President
Cary Kaczowka
Cary Kaczowka is a program manager at Regent Craft Inc, developing the world’s first seaglider. She previously worked at Raytheon Technologies after spending a decade in aerospace in Seattle, WA. She has a background in Mechanical Engineering and Design, Innovation & Society from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as well as an MS in Materials Engineering from the University of Southern California. In addition to her SWE involvement, Cary spends much of her free time racing, cruising, and maintaining her sailboat, as well as outdoor adventuring with her husband Jeff. In the winter she can be found teaching women’s engine and marine diesel courses.
[Check out her personal page here.]
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Vice President
Cary Kaczowka
Alice Connelli graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical and mechanical engineering. She has been an active SWE member since her collegiate years and currently works at Becton Dickinson as a product development engineer supporting the development of soft tissue implants. In her free time, Alice enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time outdoors with her black lab.
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Treasurer
Donna Matthews
Donna Matthews is a charter member of SWE-NESS. She has held positions in SWE-NESS for 36 years including President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chair and Archives Chair. She took a “short” break for 7 years to serve as the Committee Chair for her sons’ Boy Scout Troop then returned to SWE-NESS to serve as the Treasurer in FY19 – FY25. Donna retired as a mechanical engineer from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport after 34 years, serving as a supervisor for the last 6+ years. She used many lessons learned in leadership from SWE-NESS in her professional career. Since retiring, Donna has traveled, skied mid-week, gardened, coordinates 2 SWE-NESS outreach programs, is the volunteer coordinator for her church festival, is a board member of the Aquidneck Food Pantry. She is also the proud mom of two successful men.
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Secretary
Christina Hayes
Christina Hayes graduated from the University of Rhode Island International Engineering Program in 2014 with bachelor’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering and German. She currently works at Becton Dickinson as a quality engineer supporting the development of surgical mesh and fixation products. She was an active Girl Scout growing up, and now enjoys camping and hiking with her son, husband and German Shepherd.
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Membership Chair
Zoe Schwartz
Zoe Schwartz graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor’s of Mechanical Engineering in 2019 and a Master’s of Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2022. She has been actively involved in STEM Outreach since college. She is currently a repair development engineer for jet engines at GE Aerospace. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cycling, Pilates, building with LEGO, and hanging out with her cats.
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Professional Development Chair
Ummu Akin
Ummu Akin is a Cost Engineer at Hasbro Inc, working on fan favorite brands such as NERF, Peppa Pig, and Nano-mals. She graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2020 with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Communications. She has been a member of SWE since her freshman year of college and served on her collegiate E-Board as Outreach Director. When she’s not working, Ummu spends her free time attending musicals and concerts, baking new recipes, and reading for her book club.
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Available Positions
Communications Chair – Available
As communications chair, you would be joining a collaborative, fun team and responsible for our section’s newsletter, website, and social media communications.
Outreach Chair – Available
As outreach chair, you would be a central point of contact for our section’s thriving outreach activities. You would coordinate with other volunteers from our section to ensure scheduling and volunteer calls for participation is aligned, and would have the creative freedom to adopt and adapt outreach events to suit our local community needs.
Please reach out to pres@sweness.org if you are interested in learning more for any open positions, or if you would like to offer your time and talents in another form.