Central Florida SWE Executive Council FY2010

Officers

President - Laura J. Gimpelson

Laura Gimpelson holds Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, from Georgia Institute of Technology and has completed graduate course work in environmental engineering from the University of Houston. Laura has over 25 years of industrial, regulatory and consulting experience pertaining environmental compliance and remediation at chemical processing, refining and commercial facilities and remediation and construction sites Laura has provided project engineering and management services for 20 years at various Fortune 500 companies and consulting firms in Texas and Florida. Laura currently develops and implements compliance programs and remediation plans using sustainable processes and technologies. Laura prepared and implemented one of the first chemical oxidation remediation plans funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Preapproval Program.

Vice President - Annmarie Connor

Annmarie Connor is a System Design Engineer with United Space Alliance. Annmarie has received both her Bachelor and Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Central Florida. She has been an active member of SWE since 2000, holding various leadership roles, as a student and a professional. As a professional member of the Central Florida Section, Annmarie has coordinated all the SWE National Section Awards for 4 consecutive years, served as Section Representative in FY07 and FY08 and as Vice President in FY09. In addition to local commitments, she is the Society Committee Chair of the Awards & Recognition Committee, the Region D Awards Chair, and a member of the Region D Conference Planning Committee. As a member of the Executive Board for the past 3 years, Annmarie understands how the section operates, and as a National Committee Chair in SWE she has vast knowledge of the operations on the society level. As Vice President, Annmarie will be dedicated to upholding the values and goals of the section and providing leadership and visionary support to the Executive Board.

Treasurer - Jean Hill

Jean Hill is a NASA Safety and Reliability Engineer at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) where she is the point of contact for safety variances to NASA-wide standards and KSC-wide requirements documents. Ms. Hill also performs and reviews analyses on Explosive, Pyrotechnic, and Hypergolic Propellant Systems for the Space Shuttle, Ares I-X, and Constellation Programs. In her 12-year engineering career, Jean has also performed analyses for various missions, including the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-Ray Telescope. She has also performed analyses for Laser Safety and Reliability Engineering on various ground and air combat weapons. Jean is currently serving in her second term as Central Florida SWE's Membership Initiatives Director where she is responsible for both Membership and Awards. Being a firm believer in education and educational outreach opportunities for students of all ages, Jean freely volunteers her time to SWE, AIAA, FIRST Robotics, and NASA Speakers Bureau outreach events. Ms. Hill earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and her Master of Engineering degree in Space Operations from the University of Colorado.

Secretary - Gernai Bledsoe

Gernai Bledsoe currently works as a Systems Engineer for the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando, FL. She previously worked for the Warner Robins Air and Logistics Center in Warner Robins, GA as an Electronics Engineer in the Electronic Warfare division for software maintenance. She has also received a vast wealth of knowledge through co-operative education and internship positions while matriculating through college with the following companies: Microsoft Corporation, NASA Kennedy Space Center, The Applied Research Laboratory, and NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center. She received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee State University located in Nashville, TN in 2002. Two years later she received a M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Computers from Michigan State University. Finally, in 2007 Gernai received a dual Masters in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the areas of Aviation Management and Safety. Gernai is a member of the Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society and the Golden Key International Honor Society. She is a GEM Fellow Alumni. Gernai currently holds membership in the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Within the Central Georgia Chapter of NSBE, Gernai held the following offices: Programs Committee Member (2005-2006), Parliamentarian (2006-2007), and Treasurer (2007-2008). She is the current webmaster for the Central Florida SWE Chapter.

Section Representative - Migdalia Hernandez

Migdalia Hernandez has a Masters Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg VA. She currently works for the City of Sanford as a Water Resources Engineer. Ms. Hernandez is a certified facilitator for Franklin Covey Championing Diversity Course. This training is offered to government and private entities devoted to empowering people to become more effective in their personal; interpersonal; and organizational lives. During her professional career, Ms. Hernandez received in 2000 the “Employee Excellence Award” at the City of Casselberry while she was working as a Water Resources Manager. During her work at Fairfax County Water Authority in Virginia, she also received several recognitions for her dedication and commitment to water quality improvements including her support to Fort Belvoir, Army Department for their “Operation Water Clean” in 1995. She has published several papers on potable water quality improvements and surface water source protection at water resources and environmental journals. Ms. Hernandez has been a SWE member since October 2006. The City of Sanford was nominated by the Central Florida SWE Section, and awarded the 2008 E-Week “Outstanding Public Organization of the Year”. Ms. Hernandez serves as the FY09 Director of Education. She has assisted with the coordination of several SWE events such as fundraising for the 2008 Gala Event and 2009 SWEet College event at UCF. She is excited to continue her involvement as Section Representative.

Directors

Director - Diversity & Inclusion - Karla Moore

Dr. Karla Moore has been the instructor of record for the Quality Engineering, Reliability, Logistics, Technical Economic Analysis, and Technical and Analysis for Enterprise courses for the Engineering Technology Department at the University of Central Florida (UCF) since Fall 2004. She achieved her PhD in the Industrial Engineering and Management System Department at UCF in May 2008. She attained her MS in Industrial Engineering, Management Track at UCF (May, 2004), and her Bachelor Degree in Industrial Engineering at the UNEXPO University in Venezuela (August, 2001). She is the SAGE (Software Architecture for Government Efficiency) Coordinator and she is currently managing software development and business solution projects for local government entities. Her recent researches include business processes improvement in e-government, quality assurance practices in government entities, application of supply chain model in service organizations, and simulation. She is specialist in the Quality Assurance field, with certification in Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Metrology, Industrial Safety, Quality Systems, and Internal Auditor for ISO 9000.

Director – Education - Deb Hall

Since January of 2001, Dr. Hall has had the honor of teaching at Valencia Community College within the Division of Architecture, Engineering, and Technology. She has been teaching courses which fall under both Valencia’s Electronics Engineering Technology Associate in Science Degree Program and its Pre-Major Engineering Associate in Arts Degree Program. Prior to Valencia Community College, Dr. Hall was an electrical engineer for about seven years working with theme park ride and show control, electric vehicle battery testing, and solar power feasibility studies. She has earned both her Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Central Florida and she has earned her Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Director – Membership - Jen Vogel

Jen Vogel graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2008 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. Originally from Kansas City, she moved to Orlando in July 2008 to begin a job as a Logistics Coordinator with CHEP. Jen was an active member of the Notre Dame section of SWE and served as president during her senior year. This past year she served as Membership Chair for the Central Florida Professional Section. Jen is excited to continue her participation in the Society here in Orlando as Director of Membership Initiatives!

Director - Professional Development - Elaine Schomburg LaFleur

Elaine Schomburg LaFleur is a project management engineer at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and is Mechanical Engineer. She has a passion around learning and helping others develop the skills and talents to succeed personally and professionally. Ms Schomburg LaFleur looks forward to understanding the needs and desires of the group and setting up events to focus on these topics. Over the past year she has become more involved with Central Florida SWE, acting as the current Director of Professional Development. Ms Schomburg LaFleur is passionate that SWE not only works to encourage young women to pursue careers in science, but also encourages women in the work force to establish goals for and to attain high levels of educational and professional achievement. Outside of SWE she volunteers in several other organizations that are designed to pique the interest of children in science and technical studies/careers, such as eCybermission.

Committee Positions

Newsletter Editor – Kristen Porter

Community Service Project Coordinator – Jackqueline Karastamatis

Webmaster – Cheryl Maboudou-Tchao