Executive Council

RMS Executive Council

RMS is a professional section of the Society of Women Engineers, led by an Executive Council and Committees.

Elected leaders

RMS is led by eight
Executive Council members.

Rocky Mountain Section members elect 8 leadership positions annually. The election slate is presented by a Nominating Committee. These leaders serve from July 01 to June 30, aligning with SWE’s fiscal year. Executive Council leaders are required to be SWE RMS members in good standing.

Fiscal Year 2025 Executive Council:

Kaitlin Chapman

President

Kaitlin previously served RMS as Vice President, VP of Professional Excellence, and Secretary. She is actively involved in promoting diversity and inclusion at Medtronic, and formed and led an ERG, called SWEnet Colorado, dedicated to creating a community for female technical talent. Kaitlin is a Sr Test Engineer at Medtronic, a medical technology company, leading strategy and execution of verification testing of clinical software on navigation and robotic systems used to complete brain and spine surgeries. Kaitlin earned BS in Chemical and Biological Engineering and minor in Biomedical Engineering from the CU Boulder and an online MBA at LSU Shreveport. In her free time, Kaitlin enjoys spending time with her dog, Brinkley, going on hikes, and trying new recipes.

Position Description:
Represent the section before the public and preside at meetings of the section and its executive council; coordinate activities and execute the business and policies of the section between meetings; review and approve the year-end section report; provide oversight and guidance to the committee chairs, executive council, and membership as necessary; oversee section strategic planning and operational goals in line with SWE mission. Schedule and lead monthly Executive Council meetings.

Heather Munoz

Vice President

Position Description:
Assume all duties of the President if the President is temporarily unable to serve. Oversees committees focused on marketing and member communications such as the blog, email newsletter, social media platforms, and website. Assists in maintaining section procedures in accordance with the Bylaws and Section Agreement. Attend monthly Executive Council meetings.

Mindy Knuth

Secretary

Mindy joined SWE 5 years ago and served as RMS FY24 Secretary. She attended several Society annual conferences and participated in the senior professionals Collective Wisdom Group since 2020. Mindy is a Project Manager in the Nuclear Services and Technology (NST) Business Unit at Merrick & Company. She has over 17 years of experience designing, engineering, fabricating, and testing custom integrated mechanical systems in the nuclear, mining, and aerospace industries. Mindy attended University of Colorado in Boulder earning a BS in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Economics. She enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and 2 dogs. She enjoys summer days on the beach and is often found at Lake McConaughey in Nebraska.

Position Description:
Maintain the records of the section; communicate pertinent information to members via email; records, prepares and distributes the agenda and minutes from all meetings. Provide document control of Procedures, Guides, and any governing documents. Manage access to section accounts such as Google Drive and Slack. Provide oversight and guidance to the committee chairs as assigned. Perform other duties normally associated with the office of secretary or as may be assigned by the President, the Executive Council, or the governance documents. Attend monthly Executive Council meetings.

Ashley Pietz

Treasurer

Ashley joined SWE in college and is an active leader within the Society holding many leadership roles at the local, regional and Society level. Ashley has served as the RMS Treasurer and VP of Membership since joining the section in 2021. Much of her leadership has focused on mentoring, network building across industries and leadership development of women engineers from college through retirement. Ashley served as the RMS VP of Membership for the past two years. Ashley is a Systems Engineering Senior Manager at BAE Systems. She has over 18 years of experience in the Aerospace industry in systems and materials engineering.

Position Description:
Responsible for collection, distribution, and safekeeping of section funds; prepare, maintain, and report as directed on the financial position of the section in relation to the approved budget; submit a financial report to the Society; ensure forms are filed as necessary with the IRS. Oversee committees focused on financial distribution or fund development; coordinate efforts for increasing corporate partnerships. Attend monthly Executive Council meetings and present monthly Treasurer’s reports.

Geya Kairamkonda

Vice President of Collegiate Engagement

Geya found her SWE community back in freshman year of college at University of Colorado at Boulder where she felt like she belonged, where she could grow professionally and personally. Throughout college, she held several officer positions, including Historian, Director of Events and Vice President. After graduation, she moved to Washington state where she was involved with SWE Pacific Northwest (PNW). She was the Director of Outreach where she coordinated outreach events with local Girl Scouts troops, as well as schools around the area. It was important to her to engage with under-resourced communities, and she made it a point to work with community colleges. Her leadership style is based in collaboration, open communication, and kindness.

Position Description:
This VP will work to strengthen the relationship between the SWE Rocky Mountain Section and local SWE collegiate sections. Plan combined collegiate/professional networking events, support collegiate mentoring programs by advertising and soliciting volunteer mentors, and assist in coordinating with the collegiate sections. Oversee committees that are focused on collegiate outreach/professional development events such as joint Collegiate/Professional Enrichment Talks, Gear Up Collegiate Partnered Series, RMS Scholarship program, and planning co-hosted mini-conferences. Attend monthly Executive Council meetings.

Shannon McAvoy

Vice President of Membership

Shannon served SWE as a mentor for the University of Colorado at Boulder Section and as RMS SWENext Co-Chair. Shannon is the Technical Sales Manager for ReNu Technologies and is responsible for the technical evaluations for air-cooled heat exchanger (fin-fan) cleanings and customer engagement. This includes KPI reporting, data analysis/ reconciliation, and economic value. Previously Shannon worked in the downstream oil and gas industry as a Process Engineer, Process Safety Engineer, and Hydrogen Catalyst Technical Engineer. Shannon has a BS in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. Outside of work, Shannon volunteers on the FAST (Fearful, Anxious, and Shy Team) with the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies.

Position Description:
The VP of Membership will encourage growth of the section by welcoming new members quarterly, encouraging current members to keep their membership active, and planning member-only events. Oversee member focused committees, such as Awards, Local Socials, various discussion clubs, and other member benefits. Plan annual section awards event honoring section award winners, scholarship recipients, and Essay contest winners. Attend monthly Executive Council meetings.

Sara Ellis

Vice President of Outreach

Sara has been involved in RMS for 15 years. She served as Essay Contest Chair from 2013-2020, during which time the program was recognized with Region i and WE Local outreach awards. Sara enjoys supporting a variety of RMS outreach activities, including volunteering as a Collegiate Scholarships Judge, Essay Contest Judge, and GESTEM Guide, along with participating in RMS professional and social events. Sara has spent her career working in the analytical instrumentation industry, most recently in the role of Vice President at Timberline Instruments. She has a BS in Chemical and Biological Engineering from CU Boulder. In her free time, Sara enjoys hiking, knitting, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and two young daughters.

Position Description:
Coordinate volunteers that are focused on K-12 outreach events in the area. This will include working with the planning committees for established outreach events such as Certificates of Merit, Essay Contest, GESTEM, and SWENext; partnering with collegiate section outreach programs such as Girls Lead the Way; and also coordinating new outreach opportunities and partnerships. Attend monthly Executive Council meetings.

Madalene Fetsch

Vice President of Professional Development

Madalene serves on the SWE Finance Committee and the Section Support Sub-team that assists new Section Treasurers. She served RMS as Treasurer (5 yrs), Vice President (3 yrs) and President (1 yr). She chaired the President’s Celebration for SWE FY21 President Heather Doty, as the world changed over two years of planning. She earned a BS in Chemical Engineering at CU Boulder and MS in Biomedical Engineering at Washington University. Growing in a career in Software Quality Assurance, she currently is Manager of Software Quality Assurance (QA) at Specialized Bicycle Components, where she works on mobile apps that encourage people to bike more and to do so safely. She is a founding member and treasurer of The Phoenix Asylum artist workshop.

Position Description:
Coordinate volunteers that are focused on professional development events such as planning professional development events such as Lighting Talks or industry tours and expanding the offering of “Women in X” events that focus on a particular industry. Support professional mentoring programs, such as Collective Wisdom Groups. Be an ex officio member of mini-conference committees. This VP will also work to strengthen the relationship between the SWE Rocky Mountain Section and local STEM companies. Attend monthly Executive Council meetings.