November 2023 Meeting

Join our November meeting to hear from our very own Christine Cathcart about the benefits of being a SWE member.

Register here!

Chris C_Treasurer

Topic: SWE Membership Benefits

This session will focus on the benefits of SWE but will also include some information on the structure of SWE as well as the opportunities available within SWE for members.

Date and Time: November 15th @ 5.30pm EST via Zoom

Speaker Bio:

Ms. Cathcart is a registered professional mechanical engineer with over 30 years of experience in design and test, systems engineering, and program management. Chris holds a BSME from Kansas State University and an MBA from Maryville University St. Louis. She currently works as a Technology Senior Project Leader for Corning, Inc. Her career has consisted of work in the aerospace industry including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Gulfstream Aerospace.


Chris is a Fellow of SWE and has held many different leadership positions within SWE. She is currently the local Section Treasurer and is serving on the Finance Committee. Her SWE interests focus on outreach and professional development. She has been a SWE member for over 25 years.


Chris has served for several years as a Leadership Committee Coach for SWE. Through this position she helped assemble various presentation about SWE, Leadership, Management, and other learning areas for SWE members. The focus of these presentations was the Section Leadership and Membership.

September 2023 Meeting

In our September meeting we featured Tom Clark, Manager, Global Learning and Leadership Development and Program Manager, Global Emerging Leaders (GEL) Program, Corning Optical Communications.

 Register here: Registration Form

Topic:  Building Effective Networks

Networking is important to career success, but many find it difficult to build and maintain effective professional networks. In this session we will learn why networking is so important and how we can best build and strengthen our professional networks.

Objectives:

  • Explain the characteristics of effective networks
  • Define the 3 different network Types & how to leverage each one
  • Apply tactics to make networking happen
  • Create a personal networking strategy for both remote and face-to-face networking

Date and Time: Tuesday, September 26th @ 5 pm via Zoom

Speaker Bio:

Tom Clark has served as the Corning Optical Communications Global Learning and Leadership Development Manager since November 2013. In this role, Tom is responsible for developing and executing the L&LD strategy across COC which includes the design, development, and implementation of professional skill development solutions as well as leadership development opportunities. Tom is also responsible for the
Optical Commercial Operations learning function that includes role-based skill development,
product knowledge, orientation, and new hire training.

In 2015 he implemented the GEL program in COC and in 2018 he became the program manager for the enterprise program. Currently, he is part of team that is partnering with Harvard Executive Education to redesign the program which will be implemented in September of 2022.

Tom is part of the Diversity in Action team that is responsible for developing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy for COC. His responsibilities include leading specific projects and initiatives in the DEI program portfolio, advising the COC Diversity Council, and facilitating global Cultural Conversations that address social issues that are impacting employees in their daily lives.

Tom is also responsible for facilitating the development and execution of the COC HR strategy which includes tracking key success metrics for the function’s scorecard. He is also part of the team that has been charged with driving change in the corporate HR function by creating content and initiatives for the Moments That Matter project.

Prior to joining Corning, Tom served as the Consumer Technology Learning Manager at Bank of America where he was employed for 13 years.

A Connecticut native, Tom earned a B.S. degree in Special Education from Southern Connecticut State University and he holds certifications in Situational Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Crucial Conversations and 5 Conversations and he serves on the Board of Advisors for University of North Carolina Charlotte Belk College of Business. He has over 25 years of experience in corporate education and leadership development.

 Register here: Registration Form

April 2023 Meeting

In April 2023, our meeting featured Felicia J. Murrill, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Program Manager for Corning Optical Communications (COC).

Topic:  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Engineering

Date and Time: Monday, April 17th @ 6 pm via Zoom

Speaker Bio:

Felicia J. Murrill is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Program Manager for Corning Optical Communications (COC).  In this role, she is responsible for the strategic direction of the DEI efforts of Corning’s largest sector.

Previous to this role, Felicia held several progressive Finance and Accounting roles within COC, Ernst & Young, and the Central Intelligence Agency.  Her audit and controllership experiences have included driving cost understanding, implementing strategic business processes, financial reporting, forecasting, and developing the next generation of talent. 

Felicia is actively involved within both her professional and personal community, serving her alumni association, company affinity groups, and other civic, social, non-profit, and professional organizations.  She is a passionate DEI champion supporting efforts that create inclusion, equity, and overall quality of life for individuals and communities. 

Felicia is wife to Brian and mother to Bryce-Alexander.  She enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and playing kickball.  She is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, a Harvard Business School Alumni, and is also a North Carolina Certified Public Accountant.

March 2023 Meeting

In March 2023, our meeting featured Angela Berry, P.E., Traffic Safety and Vision Zero Manager at the Charlotte Department of Transportation.

Angela Berry, P.E.

Topic: Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements in Charlotte

Date and Time: Monday, March 13th @ 6 pm via Zoom.

Description: Over the past ten years, our city has seen explosive population growth, adding close to 200,000 more drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to our streets, paths, and intersections. Charlotte has responded by creating a variety of safe ways for people to move around the city and connect with each other by upgrading intersections, adding more bike lanes, and building additional sidewalks.

Across the globe, Vision Zero is saving and protecting lives. Vision Zero started in Sweden in 1997. It’s a strategy to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and severe injuries while increasing safety, health, and mobility for all. Vision Zero focuses on how people naturally behave. People make mistakes but mistakes should not be fatal.

In this session, we’ll learn more about Vision Zero from Angela Berry, P.E., Traffic Safety and Vision Zero Manager at the Charlotte Department of Transportation.

February 2023 Meeting

In February 2023, our meeting featured Kimberley Parsons!

Kimberley Parsons, CEO, Bamboo Teaming

Topic: What Every Leader Should Know to Catalyze Higher Team Performance

Description:

In today’s complex organizational environments, interdependent teamwork is not just desirable, but essential. Effective team-based collaboration drives agility, resilience, and adaptability, as well as employee satisfaction, engagement, and morale. This combination is what yields exceptional and consistent results.

Yet for many leaders, the challenge of managing the intricate dynamics of teams—on top of their other leadership responsibilities—can be daunting and overwhelming.

In this session, we’ll cut through that complexity to make the basics of teaming practical and accessible. Grounded in more than 25 years of theory and practice, you’ll learn a time-tested approach that distills team functioning into four interrelated dimensions, with concrete guidance you can implement right away to improve team performance.

In this interactive session, you’ll develop a new understanding of:

– The four key dimensions of team functioning, and how to maximize your team’s specific strengths and opportunities in each dimension

– What you need in your leadership role to catalyze team high performance

– Common “hot spots” that can make or break team functioning, and the corresponding team leadership behaviors you can cultivate to overcome them