Episode 159:
Katie Obbagy
Senior Specialist on the Technical Functional Excellence
Cummins Turbo Technologies
Katie Obbagy works for Cummins Turbo Technologies (CTT) as a Senior Specialist on the Technical Functional Excellence team in Indianapolis, Indiana. She works on implementing productivity projects for the technical section of Cummins’ turbochargers Components business and has been in this role for almost a year. Previously, Katie worked in CTT as a Systems Integration Engineer, working on turbochargers that went into new On-Highway diesel truck engines and current product support for Light Duty truck engines. She was responsible for validating and integrating products to meet customer requirements, ensuring key technologies are utilized effectively to meet reliability, durability, and performance targets.
Previous to Cummins, Katie worked for Rolls-Royce on the Fans and Compressors team designing the Fan Track Liner component for a small business jet application. Before that role, she worked on the Critical Parts Lifing team, a subgroup of the Stress Analysis group, which analyzes thermal creep, crack initiation, and propagation leading to Low Cycle Fatigue or High Cycle Fatigue. She published Rolls-Royce Technical Document Reports that were used to substantiate the declared lives of critical components, documents that were required by the FAA to ensure products meet all safety standards.
She has been an active member of SWE since 2010, holding various leadership roles while at the University of Dayton, including Social Chair, Mentor Chair, and President. When she moved to Indianapolis in 2015, she became involved in the Central Indiana Professional section (SWE-CI) and was appointed Professional Development chair. She was then elected as President of SWE-CI for SWE’s Fiscal year 2018 and has held the position ever since. She is active on the “Connect” Committee within Cummins’ SWE Council and is one of the Host Chairs on the Conference Advisory Board for WE21 in Indianapolis, a SWE Society level position. For her contributions in the Technical Field, in SWE, and in the community, Katie has won the following SWE awards: 2017 SWE-CI Most Improved Chair and Committee Excellence Award, the 2017 SWE-CI Inspiring New Face Award, the 2018, 2019, and 2021 SWE-CI Champion Member for Outstanding Leadership, and the 2021 WE Local New ELITE award.
She graduated in 2014 from the University of Dayton, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace. In her free time, Katie enjoys spending time with friends and family, spending time outdoors, crafting, and playing intramural sports.
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- How R&D Supports Inclusivity, Growth, and Opportunity for Women Engineers
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