The Power (and Poison) of Yes
Date and Time
Date: Thu, May 14, 2020 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM EDT
Join SWE Boston and MITRE for a virtual Professional Development event featuring a series of lightning talks on the Power and Poison of Yes.
Women regularly underestimate their technical ability and qualifications. Climbing the career ladder means taking on new challenges, but there are also plenty of opportunities to pass on. Some opportunities get in the way of our desired career path, especially if our desired path goes against gendered norms. Women are seen as gregarious, good communicators and coordinators, and are thus given and expected to take on roles that demonstrate those strengths. This can sometimes burden women with extracurricular responsibilities at the expense of growing in technical depth or as leaders. Successful career growth involves understanding when to say no, when to delegate tasks, and when to take risks on new roles. When does “yes” hurt you and when does “yes” lead to opportunities that help you thrive?
Agenda
- 3:30 - 3:40 - Event Sign On
- 3:40 - 3:50 - SWE Introduction and Opening Remarks
- 3:50 - 4:00 - MITRE Introduction
- 4:00 - 4:35 - Lightning Talks
- 4:35 - 4:50 - Question and Answer Session
- 4:50 - 5:00 - Closing Remarks
Our Speakers
Sarah MacConduibh, SJSM LLC, Owner:
Sarah MacConduibh is a business owner with over 38 years of experience in national defense and systems thinking. She began her career as an officer of the US Air Force, serving in the MILSTAR Air Force Command and as a manager in Advanced Projects. Sarah joined MITRE as a systems engineers, and quickly gained leadership positions. In 2006, she became the Director of Integrations for Joint Networks. In this role, she established and led MITRE’s Operations Without Space initiative, examining how warfighters can successfully operate through degradation or denial of space-based services. In 2009, she entered the role of MITRE Technical Director for the USAF Electronics Systems Center Engineering Office. Here she was responsible for strategic technical planning, technical oversight of over 200 programs, and leading the evolution of both traditional systems engineering and enterprise systems engineering. Sarah’s final role at MITRE was as the Vice President of the Air Force Portfolio, beginning in 2011. She was responsible for development and execution of a work program that accounts for approximately 20% of MITRE’s business. Currently, Sarah works at her business, SJSM LLC, a consulting company in leadership and National Defense.
Jessica Yu, MITRE, Lead Human Factors Engineer:
Jessica Yu is a Lead Human Factors Engineer and the Human Systems Integration and User Centered Services Technical Service Lead in the Human Systems Integration, Visualization, and Decision Support department at the MITRE Corporation. Working across military and treasury domains, she has experience developing and executing user experience strategies to maximize usability impact while working with developers to create software prototypes. Jessica’s research includes designing and facilitating user studies and experiments to provide insight into users’ mental models while testing and evaluating tools. Jessica earned both a MS in Human Factors in Information Design and an MBA with a concentration in Global Business and Markets from Bentley University. She also holds a BA of Business Administration in Management from University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Alison Neu, MITRE, Department Head, Nuclear Planning and Decision Making Department:
Alison Neu is the Department Head for the Nuclear Planning and Decision Making department at MITRE. In this role she is responsible for maintaining and developing expertise in these areas. She started at MITRE as an intern working on radars and focused on that area for several years before moving to the nuclear portfolio 2 years ago. She’s worked on both project manage and the resource management throughout her career at MITRE. Alison earned her M.S. in Systems Engineering and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Stephanie Turner, MITRE, Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity, and Social Innovation:
Stephanie Turner is Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity, and Social Innovation at MITRE. In this role, she works collaboratively to develop and drive inclusion and diversity strategy within the company, oversee talent acquisition, and establish a new function for social innovation programs, including corporate social responsibility. Under her leadership, MITRE will maximize relationships with external organizations whose perspectives are important in shaping our national social landscape, with an initial focus on STEM education in underserved communities. Turner has spent two decades championing diversity and inclusion. She brings leadership experience in strategic planning, professional development, process improvement, talent acquisition, multicultural marketing, and employee engagement for global brands. She sits on the advisory board for Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership. Turner earned her M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her B.A. in economics from Spelman College.
About the Sponsor
The MITRE Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that operates research and development centers sponsored by the federal government. Our centers support our sponsors with scientific research and analysis, development and acquisition, and systems engineering and integration. We also have an independent research program that explores new and expanded uses of technologies to meet our sponsors' needs. Our principal locations are in Bedford, MA, and McLean, VA. To learn more, visit www.mitre.org
Contact Us
Follow SWE Boston on social media
Advertisement
SWE News