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About SWE

For more than seven decades, SWE has given women engineers a unique place and voice within the engineering industry. Our organization is centered around a passion for our members’ success and continues to evolve with the challenges and opportunities reflected in today’s exciting engineering and technology specialties. We invite you to explore the values, principles, and priorities that guide our initiatives and learn how together, WE can continue to make a lasting impact on the future. Explore our About SWE mobile course within the Advance Learning Center. The course will provide a more in-depth description of SWE’s mission, vision, and strategic goals and provide an overview of SWE’s key programs and member benefits.

Empower women to achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders; expand the image of the engineering and technology professions as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity and inclusion.

A world with gender parity and equality in engineering and technology.

Integrity
We aspire to the highest level of ethical behavior as evidenced by honesty and dignity within our personal and professional relationships and responsibilities.

Inclusive Environment
We embrace diversity in its broadest interpretation and commit to creating an inclusive environment for all our members and stakeholders. We value the contributions of a diverse membership, which enables SWE to achieve its full potential.

Mutual Support
We provide an organization that fosters mentoring and the development of professional and personal networks.

Professional Excellence 
We professionally conduct our activities, demonstrating and demanding the highest standards of business practices.

Trust 
We share a common definition of success with open, transparent access to information, building mutual respect and confidence in the abilities of those with whom we lead, serve, and partner.

Overview
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is a not-for-profit educational and service organization that empowers women to succeed and advance in engineering and be recognized for their life-changing contributions as engineers and leaders. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career for women through an exciting array of training and development programs, networking opportunities, scholarships alongside outreach and advocacy activities.

Founded
1950

Objectives
Goal 1:
 Professional excellence – SWE will develop women engineers at all stages of their personal and professional lives.

Goal 2: Globalization – SWE will be recognized as a global, inclusive organization that promotes diversity and inclusion and serves women engineers wherever they are.

Goal 3: Advocacy – SWE will advocate for the inclusion and success of women, both present and prospective, in engineering and technology.

Goal 4: SWE will champion diversity in the engineering and technology professions and promote an inclusive environment.

Members
Over 40,000 individual members who are collegiates and professionals.

Levels
SWE has over 300 collegiate member sections and 100 professional member sections.

1950SWE was formed; Dr. Beatrice Hicks was elected as the society’s first president.
1951SWE holds its first annual National Convention in New York City.
1951The Journal of the Society of Women Engineers is published.
1952SWE becomes incorporated as a non-profit educational service organization.
1953SWE becomes truly “national,” as the Los Angeles section is chartered.
1956A Board of Trustees is established.
1983The executive director position is created.
1983The Board of Directors is re-established.
1994SWE enters the public policy arena.
2000SWE celebrates 50 years.
2003The Corporate Partnership Council is formed.
2005SWE joins a coalition formed by MentorNET to raise awareness of the issues of women in STEM.
2006SWE makes strides in policy by co-issuing the position paper, SWE General Position Statement on Science. Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education and the Need for a U.S. Technologically-Literate Work Force
2006SWE sponsors EWeek.
2006A new outreach program, Aspire, is launched.
2008WE08 Annual Conference breaks attendance records.
2010SWE celebrates 60 years of success with SWE60.
2015SWE hosts the largest Annual Conference to date, with 8,000+ attendees in Nashville.
  • SWE will raise awareness of the transformative work engineers engage in, provide solutions to problems, and improve the quality of life.
  • SWE will be a prime facilitator for creating personal relationships, support systems, and networking between women in engineering and technology. SWE’s global network of professional and collegiate members can share best practices and new technologies and bring awareness to issues that affect women and the engineering profession.
  • SWE members will show women and girls of all ages that engineers work to solve real-world problems and improve the quality of life. By demonstrating the impact that engineering can have on lives around the globe, engineering will be seen as a top choice of education and an attractive profession for women.
  • SWE will be recognized for building leadership skills, providing leadership experience, and creating opportunities for exposure to top industrial and educational leaders for both collegiate and professional members. The engineering profession will routinely value SWE to provide influential leaders and contributors, and women will be recognized for their contributions to their schools and workplaces.
  • SWE will be a driving force for promoting a diverse workforce and inclusion of all, not limited to engineers. SWE will actively work to create a community where the profession welcomes and respects individual, personal, and career choices among all cultures.

Advocacy & Collaboration
Goal 1:
SWE will expand access for, and strengthen the inclusion and retention of, girls and women in engineering and technology.

Strategic Objective: FY23-FY27

  • Strategic Objective 1.1 – Spark and preserve primary, secondary, and post-secondary students’ interest in engineering and technology.
  • Strategic Objective 1.2 – Advocate with employers, educational institutions, and policymakers for full inclusion of women and their intersectionality. 
  • Strategic Objective 1.3 – Drive transformational change to remove systemic barriers to the recruitment, retention, re-entry, and advancement of women in engineering and technology.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging:
Goal 2:
SWE will champion intersectional diversity within engineering and technology and model an inclusive and equitable environment.

Strategic Objective: FY23-FY27

  • Strategic Objective 2.1 – Foster an inclusive culture across the Society so that all within the SWE community experience a sense of belonging.
  • Strategic Objective 2.2 – Ensure multifaceted representation at all leadership levels through intentional efforts to diversify SWE’s leadership pipeline and membership.
  • Strategic Objective 2.3 – Equitably serve all members through continuous monitoring and enhancement of SWE’s programs and resources.

Global Community:
Goal 3:
SWE will be a global, inclusive community, empowering women in engineering and technology from all locations and life stages.

Strategic Objective: FY23-FY27

  • Strategic Objective 3.1 – Activate the SWE community to drive member connections, providing support and opportunities across the globe.
  • Strategic Objective 3.2 – Provide valuable shared SWE experiences that offer personalized journeys and embrace local needs and cultural differences.
  • Strategic Objective 3.3 – Foster partnerships around the world with organizations that align with SWE’s mission to build engagement, grow membership, and increase sponsorship.

Growth & Excellence:
Goal 4:
SWE will be the global authority on and a resource for women in and aspiring to careers in engineering and technology to develop their talents, personally define success, and achieve excellence throughout their life journeys.

Strategic Objective: FY23-FY27

  • Strategic Objective 4.1 – Expand visibility of opportunities for women in engineering and technology by creating and nurturing robust networks and providing accessible entry points to adaptable career options.
  • Strategic Objective 4.2 – Support women throughout their individual journeys by developing and offering innovative and locally-tailored resources and leadership opportunities.
  • Strategic Objective 4.3 – Drive change by conducting, leveraging, and disseminating original research and by curating geographically diverse expertise on women in engineering and technology.

For professionals: SWE provides to its members a unique combination of personalized, flexible benefits in the areas of mentoring, training, personal and professional growth – all by women in engineering and for women in engineering.

For collegiates: SWE provides collegiate members with the opportunity to inspire future generations and to have fun. SWE also provides collegiate members valuable access to a unique set of resources that sets the stage for a successful career.

For employers: SWE helps the engineering profession achieve a broadly diverse, well-trained workforce to enhance overall workplace performance.

SWE provides many flexible options for the profession to inspire, support, and positively impact women in engineering on their own terms.

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) values diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential to our mission. SWE believes in a world where equal opportunities and equitable outcomes exist for all.

As the leading voice of women in engineering and technology around the world, it is critical for SWE to be explicit in our support for and work toward these ideals. We acknowledge that obstacles, such as bias and discrimination related to gender and race, have resulted in limited and unequal career opportunities in engineering and technology.

SWE recognizes and values the intersections of our members’ unique characteristics including, but not limited to: ethnicity, race, culture; sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression; age; differences in ability; immigration status, nationality, national origin; education; socio-economic status; family structure; military/veteran status; religious/non-religious beliefs.

SWE respects that gender is a continuum. Everyone is welcome to join SWE as a member. Our programs are focused on those who want to be in a woman-oriented space, and we welcome individuals who identify as non-binary or gender expansive who are comfortable in such an environment.

SWE will uphold its core values, including our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. These values will be reflected in the engagement of SWE members individually with their communities. SWE and its members are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, to ensure every member feels a sense of belonging.