The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Affinity Groups (AG) are communities of individuals who share an identity, interests, and goals. These groups help build community, provide professional development opportunities, and empower and celebrate women from different paths of life.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Affinity Groups generally align with protected classes under a US Federal anti-discrimination law. These Affinity Groups focus on the needs of social minority populations and develop programs tailored to serve their respective communities.
The Business and Interests Affinity Groups are grassroots communities focused on social and networking opportunities around common interests. The focus of these Affinity Groups is loosely centered around the members’ business environment and experiences.
The Career Stages Affinity Groups represent members at different stages of their working life, from higher education to starting off in the workplace, and advancing from there. The focus of these Affinity Groups is centered around a particular career stage, and the groups are well positioned to mentor each other.
So far in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, four new Affinity Groups have been approved. This will bring the total number of AG’s to 21! These groups are all under the newly formed Affinity Group Committee and operate in workgroup structures within the committee. The work group categories are Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Affinity Groups, the Business and Interests (BI) Affinity Groups, and the Career Stages (CS) Affinity Groups.
SWE is proud to welcome the DisAbility Inclusion Affinity Group (DEI), the First-Generation Students and Professionals Affinity Group (CS), the Military & Veterans Affinity Group (DEI), and the SWE Athletes Affinity Group (BI). During this first year, these new Affinity Groups will be building their community, establishing their leadership teams, and refining their mission and goals. It is a perfect time to get involved.
DisAbility Inclusion Affinity Group
The DisAbility Inclusion Affinity Group was formed to build a supportive, safe community for differently abled/disabled engineers, caregivers, and allies to network and develop themselves professionally. A community that acknowledges the unique challenges related to having a disability (physical, developmental, invisible, and mental) or caring for loved ones while also being an engineer.
The DisAbility Inclusion Affinity Group seeks to connect members for the purpose of peer mentoring, professional development, and sharing of best practices relating to navigating a successful career as a disabled person, caregiver, or ally. This AG plans to connect members with similar backgrounds and interests for the purpose of promoting disability inclusion and to grow a community of engineers with disabilities and allies with the goal of empowering members, supporting them to be successful, and championing disability inclusion. For more information contact AG co-chairs Angelie Vincent and Yareni P Lara-Rodríguez at disabilityinclusion-ag@swe.org.
First-Generation Students and Professionals Affinity Group
The First-Generation Students and Professionals Affinity Group’s mission is to foster a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive culture for first-generation students and professionals within SWE that serves to spotlight the strengths that are developed through this background. The AG’s objective is to create an intergenerational support network for those who have the shared experience of forging their own path into the engineering profession without the advantage of familial guidance.
This AG will aid in the advancement and growth of students and professionals by establishing connections between SWE members who have learned how to navigate the university and industry pathways to be successful and share lessons learned. SWE members benefit from participating in an AG by being engaged and providing opportunities for peer-to-peer mentoring, future growth, networking, and leadership in both SWE and the workplace. The AG shall work to empower first-generation students and professionals within SWE from all geographic locations, cultures, environmental experiences, and career paths. For more information contact AG co-chairs Emily Spencer and Ivy Kwok at firstgen-ag@swe.org.
Military and Veterans Affinity Group
The Military and Veterans Affinity Group’s mission is to foster a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive community for active military service members and veterans, along with family members, within SWE. The AG will seek to create educational and networking opportunities for veterans and military membership in the STEM fields. The AG will look to promote development opportunities for women veterans and military members in engineering across socio-economic strata and occupational focus. The Military and Veterans Affinity mission is to illustrate the possibilities of greatness that already exists in our population and expand them on a collaborative scale for women of all ages in their confidence and abilities. The goal is to build a society that trains and fights for each other under the same ethos and logos is a society that stands firm in support of each other for this great nation. We dedicate ourselves to a strengthened vision of honesty and trust forged by an undeniable energy. For more information contact AG Chair Kassie Diaz at militaryveteran-ag@swe.org.
SWE Athletes Affinity Group
The SWE Athletes Affinity Group is open to all people who identify as an athlete and will aid in the empowerment of athletic women to achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders. This group will foster a community that empowers women in various professional and athletic stages, consistent with SWE’s core values of mutual support and professional excellence. This affinity group aims to empower and celebrate women from various athletic walks of life, provide a sense of inclusive community for members to discuss experiences in athletics and engineering, provide/receive support, mentorship, resources, professional & leadership development opportunities relevant to athleticism, and to provide a space for members to celebrate the accomplishments of athlete-engineers. The AG welcomes those who enjoy recreational athletic endeavors, such as yoga, casual weightlifting, and intramural sports, former athletes, as well as those who are interested providing support to athlete-engineers. For more information contact AG co-chairs Hailee Hoffman and Grace Vander Griend at athletes-ag@swe.org.
Get Involved and Learn More about SWE Affinity Groups
Opt In Lists
Please opt into the affinity group email distributions that you’re interested in by logging into your member profile at swe.org.
Affinity Group Website
The AGs now have a dedicated website! Visit the website to learn more about individual Affinity Groups, their leadership, and contact information.
New Affinity Group Ideas
Interested in forming a new Affinity Group? Look for the second FY23 application cycle opening soon. For more information and resources on forming a new affinity group, contact the Emerging and Proposed Affinity Group Lead, Monica Harrison, at affinitygroups@swe.org.
