Scope
We serve as an advisory board for the Bonita J. Campbell Endowment for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) that will help in guiding future and present women in career endeavors in the fields of engineering, math and science. This will be accomplished by serving as a communication central node to local, nationwide, and worldwide active organizations in these fields. We will act as an advisory committee to improve the understanding, appreciation, and recognition of Women’s contributions in these technical fields. We will support occupational growth of women within the math and science industries. We will provide advice on the expenditure of funds related to the endowment and in alignment with the goals. We look to maintain high levels of ethical, professional and educational standards with all those organizations seeking our guidance. – approved April 4, 2011
Advisory Board By-Laws (PDF)
Advisory Board, 2012-2013
- Laurene Abato-Earwood
- Susan Belgrad
- Sharon Cascadden
- Bonnie Campbell
- Jenniffer Coronado
- Ami Garcia
- Brenda Maldonado
- Susan McConnell
- Nancy McIntyre
- Kathleen Paulson
- Lilly Shraibati
- Mark Stover
- Marilee Wheaton, Chair of the Board
- Jackie Wollner
Board Member Biographies
Laurene Abato-Earwood
Laurene joined Xerox in 1985 in the Electronics Operations as Summer Intern. She started as Electronic Test Engineer in the circuit board development and later program management. She has had various positions in engineering, managing software, and product development. In her current position, she manages the program team delivering custom engineering solutions at Xerox Special Information Systems.
Laurene received her BS degree in Biological Sciences from Binghamton University in N.Y. and a Masters degree in Electronic Engineering from State University California at Northridge. She lives in Granada Hills with her husband, Jeff, and two children; Kurtis (19) and Tamara (16).
She is involved with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics working with middle and high school students building competitive robots. She mentors students in electronics, works as a referee at local and national competitions and is the Southern California Xerox lead for mentors and funding for 4 high school teams and 2 middle school teams. Laurene also works with engineering students at UCLA in resume critique and career fairs as well as participating as a club soccer team administrator.
Her hobbies include cooking, skiing, gardening, and camping.
Sharon Cascadden
Sharon Cascadden started at the Hughes Missile Systems division of Hughes Aircraft Company as a student engineer in 1979 before graduating from CSUN as a mechanical/materials science engineer in December 1980. In 1983 she transferred to Hughes Space and Communications Company where she became the top technical expert in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and damage assessment of communications satellite structures until her retirement in 1999. At CSUN she was active in the Society of Women Engineers as the charter president of SWE-CSUN, Tau Beta Pi and ASME. She is still a very active member of SWE-Los Angeles.
Susan McConnell
Susan McConnell has over 25 years experience in medical device development. She has worked in large and small medical device companies including Abbott, Boston Scientific, Siemens, MiniMed, and Medtronic. She has worked on the design, development and qualification of drug pumps, pacemakers, and hospital safety products. She holds several patents in the field. She received degrees in Materials Engineering and in Physics from the University of Utah and has an MBA in Technology Management. Susan is currently Research Manager at Medtronic Diabetes and President of MMA Inc an engineering consulting firm.
Nancy McIntyre
Nancy McIntyre is a high school science teacher at Chaminade College Preparatory and runs the Eagle Engineering robotics program. With a BS in Education from C W Post and a MA from Adelphi University in New York she has more than 20 years of teaching with most of it focused in biology and robotics. Nancy is a FIRST Robotics Senior Mentor and an event partner with VEX robotics who travels across the nation and around the world to help improve STEM education.
Kathleen Paulson
Kathleen Paulson received her BS in Biology in 1973 from Marietta College, and her BS in Engineering from California State University, Northridge in 1985. She has been a mechanical engineer for the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC) in Port Hueneme, CA since 1980. She has been involved in numerous environmental safety projects, such as the Navy’s Environmental Sustainability Development to Integration Program. She works with the NFESC’s Environmental Department as a climate change contact, and is a subject matter expert on industrial ventilation for NAVFAC (Naval Facilities Engineering Command). She is the recipient of the 2010 NFESC Engineer of the Year award.
Lilly Shraibati
Lilly graduated from CSUN with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of California and holds a Grade 3 Water Distribution Operator certificate with the California Department of Public Health. Lilly works for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, managing over 170 diverse group of engineering, technical, and administrative staff. Her other commitments include serving on the CSUN Industry Advisory Board for the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics and participating in events which encourage America’s youth to engage in the engineering field.
Marilee J. Wheaton
Marilee J. Wheaton is currently the Executive Director and General Manager of the Aerospace Institute at The Aerospace Corporation. The Institute serves as a focal point for coordination of all education, training, and staff development activities at the corporation. It also operates the Charles E. Lauritsen Library, responsible for information research and archive resources of the corporation, and manages The Aerospace Press, which publishes Aerospace-developed educational books and materials.
Marilee is a Fellow and Life Member of the Society of Women Engineers and an active member of the Los Angeles Section for 28 years. She is currently a SWE National Membership Committee member and Life Member Coordinator. Marilee was selected as a SWE Distinguished New Engineer in 1990, as a SWE Fellow in 2000, and she received a SWE Distinguished Service Award in 2010. In addition to her service to SWE, Marilee has made contributions to increasing the awareness of women in engineering through her participation and leadership in other professional societies.
She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a Fellow of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). Marilee has a B.A. magna cum laude in Mathematics and Spanish from California Lutheran University. She holds an M.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC). In addition, she is a graduate of the UCLA Executive Program in Management. Marilee is an adjunct associate professor in the Systems Architecting and Engineering Program at USC.
Jackie Wollner
Jackie Wollner has over 30 years experience working in the engineering environment. Her focus is in the fields of Business Management Systems, Reliability, Maintainability, System Safety, Human Factors, and Quality engineering. Her experience ranges from aerospace, to defense, to the food industry. Jackie has served on various industry boards and committees, and was the first woman to serve as the General Chairperson of the Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium. She is the Corporate Business Systems Integrity Manager for Moog, Inc., a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision control components and systems. Jackie participated in the Career Facilitation Program for Women in Engineering which was funded by the National Science Foundation, held at CSU Northridge. She has a Master’s Degree in Engineering, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, both from CSU Northridge.