society of women engineers tampa bay

I am very excited to be serving as president of the SWE Tampa Bay Area Section.
I served as VP of Outreach programs last year after moving here from Washington state.
I was so impressed by the energy of this growing section, that I wanted to get involved.

I first joined SWE in 1992 while living in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I was co-chair of the charter committee for the newly formed Pikes Peak Section. I served as President, Vice President and Scholarship chair during my tenure.

When I moved from Colorado Springs to Vancouver Washington in 1997, I joined the Columbia River Section, where I served as President, Vice President, Newsletter editor CSR rep. and was a member of the scholarship committee.

Whether it was in Colorado or Washington, enjoyed working with girls and encouraging them to consider careers in engineering. I would volunteer for Girl Scouts
Engineering days, science fairs, and host young women at the Engineers week Banquets. It was only natural then that I choose to work with the outreach program when I came to the Tampa Bay section and continue to do so this year.

I am originally from Lowell Massachusetts, where I graduated from Lowell Technological Institute (now University of Mass at Lowell) with a degree in Mathematics. I returned to school a few years later and studied Computer Science.
My professional career was spent primarily as a Software Engineer and Engineering Manager. I have worked for Litton Computer Services, Digital Equipment Corporation, MCI and Hewlett Packard. My earlier years were spent developing software for a variety of large scale software systems and more recently I worked as a Program Manager and Project Manager responsible for delivery of Printer Products for Hewlett Packard.

I took early retirement in April 2006 and live in Palm Harbor Florida. I am glad to be here and look forward to working with each of you this year.

Brooksie Barton

Vice President

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the Tampa Bay SWE chapter. I have recently discovered SWE. The women have been very welcoming and supportive and the events are just wonderful. I’ve found that SWE fuels my passion for sharing engineering with others. I encourage everyone to get involved, find your passion and always enjoy what you do!

I graduated from the University of Central Florida with my Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering. I am a licensed professional engineer and specialize in transportation design. I am currently Transportation Project Manager for Hamilton Engineering & Surveying, Inc. I joined the firm to start and grow a new traffic group.

I am also a member of the American Society of Engineers, Tampa Bay Institute of Transportation Engineers and founding member of Engineers Without Borders South-Central Florida Professionals chapter. I have volunteered and mentored for the Girl Scouts and the Future City competition. Being an engineer and mentor keep me busy, but family comes first. I am married and mother of 2 young boys. My family is one reason why work-life balance is so important to me.

I look forward to serving the Tampa Bay SWE chapter and meeting all of you.

Sandy Pettit, P.E.

Section Representative &Newsletter Editor

I am a charter member of the Tampa Bay Area Section. It was my distinct pleasure to serve as the founding president for the section in 2001. This year, we have several new members. It is great to see the section continue to grow.

I am a native Floridian and graduate of the University of South Florida in Chemical Engineering. I first joined SWE as a student member at USF in 1990. Since then, I have had the opportunity to attend a plethora of SWE events, conferences, and conventions. I have met several of the SWE founders (founded in 1950) and some of the most influential women in industry and government.

SWE has grown with me over the years and provided opportunities for leadership, professional and personal development, mentorship, and fellowship. In 2001, I was honored by SWE by being named one of five recipients of the National SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award.

Currently, I am a Project Manager for the Hillsborough County Public Works Depart. I manage Capital Improvement Projects in Transportation. Previously, I have worked in process design and plant operations for companies such as Procter & Gamble, TECO, and Jacobs Engineering.

I am a member of FES, APWA, and the USF Alumni Assoc. I volunteer for Mathcounts, Girl Scouts, and Career Guidance Programs. With my husband, Ron, I enjoy water activities, biking, fishing, and stunt kites.

Carissa Giblin

USF Councelor

Hello, fellow SWE members. Thank you for visiting our site to learn more about the Tampa Bay Area Section. Our goal is to meet your needs, whether it’s providing opportunities to encourage girls to pursue engineering, to build a professional network, or to develop personal and social support outside of work. We look forward to incorporating your ideas.

I do want to take this opportunity to tell you a little about myself and reflect on the part SWE has played in my life…

I have lived in several areas of Florida over the past 20 years and found the Tampa Bay Area to be the best combination of them all. I graduated from the University of South Florida with a Chemical Engineering degree in ’95 and an MBA in ’02. I joined SWE as a student member in 1992 when Sandy Pettit came to my orientation class selling the SWE student section's “Love an Engineer” buttons. From that point on, my development – professional and personal – excelled beyond my intentions!

Through my involvement in the local section and national committees, I developed my public speaking, organizational, and leadership skills in a way I wasn’t able to in school or work assignments. I gained knowledge and confidence in a supportive environment where I could make mistakes and take risks more easily – before I started my full-time job.

A desire to share that knowledge has me continuing my involvement today. I was reminded of just how little I knew as a recent graduate last week. A new female engineer at work thanked me for passing on an announcement about a financial seminar. She admitted to knowing very little about what a 401K is, never mind all the other investment decisions one has to make. The fascinating women I meet in SWE teach me to give back as well as receive.

I am currently the Safety/Utility Engineer for Mosaic's (formerly Cargill) phosphate processing plant located on the Alafia River. I am responsible for compliance to OSHA regulations of our ammonia process and efficient use of our resources. With my MBA experience, I also organize development of systematic plant-wide training programs - leadership, technical and systems.

I am a member of the USF Alumni Association. At work, I dedicate my extracurricular efforts to the unique Mosaic Coastal Education Center at Fiddler's Cove (hands-on learning for 4th graders) and Mosaic's Women's Council . I enjoy scuba diving, boating, reading, traveling, and listening to all kinds of music. I am very proud of my Engineers' Week involvement and the section collaborative effort put into the Kid-on-the-street video titled, "What is an Engineer?" It's an entertaining and informative presentation encouraging engineers to get the word out on engineering's impact on the quality of life.

Seung Yi Park, P.E.

Treasurer

I feel very honored to be given this opportunity to introduce myself to the Tampa Bay SWE community. I have been the SWE TBA Section Treasurer since our charter. I hold great pride in being a charter member of our section and it is great to see our section grow each year.

My experiences with SWE have been very educational. I always learn something new, even at our shortest meetings, and I truly love that about our organization. For example, I thoroughly enjoyed being a coach for our First Lego League team (http://www.firstlegoleague.org) in 2001. SWE TBA sponsored a robotics team of all girls from the Pinellas County Youth Engineering Society to participate in the First Lego League. Our challenge was to build a robot with Lego parts and program it to carry out the given challenge missions. When we first began, no one in our team, including myself, was familiar with robotics. However, we became a bit more familiar with the concept as the team met each week and practiced building the robot and programming various functions. Although the team did not win any local or state competitions, it was a great learning experience for the entire team. This is what I like about SWE!

I have been working for the same engineering consulting firm since my graduation from graduate school. I received my professional engineer license in January. In just over 4 years of professional experience, I have had great opportunities to work on various civil and environmental engineering projects ranging from stormwater drainage improvement design to reclaimed water master planning. It’s a bit challenging from time to time to balance family and work; but with the right attitude, a good set of priorities, and great family support (you really need this one), the balancing act can be handled. I thank my family for all their love and support, because without them, I would not have come this far.

Nowadays, my husband and I spend most of our time chasing our little angel of 15 months. We love to take short road trips and visit different parts of Florida. I believe our daughter inherited my curiosity and desire for exploring new horizons and I hope she will grow up with the same enthusiasm she now has for any and every object. Who knows, maybe she will become an engineer?

I would like to end with one of my favorite quotes from American Poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

I invite all of those who read this newsletter to come out and be a part of this organization! Let’s leave a trail!

Malika Risley

Webmaster

I am happy to see that our section is growing and the website is serving its purpose of informing and educating our local fellow engineers and the community. The year of ‘07-‘08 was a busy one for me, and I did not get a chance to participate in many of the activities offered by our local section. But since I am responsible for posting all of the events on the website, I am realizing, what a busy and productive year we had! It is wonderful to see that our section is growing steadily and that I get the opportunity to partake in this experience.
A little about myself. I am currently a stay-at-home mommy of a baby girl, Elyana, whom I had in December of ‘07. Up until about two years ago, I worked at the local phosphate company, Mosaic as a process engineer. I have a chemical engineering degree from University of South Florida in Tampa. My career took back seat after I had my baby. I do miss the social aspect of the working world, but family comes first at this stage of my life.
I am looking forward to a new year of opportunities and meeting new faces. Hope to see you all at our meetings!