ASEE WIED Election Results
Many congratulations to our newly elected officers!
Treasurer – Dr. Jena Asgarpoor
Affiliation: University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Dr. Jena Asgarpoor is Professor of Practice and Director for the Master of Engineering Management Program in the College of Engineering at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. She received her Ph. D. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering, specializing in Engineering Management, from Texas A&M University in College Station where she also had earned a B.A. in Political Science (Summa Cum Laude). Prior to UNL, she was a professor at Bellevue University for 26 years, where in 1994 she developed and taught the first fully web-based asynchronous online course offered by that institution. Her interests lie in engineering management, quality management, pedagogy, and assessment of teaching and learning, particularly in the online space. She has leadership experience in ASEE and the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM). Currently, she is completing a 5-year officer rotation for ASEE Engineering Management Division (EMD) serving as EMD’s Past Chair, has served as ASEE Engineering Leadership Development Division (LEAD) delegate to CDEI, and was the Chair of the ASEE Midwest Section in 2023. In recent years Dr. Asgarpoor has served as President of ASEM’s Council of Engineering Management Academic Leaders (CEMAL), and she is now the President of the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM).
Director: Awards – Yuchen Huang
Affiliation: Portland State University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Yuchen Huang – Two years ago, I decided to take a more active role in ASEE WIED, and over the past year, I have truly enjoyed serving on the ASEE WIED board. I am an Assistant Professor of Practice and Director of MS Graduate Program Track in Computer Architecture and Design in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Portland State University (PSU). Prior to joining PSU, I worked at Intel Corporation as a senior staff engineer, led key product developments and chaired cross-divisional engineering teams. I am currently serving as the Director: Positions for ASEE WIED Division. I truly enjoyed working with fellow WIED leadership teams and I find this work so meaningful! I hope to expand my service to ASEE WIED and make more impact to the division. I believe this position, along with my experience on the board, will help me grow in my role and effectively serve as the Director of Awards for WIED. I also hold a leadership role in the ASEE MULTI division, serving as the Director At-Large. I am the Faculty Advisor for PSU’s Society for Women organization. I want to continue serving on the WIED board because I want to promote women in engineering.
Director: Positions – Rebecca Essig
Affiliation: Purdue University Fort Wayne
Rebecca (Becca) Essig is an associate professor of first-year engineering and first-year engineering program coordinator at Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW). As a civil engineering student at Purdue University – West Lafayette (B.S. 2010, M.S. 2013, & Ph.D. 2016), Becca was an active member of the women in engineering community and has striven to provide similar opportunities for her own students. To encourage mentorship, leadership opportunities, and sense of community, she founded a PFW chapter of Phi Sigma Rho, a national sorority for women in engineering and engineering technology, and serves as its faculty advisor and alumna mentor. In 2019 she started the Future Girls of STEM summer camps to introduce elementary school girls to different types of engineering with hands-on activities led by local female practicing engineers. Her dedication was recognized by the KPC Influential Women award (2021) and the Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana – Michiana Outstanding Community Partner award (2022). She has been a member of and reviewer for ASEE since 2014 and is excited for the opportunity to get further involved in the WIED community with this role.
Director At Large – Dr. Kavitha Chandra
Affiliation: Francis College of Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Professor Kavitha Chandra currently serves as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. For over two decades she has developed initiatives and programs to promote the participation of women in engineering. She designed and directs the Research, Academics and Mentoring Pathways (RAMP) to Success summer bridge and academic program in the Francis College of Engineering. RAMP promotes the participation of young women who are beginning their engineering education with training in research, leadership and community engagement. The RAMP community currently includes 125 students, industry mentors from 20 technology companies and a high school network of 17 school districts all working on the mission of informing and engaging young people on the potential of engineering in their future. Dr. Chandra and her students are active in engineering education research having presented their work in ASEE conferences over the past five years.