Home » Scholarships » SWE Diverse Podcast Ep 269: Building Legacies, Changing Lives: Donor Perspectives on SWE’s Endowed Scholarship Program
Learn how endowed scholarships work and how they make an impact on the next generation of women engineers in this episode of Diverse!
Mary Zeis, SWENext coordinator for the SWE Pittsburgh Section, and Jessica Dresang, vice president & project manager with Carollo Engineers, share their personal motivations behind endowing scholarships with SWE in conversation with FY24 SWE President Alexis McKittrick.
Hear what differentiates an endowed scholarship from other forms of giving, how endowed scholarships work behind the scenes, and why they are an ideal option for those looking to leave a long-term legacy.
Listen to the episode on SWE’s website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.
To learn more about endowing scholarships through SWE, contact the Board of Trustees at endowedscholarships@swe.org. You can also find more information about how to donate to endowed scholarships on the SWE website.
Mary T. Zeis has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. She went up the management ladder at Procter & Gamble and was a research and development associate director before retiring after 31 years.
When Zeis retired, she transferred her passion and skills to SWE, with a focus on STEM outreach. She has participated in or led more than 100 STEM outreach events since retiring, and she has spoken to more than 1,800 parents, educators, and students about engineering as a good career choice.
She was chair of SWE’s Outreach Committee (FY16 and FY17) and was the inaugural chair of SWE’s SWENext Programs Committee (FY20). She is currently a leadership coach on SWE’s Leadership Coaching Committee and the SWENext coordinator for the Pittsburgh section. Zeis is a SWE Life Member and a SWE Fellow.
Jessica Dresang, PE, is a vice president and project manager with Carollo Engineers, Inc. developing innovative solutions for public and private water utilities.
She has been a proud member of Society of Women Engineers for over 25 years both at the collegiate level at the University of Arizona and professionally with SWE Phoenix engaging in various committees and board positions.
Dresang additionally serves on the Board of Directors for the Susan E. Stutz McDonald Memorial Scholarship Foundation where she worked collaboratively with the SWE Board of Trustees to establish a scholarship endowment focused on awarding aspiring environmental engineers.
Alexis McKittrick, Ph.D., a Society of Women Engineers 20-plus year and life member, has served as a volunteer leader in the organization for more than 15 years, holding roles that span all facets of the Society.
Prior to being elected president, Dr. McKittrick served as president-elect and spent two terms on SWE’s board of directors, including serving as secretary and leading the senate as speaker. Highlights from her other SWE leadership roles include chairing two committees; serving on two governance task forces; and serving as governor of the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Dr. McKittrick is currently a program manager in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office. She serves on the SWE board of directors in her personal capacity.
Prior to joining the DOE, Dr. McKittrick served as a senior researcher at the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., where she conducted nonpartisan research and analysis for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and various federal agencies.
She also worked in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Change Division, focusing on greenhouse gas analysis and policy for the oil and gas, chemicals, and semiconductor sectors.
Dr. McKittrick holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she was a Meyerhoff Scholar. In 2014, she was presented with the D.C. Council of Engineering and Architectural Societies’ Young Engineer of the Year Award and received SWE’s Emerging Leader Award in 2019.
Diverse: a SWE podcast has been recognized as a top women in STEM podcast and a top engineering podcast!
SWE Blog provides up-to-date information and news about the Society and how our members are making a difference every day. You’ll find stories about SWE members, engineering, technology, and other STEM-related topics.
All Together is the blog of the Society of Women Engineers. Find stories about SWE members, engineering, technology, and other STEM related topics. It’s up-to-date information and news about the Society and how our members are making a difference everyday.
© 2024 Society of Women Engineers
Session expired
Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
