FY23 Section Election Guide - Candidate Bios and Statements

Hello Readers! The FY22 Nomination Committee is excited to present the following slate of candidates for consideration by the membership as SWE PNW officers for the FY23 fiscal year:

• President-Elect
• Secretary
• Treasurer-Elect

President-Elect Candidates

Tiffany Tang

Biography

Originally from Hawaii, I moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington (UW) where I received my B.S. and M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering. After graduating, I was lucky to stay in the Greater Seattle Area working in Redmond as a Systems Engineer for Honeywell’s avionics products. In 2021, I transitioned to a Process Engineering role at Crane Aerospace & Electronics that allows me to utilize my background in materials engineering more by working on new product development and sustaining materials and process issues.

I first became involved with SWE as a freshman at UW. I gradually became more and more involved over the years as I went from member to historian to Vice President of Member Relations. While in college, I was able to attend WE16 and the ABJ Leadership Summit in 2016. When I graduated from UW, I was lucky to find a strong SWE PNW community at Honeywell and became involved in the SWE PNW Chapter. I immediately became involved serving then leading the Nomination Committee (NomCom) in 2020 and 2021 (for FY21 and FY22 elections) and serving as Vice President of Social and Networking for FY22. I virtually attended WE21.

Candidate Statement

During my time in SWE PNW, I have met so many members from participating in online trivia night during the pandemic to hosting the Mariners Night back in April. Every time I attend a SWE PNW event, it makes me happy to be with inspiring people and drives me to invest more and more of my time back into SWE PNW. Having worked with multiple Presidents during my time with SWE PNW in my roles through NomCom and as Vice President of Social and Networking, I have seen how rewarding being President can be and want to experience the same role. These past few years during the pandemic, SWE PNW has continued to create a community and I want to use the next two years as President-Elect and President to continue to grow our member engagement and strengthen the bonds SWE PNW has created through community and member events. As President-Elect, I will be able to spend a year learning to be an effective President and will be able to start or re-start programs I am passionate about and see them through to fruition over the span of two fiscal years.

Outside of SWE PNW, I am involved in other professional and non-profit organizations in the community and continue to keep in touch with friends and colleagues I have met in school and in industry during my time in Washington. I have been able to use these connections to help schedule company tours for college students as an outreach event, fill conference panel seats, and hold joint group events. As President-Elect and eventually President, I hope to bridge my professional and personal interests with SWE PNW to create and re-establish connections SWE PNW has within the PNW community to spread SWE PNW’s mission, vision, and core values.

Secretary Candidates

Asa Reyes-Chavez

Biography

Hi, my name is Asa [she/her(s)]. I am a PNW-native and a first-generation Latina, with a low-income background, that graduated from Washington State University (WSU) in 2020 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. My current position is as a Water Solutions Engineer at Parametrix, Inc. where I switch hats between designing water/wastewater facilities, conveyance, and collection system and managing construction administration/services projects. 

I have been involved with SWE since my freshman year at WSU. It was a great support system that I grew more involved with throughout my undergraduate studies. I was an active member attending regular meetings, tabling events, and I served as the SWEster Mentoring Program coordinator for multiple terms which paired upperclassman with underclassman/transfer students. I led and served on several committees for our annual events such “Evening with Industry” and “Kids’ Science and Engineering Day” (for more information about these events, please visit https://swe.wsu.edu/). 

As a young professional and recent graduate, I am new to the PNW SWE chapter. So far, I’ve attended a virtual happy hour where I was able to meet some amazing people and I attended WE’21 virtually. Since then, I have been inspired to get more involved in this chapter.

Candidate Statement

SWE is such an amazing international organization and I align with similar core values that this organization holds. Having had such positive experience in my undergraduate studies, it led me to seek involvement post-graduation. It has been challenging to start my career in a virtual environment and I know other may feel that same. I am ready to get involved and continuing to empower and uplift others. 

I am a positive and driven individual is who is always equipped with a good meme, recipe, or book! I believe my skills and mindset make a good fit for this organization and chapter. I am interested in the Secretary position because I want to help this chapter continue to build a solid foundation to carry out the mission and vision of SWE as well as brainstorm new ways to recruit members and do more outreach with our communities.

I am also involved in multiple organizations within the water industry such as American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the local Water Environment Federation (WEF) chapter – Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association (PNCWA). I believe these organizations have the potential to be beneficial partners with SWE and vice versa. I was involved in many non-profit organizations throughout my studies that allowed me to learn and grow appreciation for various perspectives and experiences, which fed my passion for volunteering. I am looking forward to promoting the vision and goals of SWE using these experiences and connections through a position or membership within the chapter.

Treasurer-Elect Candidates

Lisa Wipplinger

Biography

Dr. Lisa Wipplinger, SE, LEED AP BD+C is an experienced creative engineer, educator, consultant, and leader with expertise in integrated design, mindful building, deep sustainability, and education. Her professional experience includes faculty positions at the United States Military Academy at West Point and Kansas State University, along with structural engineering consulting and design. She specializes in connecting the technical and non-technical and building profound resonance through inquiry and discovery. She is the founder and president of Savvy Structures Inc, executive director of the nonprofit Water Harmony Network and is currently a structural engineering project manager at Seattle Structural PS Inc.

Candidate Statement

I have recently returned to Seattle and am looking for ways to re-engage with the professional community here. I have a long history of supporting diversity and inclusiveness and promoting STEAM among women and girls. I have served has committee chair for Women’s History Month observance, faculty advisor for SWE at the US Military Academy at West Point and Kansas State University, Girl Scout Engineering Day volunteer, and Expanding Your Horizons panel expert. Encouraging, celebrating, supporting, and mentoring women in technical fields is one of my passions and I would be pleased to serve as PNW SWE Treasurer-elect in order to become more involved. Though I have held other leadership positions that included financial and budget management, I have not previously served as a Treasurer. I look forward to expanding my experience while supporting and learning from the Treasurer if elected to this position.