19 crisis, including figuring out how to ship the prize materials to the individual and school winners. She also recognized the 3 individual winners (along with their families and teachers) at our virtual awards ceremony in April. Sara's ability to adjust specific plans ensured that the Essay Contest was a success once again this year!

Professional Development – Tricia Lawler
*Presented to a SWE-RMS member who has made an outstanding contribution to Professional Development programs within the section for the current fiscal year.

This SWE Rocky Mountain Summit Award nomination is for Tricia Lawler, for her outstanding contribution to Professional Development. Tricia represented both SWE-RMS and Merrick & Company to strengthen a long-standing corporate partnership and support two unique professional development events for SWE members. For both the Conflict Management event with career coach Amy McMaster and the Art of Delegation event with business unit leader Tammy Johnson, Tricia solicited and negotiated with the speakers, set up the venue, oversaw catering, and kicked off the events with a warm welcome and speaker introductions. Tricia maintained a level of constant contact to have the speakers deliver high quality talks to our SWE members, and she navigated a last minute reschedule.

Tricia’s efforts not only provided professional development and networking opportunities to SWE member and Merrick employees, they allowed for an inclusive environment with both men and women attendees, promoted mutual support, and were focused on being convenient for SWE members to attend. Tricia continues her efforts in connecting SWE members with unique learning experiences and networking opportunities by leading the upcoming tech talk with career coach Cheryl Benedict on the very timely topic, Managing Change & Transition during COVID-19.

Fund Development – Amy Tank
*Presented to a SWE-RMS member who has made an outstanding contribution to the finances of SWE-RMS during the fiscal year through creative fundraising. This is not intended for recognizing the person who designated the most money, but the person who put the most creativity and effort into raising funds for our section.

Amy Tank is Chair of the Girls Exploring STEM (GESTEM) fundraising committee. Amy's dedication to the GESTEM event has been made apparent by her leadership coordinating fund development for the 2020 GESTEM event. Amy took over the reins of fundraising for GESTEM which is no easy task. She organized a dedicated team to strategically reach out to past sponsors to secure funding to reach the budgeted target. This was especially noteworthy since she was volunteering her time while expanding her family. She also showed unyielding support of the sponsors and volunteers needs during the COVID-19 crisis, which cancelled our event. Her empathy has led to deeper relationships with donors leading to secured funding for future events.

Communicator – Madalene Fetsch
*Presented to a SWE-RMS member who has made an outstanding contribution to communication activities within SWE-RMS during the current fiscal year. 

Madalene Fetsch as Chair of the SWE President Celebration Committee, faced a difficult situation when coronavirus threatened not only the date of the SWE FY21 President Celebration, but also the contract terms for the venue. In order to ensure the financial health of the section and flexibility for the event, she researched the contract terms and came up with two major changes the contract needed to provide flexibility for the event. Given that the venue was not proactive in updating the terms, she reached out to the general manager and negotiated new terms for the contract. This included not only tweaking details on the resulting drafts of the new contract, but also vetting these changes with the SWE National Office, who had specific tips about the wording around coronavirus that will protect the section from additional financial responsibility should the situation change dramatically as the event grows closer. After multiple drafts, she completed the new contract and stayed on good terms with the venue such that the SWE FY21 President's Celebration has multiple options for celebrating in a safe manner at some point in the future. She brought the rest of the committee on board with the changes, and prepared them for expected next steps with navigating planning this celebration in an uncertain time.

Newcomer – Emily Durie
*Presented to a SWE-RMS member who is new to the section and has made an outstanding contribution to the section during the current fiscal year. Note: This can include a person who has taken on a committee chair other similar responsibility within 2 years of joining the section.

Emily cultivated from an idea at the SWE-RMS strategic planning meeting, Emily established a new membership benefit – a book club As a new member of our section Emily has done a fantastic job of jumping in SWE and getting involved by serving as the lead for our SWE RMS Book Club. She has shown her leadership skills by effectively organizing meetings, being well prepared for discussions including having a clear agenda, and clearly communicating expectations. She created a format that was not overwhelming, allowing members to read the books in portions, and her choice in virtual format made the discussions open to all members in our geographically dispersed section. In addition Emily has been incredibly inclusive, ensuring that even through video chat, everyone had a chance for introductions especially as we had new members at each meeting. Given the current circumstances this has been a great way to connect and due to Emily’s leadership this has been a highlight of my year in participation.

Lisa Woodward, President
Lisa Woodward graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in Chemical Engineering and has worked most of her career in environmental engineering. Recently, she has taken on a position at the Colorado School of Mines as a project advisor for the senior design class, where she enjoys working with the students. She was a girl-scout leader for many years as well as PTA president, science Olympiad parent helper, and science fair judge.
 
Favorite thing about SWE RMS: SWE RMS is a fun group of women who are truly interested in helping each other advance in their careers as engineers.
 
Fun fact: I enjoy traveling and hope one day to go to Africa.

Ashley Kreuder, 1st Vice President
Ashley is a professional sustainability practitioner with over 8 years of experience. She is passionate about sustainability in her daily work and lifestyle. Her expertise in life cycle assessment allows her to make decisions and justify the best potential outcome using facts and assessment of potential trade-offs. Ashley has held multiple EC positions and is currently the GESTEM committee chair.
 
Favorite thing about SWE RMS: What I love about SWE-RMS is the support system and opportunities for leadership development.
 
Fun fact: I am a vermicomposter, which means I compost food waste with worms!

Christi Wisleder, VP of Professional Enrichment
Christi is a Civil Project Engineer at Merrick & Company, leading transportation and major drainage design projects as a design consultant for local public works agencies in the Denver metro area. She is a registered professional engineer and a sustainability professional. Christi has help multiple EC positions and has supported many committee chairs. Christi was a key member of the WE Local Denver Local Host Committee leading sponsorship. Christi is also the Merrick-SWE Corporate Membership Coordinator, overseeing Merrick & Company’s SWE membership and support.
 
Favorite thing about SWE RMS: The personal and professional growth network that is available to everyone in STEM, from kindergartener to seasoned professional.
 
Fun fact: I love teaching my Huskador (Siberian Husky/Labrador Retriever) tricks. She’s mastered many barkour talents with jumping on top of a 55-gal drum, army crawling through tunnels, and walking a balance beam.

​Kaitlyn Bunker, VP of Outreach
Kaitlyn Bunker is a Manager with Rocky Mountain Institute in Boulder, CO where her work focuses on microgrids and distributed energy resources in Caribbean island nations. At the Society level, she served as Collegiate Director on the Society’s Board of Directors in FY13, chair for the Curriculum Committee in FY14, and a representative on the Nominating Committee in FY17-FY18. Kaitlyn has served as the section’s Graduate Member Chair, Section Representative and Section President.
 
Favorite thing about SWE RMS: The welcoming community of members - when I moved to CO about 5 years ago I instantly felt welcomed by SWE RMS, and I appreciate all the connections I've made with different section members.
 
Fun fact: my husband and I are currently renovating our house with an end goal of being net-zero energy: the current phase includes lots of energy efficiency upgrades including new windows and insulation, and a heat pump system for our heating and cooling - if all goes well we'll be disconnecting our natural gas line soon and going all electric! Then further down the line we'll be looking at adding solar PV to offset our annual electricity use.

​Sarah Green, VP of Membership
Sarah Green is a Regional Technical Manager for Keurig Dr Pepper. She works with plants to improve and maintain quality. She first joined SWE as a freshman at Purdue University. Sarah has been actively involved in SWE at Purdue, in Eastern Nebraska, and in the Dallas sections. Sarah served as FY19 SWE RMS Secretary and was a 2018 Spring Summit Co-Chair. Sarah likes meeting other like-minded engineers through SWE, inspiring students to pursue engineering, and growing through professional development events.
 
Favorite thing about SWE RMS: Meeting and connecting with other women engineers at a variety of social and professional development events.
 
Fun fact: I recently ran my first half marathon! 

​​Heather Munoz, VP of Professional Development
Heather Munoz is Vice President of Engineering and Consulting at i1 Energy, where she leads the engineering division of her company for photovoltaic solar projects. Heather appreciates the way her position blends business-level perspectives with engineering details as she takes on the challenges of renewable energy. Heather has served in various EC and committee chair positions. Heather was the WE Local Denver Local Host Committee Volunteer Liaison.
 
Favorite thing about SWE RMS: Enabling women to connect professionally and socially.
 
 Fun fact: I’m expecting my first child in January 2020 - wish me luck! 

​Jennifer Buechler, Treasurer
Jennifer has been a member of SWE since 2010 and involved in SWE-RMS since she moved back to Colorado in 2015. She has served as Boulder Local Social Chair for two years and College Scholarships Chair for one year, and she presented at WE Local 2019. Outside of SWE, Jennifer is an Engineering Project Manager at Spectra Logic, managing software engineers and technicians to support the manufacturing line. In her free time, she loves hiking, skiing, and cycling. RMS is excited to welcome Jennifer as a new member of the EC.
 
Favorite thing about SWE RMS: expanding my professional network and friendships with women engineers! This network inspires me, helps me learn and grow my leadership skills, and gives me the opportunity to support others
 
Fun fact: I love to ski and currently have 4 pairs of skis - 1 pair for classic cross country racing, 1 pair for ungroomed cross country, 1 pair for downhill resort skiing, and 1 pair for backcountry skiing!

 
Kaitlin Chapman, Secretary
Kaitlin is a quality engineer at Medtronic with a background in chemical and biological engineering. Kaitlin was active at CU Boulder SWE and served in multiple EC positions before graduating and joining RMS. Kaitling is very passionate about SWE, as she has seen firsthand the value of both the SWE mission and community. RMS is excited to welcome Kaitlin as a new member of the EC.
 
Favorite thing about SWE RMS: The people! There are so many amazing and inspiring women role models in SWE RMS and it is great getting to know them. 
 
Fun fact: I lived on a family farm in North Dakota for the first eight years of my life.