Virginia Counts, P.E., served as the FY09 SWE President.
Virginia is a Lean Sigma Master Black Belt for Medtronic, Inc., the global leader in medical technology. In her role, she works in the Office of Workplace Inclusion, where she studies health care disparities and employee retention issues. A certified Black Belt and Master Black Belt, Virginia has also worked on numerous Lean Sigma projects while supporting product engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain areas at Medtronic’s Microelectronics Center (MMC) to develop continuous improvement strategy and execution. Virginia also developed a site-specific Lean Sigma team while serving as the MMC Lean Sigma Deployment Leader.
Before joining Medtronic, Virginia worked for an aerospace company where she gained a broad base of experience in various positions in development engineering, manufacturing, and information technology.
Virginia has been involved with SWE for more than 20 years and has held various positions at Arizona State University (ASU) and Phoenix Sections and the Sonora Region. Her service on the National SWE Board includes Region Director, three terms as the Speaker of the Council, and Director of Education. In 1997, Virginia received the Phoenix Section’s Outstanding Member Service Award.
Virginia has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Arizona State University. She is an alumnus and former board member of Arizona Leadership 2000, a women’s leadership group, and a member of the American Society for Quality.
