Vivienne McKitrick has spent most of her career in the energy industry as a supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA, engineer. Currently, she owns a small consulting firm, Quixote Enterprises. Career highlights include serving as a task order manager in Afghanistan for Black & Veatch, where she managed a multimillion-dollar task order to inform the U.S. government’s decisions on which critical Afghan power projects to fund. McKitrick was the only woman SCADA engineer for Black & Veatch’s joint venture for a new SCADA system installation in Iraq, and the only woman engineer supervisor for a new SCADA system on a crude oil pipeline in Ecuador.

Previously, she worked at Gulf Pipeline Co., where she supervised on-site installation of the first programmable logic controller on a barge-mounted crude oil pumping station for Gulf Pipeline. She began her career at Westinghouse, becoming the first woman engineer in industry sales support. McKitrick also wrote a capacitor handbook that became the basis for a short course taught at The Ohio State University.

McKitrick has been a stellar advocate for the Society of Women Engineers since attending The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.A. in zoology. She holds a professional engineer license in Texas.

McKitrick joined SWE as a professional member in 1975 and has held many SWE leadership roles, beginning in fiscal year 1977 as secretary of the Pittsburgh Section. She transitioned to the Houston Area Section, or SWE-HA, and currently serves in a critical role as the section representative to the Federation of Houston Professional Women. In this capacity, she helps the organization understand how women engineers are an especially positive force in improving the quality of life.

McKitrick has been a force within SWE-HA since joining the programs committee in 1983. Subsequently, she has served on many committees and in key roles, including president, vice president, section representative, board of trustees member, and then secretary and treasurer. Recently she led the section’s FY23-FY24 International Women’s Day committee.

At the Society level, McKitrick served as the regional coordinator for SWE’s national committee and secretary of the conference committee for SWE’s 1998 national convention and student conference.

A SWE senior life member, McKitrick has mentored and encouraged other women throughout her career and has supported SWE’s goals and growth for almost 50 years. SWE-HA presented her with its Women of Excellence Award in 2003. She was featured in the section’s award-winning Career Guidance presentation and has participated in school career days, encouraging students to enter engineering.

McKitrick is involved in animal welfare initiatives and enjoys traveling, reading, gourmet cooking, and volunteering.