Date: Wednesday,  January 31 
Time: 12:00 - 1:30 pm 
Location: 2005 Mechanical Engineering Laboratory (MEL) 

Abstract

What's all the buzz about advocacy regarding gender equity in STEM and how can you get involved? The landscape covering STEM and gender equity advocacy can be quite large.  Fortunately, there are some basic things you can do to stay current on the issues and make sure your voice is heard.  Getting out to vote, being an informed voter, getting to know the legislative process and meeting your elected officials are all forms of advocacy that are great ways to start your advocacy journey. Join our January 31st GradSWE Lunch and Learn to hear from Stacey DelVecchio and Teresa Cushing, co-chairs of the SWE Central Illinois Advocacy Committee. Stacey and Teresa are both engineers who have a passion for advocacy. They have advocated for SWE in Washington DC on the importance of gender equity in STEM. They've also worked within the SWE Central Illinois Section to help the members understand the role they can play in advocacy.

Speakers

Stacey DelVecchio is the President of StaceyD Consulting, focused on additive manufacturing deployment and strategy. After 30 years at Caterpillar, she chose to retire and now manages her own consulting company. Stacey is the chair of SME’s Additive Manufacturing Leadership Committee. She is a past Society of Women Engineers President and continues to champion the global expansion of SWE. Stacey is a past keynote speaker for WE Local and the Additive Manufacturing User Group Conference. She has spoken in over 17 countries during her professional career and often combines topics on DEIB with what she’s personally learned during her years as an engineer and leader. Stacey was elected as a trustee of the Dunlap IL Public Library Board where she lives with her husband of 33 years, Kerry, and her cat, Tom.

Teresa Cushing is the CEO of Productive Resources a women-owned engineering services firm.  She has been instrumental in growing the business while building a positive company culture. Before joining Productive Resources in 2018, Teresa had an extensive career at Caterpillar, Inc. where she served in a number of leadership roles. She is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and is an experienced instructor in Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Change Management, Innovation, and Personal Leadership. Teresa holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University.  She was appointed a visiting scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed an Executive Education Program at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.