On July 1, 2024, Karen Roth assumes the role of President of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), concluding Dr. Alexis McKittrick’s one-year term as SWE President.
In this episode, McKittrick sits down with Roth to pass the torch, offer words of advice, and share her favorite moments and memories of helping over 47,000 women in STEM “Live Without Limits” over the past year.
Roth discusses why she chose “Together We Rise” as her theme, reflects on what she’s most excited about for the year ahead, and shares the impact that SWE has had on her life, personal growth, and career.
Listen to the episode on SWE’s website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Speaker: Karen Roth, FY25 SWE President
Karen Roth is an experienced Department of Defense leader in cyber, artificial intelligence, and digital engineering. Roth has taken her proven skills in strategic thinking, communication, and partnership development to create a global ecosystem for the Air Force and to be a trusted fiduciary for the nonprofit boards she has served.
Roth is the Deputy Director of AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force. She leads the strategy and execution across the $1.3b portfolio through AFVentures, Spark, Prime, SpaceWERX, and the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, which serves to expand the defense industrial base for advanced technologies, empower Airmen and Guardian talent, and drive faster technology transfer to operational capability.
Roth has a zeal for supporting women in STEM. Her commitment has led to her participation on several not-for-profit boards, including the Society of Women Engineers, where she has served as treasurer and director of professional excellence. She also serves as an advocate for women in other organizations such as the Girls Scouts and the regional engineering executive council.
She holds an executive MBA from Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in systems engineering from Cornell University. She is currently completing an executive certificate in public leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
She serves SWE in a personal capacity and does not represent the U.S. Government or the U.S. Air Force in this role.
Speaker: Alexis McKittrick, FY24 SWE President
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!
