On this special episode of Diverse, Anne Perusek, Director of Editorial and Publications for the Society of Women Engineers, sits down with a group of women for a round table discussion focused on the SWE magazine article, “Leadership for a New Resiliance”.
The three guests are all leaders in their industry. They are Lauren Stevens, Vice President of Programs, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Anita Bestelmeyer Senior Director of Corporate Computer-Aided Engineering at Becton Dickinson and Company, and Luciana Taylor, Senior Director of Keysight’s Pathwave Software Solutions. They talk about how the pandemic forced them to adapt and evolve their leadership styles for the better.
Guests:
Lauren Stevens
Lauren Stevens is vice president of Strike Production Programs for Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, a premier provider of military aircraft, autonomous systems, aerospace structures and next generation solutions. In this role, Stevens is responsible for leading and integrating aircraft manufacturing and production operations in the Strike Division.
Previously, Stevens was the Palmdale site leader, a role in which she was responsible for enabling the on-time delivery of high-quality, affordable aeronautics products including the B-2 Spirit, F-35 subsystems, autonomous systems and special programs. Stevens’ career in the aerospace industry spans more than 25 years. Since joining Northrop Grumman in 1998, she has held roles of increasing responsibility, including leadership of the sector’s Production Engineering and Operations organization and portfolio, and vice president and program manager of Global Hawk. Stevens has also held leadership roles supporting the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and the B-2 Spirit.
Beyond her commitment to the warfighter, Stevens also supports a variety of organizations, including Executive Sponsor for both the Palmdale Chapter of the Northrop Grumman Women’s International Network (NGWIN) employee resource group and the Palmdale Northrop Grumman Recreation Club. Stevens’ also sits on the National Board of Directors for the Armed Services YMCA. Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.
Anita Bestelmeyer
Anita Bestelmeyer is the Senior Director of BD’s Corporate Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) group in Research Triangle Park, NC, at BD Technologies and Innovation (BDTI). The Corporate CAE group is the center of excellence in physics-based simulation and material characterization, advanced prototyping (3D printing), CT scanning & imaging, and exponential technologies (VR/AR/VR). The group’s mission is to deliver innovative, optimized, and robust products to market faster.
Anita started her career at BD in 1991 and has taken on increasing levels of responsibility during the last 30+ years. Anita is also the Program Lead for the Technology Leadership Development Program (TLDP), an R&D rotational leadership program for Ph.D. candidates. The TLDP mission is to create a rich pipeline of high-performing R&D leadership talent that provides BD with a competitive advantage to drive growth through technological innovation.
Luciana Taylor
Luciana Taylor is the Senior Director of Sales Development in the PathWave Software Solutions organization at Keysight Technologies. Luciana is based out of Keysight’s headquarters located in Santa Rosa, CA, and leads the global team responsible for customer success through Keysight’s software solutions. During the episode Luciana talks about her company’s program, #KeysightStrong.
Luciana has held multiple management positions over 20 years in custom logic analyzers and oscilloscopes, worldwide sales for microwave communication products, and most recently as the Senior Director of Americas Field Marketing. Originally from Brazil, Luciana holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Oregon State University and an MBA from the University of Colorado, in Colorado Springs. She is happily married to Eric Taylor and mom of two kids who love soccer.
Host: Anne Perusek
Anne Perusek is the director of editorial and publications for the Society of Women Engineers. She has extensive experience directing and executing the editorial mission and strategy in print and digital formats, having worked in association, business press, newspaper, and academic publishing environments. Prior to joining SWE, she worked as a freelancer, with the Society as one of her clients. She is responsible for all operations in creating and producing the five per year print and digital issues of SWE — the Society’s award-winning magazine —and other communications, including blogs related to magazine content, podcasts, special issues, and other projects.
Before joining SWE, Perusek was the managing editor of Ethos, Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology, a publication of the American Anthropological Association. She holds a B.A. in sociology/anthropology and a B.A. in art history from Hiram College. Perusek also undertook a nondegree graduate study in theater and modern dance at Case Western Reserve University. One of her favorite SWE moments occurred when she attended the landing of Solar Impulse 2, the completely solar-powered plane that journeyed worldwide.
