GradSWE Leadership Team
The GradSWE community consists of current and transitioning graduate students as well professional members. The GradSWE community also incorporates a leadership team that oversees the different aspects of the GradSWE's mission.
The structure of the leadership roles in GradSWE in respect to SWE's society and region levels is shown below. More on the positions including the societal structure is presented in the illustration below.
The structure of the leadership roles in GradSWE in respect to SWE's society and region levels is shown below. More on the positions including the societal structure is presented in the illustration below.
Note: All positions report to the GMC, who reports to the SWE Director of Membership Initiatives
The GradSWE Leadership Team is comprised of the following positions below:
Grace Pakeltis, grad-coordinator@swe.org
Graduate Member Coordinator (GMC) is the overseeing chair fostering the community and network for graduate students in SWE. The GMC represents the interest of the graduate members in the society by facilitating communication between graduate student members and the SWE graduate student groups. The GMC works to foster a strong community and network for graduate students in SWE.
Our current FY21 GMC is Grace Pakeltis. Grace is a graduate student in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Tennessee. She received her BS in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research is in the 2d and 3d nanofabrication and characterization of plasmonic materials. Grace has served as an officer for the Illinois collegiate section, including section President. She actively participates in Materials Science and Engineering outreach and is also her departmental senator for the Graduate Student Senate at the University of Tennessee. Outside of the lab, Grace enjoys watching Chicago Bears football and spinning at her local Cyclebar!
Our current FY21 GMC is Grace Pakeltis. Grace is a graduate student in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Tennessee. She received her BS in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research is in the 2d and 3d nanofabrication and characterization of plasmonic materials. Grace has served as an officer for the Illinois collegiate section, including section President. She actively participates in Materials Science and Engineering outreach and is also her departmental senator for the Graduate Student Senate at the University of Tennessee. Outside of the lab, Grace enjoys watching Chicago Bears football and spinning at her local Cyclebar!
Amy Zheng, grad-coordinator-elect@swe.org
The Graduate Member Coordinator Elect (GMC-Elect) assists the GMC in their duties of facilitating communication and relationships, in preparation for the following year.
Our current FY21 GMC-Elect is Amy Zheng. Amy Zheng is a graduate student at Vanderbilt University under the supervision of Professor Jamey Young. She received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas. Her research involves the use of metabolic flux analysis to study the metabolism of photoautotrophic organisms used to make biofuels. Amy has been involved in SWE since her freshman year. She was the graduate student coordinator of her undergraduate for 2 years. Then, she became the president of her undergraduate chapter during her senior year. In her free time, Amy enjoys cooking, traveling and yoga.
Our current FY21 GMC-Elect is Amy Zheng. Amy Zheng is a graduate student at Vanderbilt University under the supervision of Professor Jamey Young. She received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas. Her research involves the use of metabolic flux analysis to study the metabolism of photoautotrophic organisms used to make biofuels. Amy has been involved in SWE since her freshman year. She was the graduate student coordinator of her undergraduate for 2 years. Then, she became the president of her undergraduate chapter during her senior year. In her free time, Amy enjoys cooking, traveling and yoga.
Isabella Sanders, grad-programs-coordinator@swe.org
The Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) works with graduate students and professional SWE members to ensure diverse programming for the annual SWE conference.
Our current FY21 GPC is Isabella Sanders. Isabella Sanders is a graduate student at Georgia Tech.
Our current FY21 GPC is Isabella Sanders. Isabella Sanders is a graduate student at Georgia Tech.
Mattie Eckerstrom, Graduate Programming Coordinator – Elect
The Graduate Programs Coordinator Elect (GPC-E) works to ensure diverse session tracks for the annual conference and assist the GPC as needed in preparation for the following annual conference.
Our current FY21 GPC-E is Mattie Eckerstrom. Mattie is a graduate student in chemical engineering at the University of Rochester (NY). Originally from the Chicago suburbs, she also received her BS in chemical engineering with a minor in materials science from the University of Rochester. She plans to complete her MS in the spring of 2020 and then work in industry. Mattie has been active with SWE for several years, serving on the Local Host Committee for WE Local Baltimore (FY19) as the SWEnext DesignLab Liaison and WE Local Buffalo (FY20) as the Sponsorship Liaison. She also spent a summer as the Student Programs Intern at SWE Headquarters in Chicago. She is looking forward to the opportunity to advance SWE's mission and be an advocate for women in STEM. In her free time, Mattie enjoys horseback riding, having been an avid equestrian for over 15 years. She also likes playing the clarinet, spending time with her bunny, Lola, and going for long rides on her motorcycle.
Our current FY21 GPC-E is Mattie Eckerstrom. Mattie is a graduate student in chemical engineering at the University of Rochester (NY). Originally from the Chicago suburbs, she also received her BS in chemical engineering with a minor in materials science from the University of Rochester. She plans to complete her MS in the spring of 2020 and then work in industry. Mattie has been active with SWE for several years, serving on the Local Host Committee for WE Local Baltimore (FY19) as the SWEnext DesignLab Liaison and WE Local Buffalo (FY20) as the Sponsorship Liaison. She also spent a summer as the Student Programs Intern at SWE Headquarters in Chicago. She is looking forward to the opportunity to advance SWE's mission and be an advocate for women in STEM. In her free time, Mattie enjoys horseback riding, having been an avid equestrian for over 15 years. She also likes playing the clarinet, spending time with her bunny, Lola, and going for long rides on her motorcycle.
Rasika Bhalerao, Communications Coordinator
The Communications Coordinator (CC) ensures current up to date communication through our Social Media and Online Outlets.
Our current FY21 CC is Rasika Bhalerao. Rasika Bhalerao is a 4th year PhD candidate in Computer Science at NYU under Dr. Damon McCoy. Her research focuses on applying natural language processing to real world cybersecurity problems, and she has a passion for teaching. She received her BS in Applied and Computational Mathematical Sciences (Discrete Math and Algorithms) and in Statistics from the University of Washington in 2017. She has been a part of SWE since her freshman year, and is looking forward to continuing to contribute at an international level!
Our current FY21 CC is Rasika Bhalerao. Rasika Bhalerao is a 4th year PhD candidate in Computer Science at NYU under Dr. Damon McCoy. Her research focuses on applying natural language processing to real world cybersecurity problems, and she has a passion for teaching. She received her BS in Applied and Computational Mathematical Sciences (Discrete Math and Algorithms) and in Statistics from the University of Washington in 2017. She has been a part of SWE since her freshman year, and is looking forward to continuing to contribute at an international level!
The Mentoring Coordinators (MC) facilitate the program development of GradSWE Mentoring Program.
Our current FY21 MC’s are Josey McBrayer, Kalie Knecht, Maggie Fox, and Rachael Cooper.
Our current FY21 MC’s are Josey McBrayer, Kalie Knecht, Maggie Fox, and Rachael Cooper.
Josey McBrayer, Mentoring Coordinator
Josey is a fourth-year PhD student in chemical engineering at the University of Utah, performing her research at Sandia National Laboratories. She received her B.S. in chemical engineering and her M.S. in nanoscience and microsystems engineering at the University of New Mexico. Her research focuses on silicon anodes for next generation lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles. Josey uses spectro- electrochemical techniques to better understand the mechanical and chemical instability inherit to silicon anodes. She has been involved with SWE since 2013 when she joined as an undergraduate. She
was the president of SWE at her undergraduate institution and became the graduate student representative at the University of Utah during her first year. In her free time, Josey likes playing with her dog, hiking, Zumba, and dancing salsa and country swing with her boyfriend.
was the president of SWE at her undergraduate institution and became the graduate student representative at the University of Utah during her first year. In her free time, Josey likes playing with her dog, hiking, Zumba, and dancing salsa and country swing with her boyfriend.
Kalie Knecht, Mentoring Coordinator
Kalie is a graduate student and Nuclear Security and Science Consortium Fellow studying for her PhD in Nuclear Engineering at UC Berkeley. She received her BS in Nuclear Engineering at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville in May 2019. She is interested in radiation detection for her PhD research. She currently works at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on a free-moving gamma-ray detection system combined with contextual sensors (cameras, LiDAR, etc.) that can accurately localize and identify radiological sources in 3D environments. During undergrad, Kalie oversaw University of Tennessee SWE’s mentoring program and served as section president. She was also a SWEFL during her last year of undergrad, where she learned about all the great opportunities in SWE leadership and got involved in the SWE Curriculum Committee. She currently serves as webmaster and new student recruitment chair for the UC Berkeley GradSWE section. She’s excited to serve on the GradSWE mentoring team because she thinks mentoring programs are a crucial part of making underrepresented groups in STEM feel welcome to the community so they can thrive. In her free time, she likes to climb, paddleboard, hike, run, cook, and play tabletop games.
Maggie Fox, Mentoring Coordinator
Maggie is a third-year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at UC Los Angeles. She received her B.S. in Chemistry with a Materials emphasis at SUNY Binghamton in 2018. Her research focuses on sustainable materials for building applications and optimizing materials for energy storage devices. She has been part of SWE since starting graduate school and has served on the GradSWE leadership board at UCLA for the last two years. On the UCLA campus, she also works on education and mentoring initiatives for underrepresented groups and hopes to bring some of these ideas into her new role as UMMC. In her free time, Maggie likes to spend time outside (she recently ran her first marathon and is signed up for two more) and watching baseball!
Rachael Cooper, Mentoring Coordinator
Rachael is a first year PhD student in civil engineering with a concentration of water resources at the University of South Florida. She received her B.S. in Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University in 2012. After graduating from NC State, Rachael became licensed as a professional engineer working as a civil engineering consultant. Primarily working on stormwater infrastructure design as an engineer, she became motivated to return to an academic setting to learn more about stormwater management. She first joined SWE as a professional in Raleigh and served as secretary and president of her local Eastern NC section before relocating to Tampa, Florida. Rachael also enjoys all things water and storms outside of graduate school. She enjoys walks along the bay, watching thunderstorms in the ‘lightning capital’ of North America, and cheering on her favorite NHL teams (Hurricanes & Lightning).
Lael Wentland, WE Local Programming Liaison
The WE Local Programming Liason (LPL) assists in facilitating a positive experience for graduate students at WE Local conferences.
Our current FY21 LPL is Lael Wentland. Lael is excited to serve as LPL because of the positive experiences she has had with the WeLocal conference and wants to create more WeLocal relevant programming for graduate students. Lael is a fourth year PhD student studying Bioengineering at Oregon State University (OSU). Her primary research field is developing point-of-care diagnostics under Dr. Elain Fu. Her research goal is to develop more accessible and sustainable diagnostics that could be used outside of the hospital setting. In the past, Lael has served on the leadership team for OSU’s GradSWE group and on the leadership team for her department’s graduate student association. To relax, Lael enjoys baking, training for triathlons and dancing.
Our current FY21 LPL is Lael Wentland. Lael is excited to serve as LPL because of the positive experiences she has had with the WeLocal conference and wants to create more WeLocal relevant programming for graduate students. Lael is a fourth year PhD student studying Bioengineering at Oregon State University (OSU). Her primary research field is developing point-of-care diagnostics under Dr. Elain Fu. Her research goal is to develop more accessible and sustainable diagnostics that could be used outside of the hospital setting. In the past, Lael has served on the leadership team for OSU’s GradSWE group and on the leadership team for her department’s graduate student association. To relax, Lael enjoys baking, training for triathlons and dancing.
Courtney Keiser, Learning Content Coordinator
The Learning Content Coordinator hosts webinars for the graduate student community throughout the year as well as develops YouTube videos and other learning content.
Our current FY21 Learning Content Coordinator (LCC) is Courtney Keiser. Courtney is a Ph.D. student in materials engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln under Dr. Alexey Kamenskiy. Her research focuses on developing femoropopliteal bypass grafts and aortic stent grafts with optimized mechanical properties for cardiovascular surgery. She received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Northern Iowa in physics with minors in mathematics and nanoscience/nanotechnology. Courtney has served as the Graduate Member Coordinator for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s collegiate section since FY19. In her free time, Courtney enjoys lifting weights, fishing, and biking.
Our current FY21 Learning Content Coordinator (LCC) is Courtney Keiser. Courtney is a Ph.D. student in materials engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln under Dr. Alexey Kamenskiy. Her research focuses on developing femoropopliteal bypass grafts and aortic stent grafts with optimized mechanical properties for cardiovascular surgery. She received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Northern Iowa in physics with minors in mathematics and nanoscience/nanotechnology. Courtney has served as the Graduate Member Coordinator for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s collegiate section since FY19. In her free time, Courtney enjoys lifting weights, fishing, and biking.
The International Graduate Team Leader (IGTL) assists in developing resources for international graduate students and the globalization of GradSWE.
Our current FY21 IGTL is Tabore Edema. Tobore Edema is a second-year bioengineering master's student at New York Institute of Technology. She is a certified project manager and social innovator with over ten years of championing economic empowerment and self-actualization in women and youths in Nigeria. She is also a writer and singer with a love for cooking and exploring new cities and local cuisines.
Our current FY21 IGTL is Tabore Edema. Tobore Edema is a second-year bioengineering master's student at New York Institute of Technology. She is a certified project manager and social innovator with over ten years of championing economic empowerment and self-actualization in women and youths in Nigeria. She is also a writer and singer with a love for cooking and exploring new cities and local cuisines.
The Professional Graduate Team Leader (PGTL) assesses the needs of professional graduate students in order to ensure accessible recommendations and resources.
Our current FY21 PGTL is Abby Pakeltis.
Our current FY21 PGTL is Abby Pakeltis.
Megan Parsons, Diversity & Inclusion Liaison
The Diversity and Inclusion Liaison (DIL) promotes the support of minority groups in STEM fields, and throughout STEM education. The liason also facilitates the relationships between affiliate groups and graduate student members for this effort.
Our current FY21 DIL is Megan M. Parsons. Megan is a master’s degree student at Boston University in electrical and computer engineering. She received her bachelor’s degree at Harvard University in 2016 with a concentration in neurobiology, and her primary research focus is neuroengineering. In the laboratory of Dr. Xue Han, Megan is using EEG to research neural signatures involved in pain perception and attention. These neural signatures will be used to train machine learning algorithms to classify brain states. These models will allow us to quantify the effects of treatments or interventions in altering brain states associated with nociception and cognitive performance. In addition to her research, Megan has a longstanding commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in science and engineering, and she is thrilled to serve as GradSWE’s Diversity & Inclusion Liaison.
Our current FY21 DIL is Megan M. Parsons. Megan is a master’s degree student at Boston University in electrical and computer engineering. She received her bachelor’s degree at Harvard University in 2016 with a concentration in neurobiology, and her primary research focus is neuroengineering. In the laboratory of Dr. Xue Han, Megan is using EEG to research neural signatures involved in pain perception and attention. These neural signatures will be used to train machine learning algorithms to classify brain states. These models will allow us to quantify the effects of treatments or interventions in altering brain states associated with nociception and cognitive performance. In addition to her research, Megan has a longstanding commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in science and engineering, and she is thrilled to serve as GradSWE’s Diversity & Inclusion Liaison.
The Affinity Group Liaison is on the Diversity and Inclusion team.
Our current FY21 Affinity Group Liaison is Gabriela Basel. Gabriela is a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. She received her BS in Molecular Engineering at The University of Chicago. She is currently researching noise correlations and information encoding in fMRI images. As an undergraduate student, Gabriela helped lay the groundwork for a new SWE chapter at the University of Chicago’s new (est. 2014) school of engineering and was a member of the SWEFL program. Currently, she volunteers at Stanford as a mentor for FLI and diversity fellowship students and serves on the Chemical Engineering Diversity and Inclusion Committee working to improve the experiences of underrepresented minorities at Stanford. She is also serving as the FY21 Collegiate Engagement Lead of the SWE Latinos Affinity Group.
Our current FY21 Affinity Group Liaison is Gabriela Basel. Gabriela is a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. She received her BS in Molecular Engineering at The University of Chicago. She is currently researching noise correlations and information encoding in fMRI images. As an undergraduate student, Gabriela helped lay the groundwork for a new SWE chapter at the University of Chicago’s new (est. 2014) school of engineering and was a member of the SWEFL program. Currently, she volunteers at Stanford as a mentor for FLI and diversity fellowship students and serves on the Chemical Engineering Diversity and Inclusion Committee working to improve the experiences of underrepresented minorities at Stanford. She is also serving as the FY21 Collegiate Engagement Lead of the SWE Latinos Affinity Group.
The Graduate Leadership Team helps to establish GradSWE community groups and promote programming addressing graduate student needs.
Students can also develop new groups at universities with guidelines shown here. For more information, you can reach out to the Graduate Member Coordinator (GMC) at grad-coordinator@swe.org.
Students can also develop new groups at universities with guidelines shown here. For more information, you can reach out to the Graduate Member Coordinator (GMC) at grad-coordinator@swe.org.
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