President
Yadira Gilchrest
Yadira Gilchrest joined SWE in 2003 shortly after receiving the Helen Martha Sternberg Award at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport. Yadira has served several executive board and committee chair positions in the past including membership committee, secretary, treasurer and president. In her spare time Yadira enjoys reading, going to the beach and spending time with her family. She has two daughters and is the coleader for a local Girl Scout troop.
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Vice President, Prof. Development Chair
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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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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Treasurer
Donna Matthews
Donna Matthews is a charter member of SWE-NESS and is running for the position of Treasurer. 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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Communications Chair
Amanda Walsh
Amanda Walsh graduated from Tufts University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Ocean Engineering at the University of Rhode Island. Amanda works at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, RI as an analyst that models SONAR systems. In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time with friends going to restaurants or the beach, gardening, and cooking. Amanda is responsible for maintaining the SWE-NESS website and Facebook group.
Membership Chair
Alice Connelli
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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Outreach Chair
Jessica Petraitis
Jessica Petraitis has been an active SWE member for more than 11 years. She served as president of her collegiate SWE section at the University of Louisville, where she graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in bioengineering in 2016. After college, Jessica worked as a product development engineer on various medical devices at Becton Dickinson. She recently moved into a new role as a human factors engineer supporting dialysis software at Fresenius Medical Care. In her free time, Jessica enjoys reading, hiking, and playing tennis.
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Available Positions
Social Chair – Available
Fundraising Chair – Available
