Strengthening Our Future: The SWE Group Alignment Initiative

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is growing!

We now serve over 50,000 members worldwide, and members have access to expanded networks and knowledge sources to advance the Society’s mission. This growth requires continuous evaluation and evolution of our leadership structure to better serve our global community.

The FY25 Board of Directors (BOD) launched the SWE Group Alignment Initiative, a key step in implementing the FY25 Operational Plan and fulfilling the strategic vision established in FY24. This initiative is a collaborative effort between the SWE BOD, Senate, Committees/Groups, Board of Trustees (BOT), and HQ, which enables us to gather input and achieve alignment among all stakeholders.

This evolved leadership structure will enhance agility, increase volunteer engagement, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of our Society.

Key Objectives and Process

The thoughtful assessment and restructuring of Society committees and groups will provide increasingly meaningful volunteer leadership experiences and positions within the Society for future growth with a greater ability to adapt to environmental and other challenges that may arise.

To achieve this, the BOD engaged in monthly meetings with SWE Committee and Group Leadership, gathering many valuable insights along the way. This included a working session held at the WE24 Committee Meetup last October where over 160 SWE members, including key committee and group leaders, participated in collaborative discussions on our future governance structure.

These conversations have continued with all SWE committees, and group leadership offered multiple forums and avenues to submit feedback on the future SWE structure and ensure we align teams best to continue delivering critical functions and tasks. The BOD also engaged a change management expert to help guide the work and leverage governance best practices.

Throughout FY25, an iterative process was utilized in developing the new structure. The BOD started with a baseline framework, gathering information from Society committees and groups through various feedback channels, continuing to evolve the structure by making small changes and then reflecting on the impact of that modification.

The aim was to consider the needs of SWE’s members and stakeholders and reduce complexity by strategically aligning groups without the constraints of the existing organizational boundaries. With this vision in mind, the focus has been on establishing a flexible structure to adapt and accommodate new needs over time.

The key was not to make a massive one-time change, but commit to a vision, put it in operation, and add more elements a bit at a time. This change method will continue to be used in launching the final structure and will include a high-level view through detailed, granular layers.

Why This Matters Now

As our global presence grows, so do the demands and challenges of leading a global professional society. The current governance structure, while historically effective, is very US-centric and does not provide the flexibility and responsiveness needed in today’s rapidly changing environment.

A critical aspect of this initiative includes bylaws amendment proposals, some of which have already been submitted to the Society Secretary and Bylaws Chair. These changes will help transition SWE into a more sustainable and high-performing leadership model.

There is never a perfect time to make a change. All structural changes impact current and future volunteer leaders. We have been intentional in our planning and have been working to ensure all FY25 chair-elects and FY26 elected leaders will have a role. They will continue to play a key role in this transition, ensuring a smooth and effective implementation.

What’s Changing?

The most significant change in the future structure is the grouping of SWE committees/groups model. We aim to provide meaningful volunteer experiences through continued long-term stability for mission-critical functions along with more dynamic opportunities to respond to the changing world around us — all while ensuring that SWE remains resilient and forward-thinking:

The BOD is committed to ensuring transparency, collaboration, and open communication throughout this transition. We will be keeping the SWE Group Alignment Initiative Update website up to date. Please provide feedback to the BOD through the townhalls, webinars (on April 15 and May 17), and this feedback form.

Looking Ahead

As this initiative moves forward, additional information will be provided to ensure all members understand the upcoming changes and how they can participate in shaping SWE’s future.

We encourage all members to stay engaged, share their feedback, and embrace this opportunity to build a more agile, inclusive, and impactful SWE.

Change is never easy, but with the collective support of our community, we can create stronger, functional teams into larger Directorates. The leaders of these Directorates will be responsible for fostering collaboration among the leaders of the functional teams and committees. This adds a new layer of leadership opportunities and requires a shift in calls for SWE group members and leaders.

The upcoming call for leadership that will be posted by the end of April 2025 will reflect these updates. Based on the information provided by the current SWE committees/groups, current tasks, functions, and goals are being evaluated and mapped into Working Groups to the larger Directorates, or Board Committees, or sunset.

Key Benefits of the SWE Group Alignment Initiative

The proposed changes bring numerous advantages, positioning SWE for long-term success:

• Improved society volunteer experience
• Stronger section and affiliate support
• Higher alignment to governance best practices

By shifting toward a more integrated leadership structure, we have a more connected SWE that continues to thrive for years to come. Stay tuned for further updates, and thank you for being part of this transformative journey!

Next Steps