AAE alumnae receive Society of Women Engineers awards
Three AAE alumnae were selected by the Society of Women Engineers for 2020 awards.
Jeri Lynn Metzger (BSAAE ’05), Tamaira Ross (BSAAE ’96, MSAAE ’99) and Heather Wiest (MSAAE ’13, PhD AAE ’17) were honored at the WE20 virtual conference by the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology.
Metzger received an Emerging Leader Award for “outstanding leadership in multiple simultaneous roles; for control and focus under pressure; and for building and supporting her SWE section’s diversity and size to its highest-ever levels.”
A member of SWE since 2014, Metzger supports the SWE Los Angeles executive committee and serves as the community involvement chair for the L.A. chapter of the Northrop Grumman Management Club.
"It's been fun seeing the connections to Purdue that SWE continues to provide,” said Metzger, a cost account manager and program team lead in the Systems Operations organization at Northrop Grumman Space Systems. “Though I miss getting to catch up with the current Women In Engineering students at WE20, I've managed to celebrate virtually with my roommate from Purdue AAE, Jamie Krakover, who also won the Emerging Leader Award just last year."
Ross, a member of SWE since 1993, has served in a variety of roles as part of the SWE Pacific Northwest Section, including section president, leadership coach, committee chair and SWE senator. In 2010, she received the Emerging Leader Award and became a life member the next year.
She received “Fellow Grade” for “an unwavering commitment to furthering STEM pursuits among girls and women; for contributions to engineering that elevate SWE’s mission; and for mentoring and inspiring women to become leaders and engineers.”
Ross and her husband Steve Montgomery (MSME ’96, PhD ME ’00) endowed the “Ross & Montgomery Excellence Scholarship” at Purdue in 2015 specifically for women pursuing degrees in aeronautics and astronautics or mechanical engineering. She was selected as an Outstanding Aerospace Engineer, the highest honor given by the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, in 2014 and has been a member of AAE’s Industrial Advisory Council since 2016.
“I am honored to be recognized by the Society of Women Engineers as a Fellow,” said configuration design engineer Ross, director of Blue Origin’s New Glenn System Definition and Design. “I’ve been a member of SWE since I was a student at Purdue. Over many years, the organization has provided me with valuable leadership experiences and opportunities to grow the engineering profession. It’s great to see Purdue so well represented among the SWE award recipients this year.”
Wiest, who joined Blue Origin in 2017 as a mechanical engineer, was selected for the SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award for “visionary leadership that directs SWE collegians through transformative change; for leading STEM outreach and mentoring young engineers; and for providing technical guidance to women in the space industry.”
Since joining SWE in 2007, Wiest has supported collegiate section and region leaders through training programs, mentoring and consulting sessions. She was elected chair of the leadership coaching committee (LCC) in 2016. Under Wiest’s leadership, the LCC reached more than 2,800 SWE members through more than 200 coaching sessions.
"I’m honored to be recognized by SWE for my early career technical performance as well as leadership within the Society," Wiest said. "A significant benefit of SWE is that students and new engineers have the opportunity to manage teams, develop strategic plans, improve processes and execute budgets before those opportunities may be available in their career. I’m grateful for the opportunities I have had through SWE to practice these skills.”