The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) organizes multiple WE Local conferences globally every year, bringing together women with shared interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to learn from each other and build connections within their community.
Each WE Local offers multiple avenues for attendee interaction, including a career fair, networking opportunities, professional development sessions, memorable speakers, and a collegiate poster competition. Check out the winners of the 2025 WE Local Collegiate Competitions in this blog post.
In 2025, SWE held three WE Local conferences in the U.S: one each in San Jose, Calif.; Cherry Hill, N.J.; and Milwaukee. Unique to this year’s conferences were a panel discussion focused on the theme of Together We Rise and the SWE 75th anniversary traveling exhibit spotlighting the Society’s legacy of inspiring and empowering women engineers globally.
2025 WE Local San Jose: By the Numbers
From Feb. 28-March 1, more than 710 attendees gathered at the DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose for the first WE Local conference of the year. This conference welcomed the largest number of first-time attendees (73.2%) of all WE Local conferences organized this year.
While the largest proportion of attendees came from California (64.5%), the event had a vast reach from more than 32 states, including a sizable presence from Washington (6.34%) and Texas (4.96%).
Most conference-goers were students (65.7%), followed by individual contributors (11.4%), mid-level managers (3.2%), and technical specialists (3.2%). Computer science (17.5%) was the top-represented discipline, followed by mechanical engineering (15.2%).
Most WE Local registrants were currently pursuing an undergraduate technical or engineering degree (39.7%), with a smaller percentage having 1-5 years of experience (30.6%).
“The impressive number of women engineers on their path to obtain an engineering degree is uplifting!” — WE Local San Jose attendee
Marie Hattar, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Keysight Technologies, kicked off the event with her opening keynote “The Power of Progress: Megatrends Shaping Technology and Society.
Ucheonye Maple, president at Noteworthy Consulting, gave a talk titled “Engineering Resilience: Turning Your Career Journey into a Blueprint for Breakthrough Growth” to close out the conference.
WE Local San Jose included 16 partner organizations and 24 speakers who shared on a variety of topics in engineering, leadership, and career development. You can see photos from WE Local San Jose in our Flickr album.
2025 WE Local Cherry Hill: By the Numbers
On March 7-8, more than 690 attendees gathered at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cherry Hill Philadelphia for the WE Local Cherry Hill Conference. Of the U.S. conferences, WE Local Cherry Hill garnered the largest overall reach with more than 36 states represented.
Though most attendees were from New Jersey (21.26%), a fair number of attendees came from Pennsylvania (17%) and New York (13.07%). With regard to industry segments, the highest segment identified was biomedical engineers (35.3%), followed by chemical engineers (27.1%).
Most conference attendees were students (52.3%). A smaller group represented individual contributors (15.9%), followed by technical specialists (6.7%) and senior technical specialists (5.8%).
Most registrants were pursuing undergraduate technical or engineering degrees (33.4%), followed by those with 1-5 years of experience (30.3%) and those with 11-15 years of experience comprising 9.8%.
“I was able to network with people with similar career interests as me. I am expecting to go into a nontraditional career, so this was unexpected but exciting!” — WE Local Cherry Hill attendee
Keynote speakers at WE Local Cherry Hill included Dr. Maria Klawe, president at Math for America, who presented on “Getting More Women into Tech Careers and Why It Matters.”
Lori McDowell, Ph.D., CEO at Reimagine U Strategies, brought the conference to a close with her keynote address “From Limiting Beliefs to Limitless Possibilities: Engineering Your Best Life.”
The conference featured 17 partnering organizations and 19 educational sessions that enhanced the development of students and professionals in STEM. To relive the action, explore our WE Local Cherry Hill photo album on Flickr.
2025 WE Local Milwaukee: By the Numbers
From March 14-15, more than 520 attendees came together at the Milwaukee Marriott West for WE Local Milwaukee. Most attendees were local to Wisconsin (42.14%). Individuals from more than 33 states participated in the action, including Illinois (12.26%) and Michigan (9%).
Students comprised the largest category of attendees (38.2%), while individual contributors represented the second-largest group (23.9%). Most attendees had 1-5 years of experience (30.5%), with a smaller percentage (23.4%) pursuing undergraduate tech or engineering degrees.
Electrical/electronic engineering led with the highest representation among engineering disciplines (25.1%). The next two most common disciplines represented were computer science (23.4%) and chemical engineering (20.4%).
“Talking with women engineers in various disciplines, companies, and at different stages of their careers, from collegiate to retired. It’s truly a great exposure to see them all.” — WE Local Milwaukee attendee
Paula Davis Lampley, Esq. BSEE, professional development director at University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science, inspired attendees with her opening keynote “Bloom Where You Are Planted.”
To close the event, Cindy Hoover, president at Cindy Hoover Consulting, presented on “Forge Your Own Path: Navigating Career Success on Your Terms” in her keynote address.
This conference included 22 partner organizations and 21 sessions on a variety of topics to support learning and professional development for women in engineering. You can see photos from WE Local Milwaukee in our Flickr album.
Want to join SWE at our next WE Local conference? Visit the WE Local website to find updates on future WE Local conferences, including the dates and locations for 2026!
Or join us for WE25, our annual conference, in New Orleans this October.
