About

Society of Women Engineers

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, 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. It consists of women and men who are graduate engineers as well as those with equivalent engineering experience and/or those interested in supporting SWE’s mission. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for their life changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders.

SWE originated when small groups of women engineers and women engineering students began meeting independently in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Nearly 50 women from these groups came together on May 27, 1950, in New Jersey at Green Engineering Camp of the Cooper Union and formed the Society of Women Engineers.

Rocky Mountain Section

The Denver Section of the Society of Women Engineers was chartered in 1954 and renamed the Rocky Mountain Section (RMS) in 1986.

In 1994, the Pikes Peak Section was chartered to serve the growing number of engineering professionals in the Colorado Springs and other communities in Southern Colorado.  The Pikes Peak and Rocky Mountain Sections work cooperatively to provide a variety of both continuing development and career guidance activities to members throughout the states of Colorado and Wyoming. 

SWE’s Mission

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.

• 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 females 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.

SWE’s Vision

SWE’s 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.

SWE’s Key Issues

• Leadership – Provide opportunities for members to develop leadership and management skills to enable them to achieve their maximum potential and further their ability to attain increasingly important positions of responsibility.
• Education – Provide programs to encourage girls and women to enter engineer and encourage members to attain high levels of achievement in their fields.
• Visibility – Increase visibility of SWE and its programs to members, the technical community and the general public.
• Diversity – Develop programs to encourage and sustain increase participation in the fields of science and engineering reflective of our diverse population.
• Resources – Increase the Society’s resources for the purpose of supporting high quality programs and services to meet its goals.

SWE Diversity Principles

At SWE, we acknowledge and respect the value of a diverse community. We recognize that the scope of diversity includes race/ethnicity, family status, age, physical abilities, sexual and affectional orientation, actual or perceived gender, gender identity and expression, socio-economic status and occupational focus. Our society will maintain an environment that is supportive of these elements, and we will promote inclusion within our organization and the engineering community.

We Commit to:

• Developing women in engineering across socio-economic strata and occupational focus.
• Encouraging the interest and active participation of women and girls of under-represented ethnic groups, including African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans.
• Providing support to women which acknowledges and respects differences in family status, sexual orientation, age, and physical abilities.
• We will ensure that all bylaws, policies and charters support SWE’s commitment to diversity. We will align with and participate in those activities and organizations that encourage all dimensions of diversity.

Consideration of these and other elements of diversity will guide the statements and activities of the Society. Nothing in this statement is intended or shall be construed to unlawfully deprive any person of his or her educational and employment opportunities, compensation and/or benefits.

Contact RMS

Electronic mail
swerms@gmail.com
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Mailing address
​Society of Women Engineers – Rocky Mountain Section*
1090 S Wadsworth Blvd Unit C-7201
Lakewood, CO 80226​

*Please address all mail to ​Society of Women Engineers – Rocky Mountain Section. Do not include a specific individual or group, as the mail may be returned to sender. Our Mailbox Chair will ensure that your mail is directed to the correct contact. 

For more information about the Society please visit www.swe.org or call (312) 596-5223.