The Society of Women Engineers was founded in 1950, and the first SWE President was Beatrice Hicks. As of June 2020, SWE has had fifty-seven presidents, and each of these pioneers and thought leaders has played a vital role in the Society’s history. More information about each SWE Past President can be found on the SWE website (https://swe.org/membership/swes-past-presidents/).
Many of the first fifteen SWE Presidents served in their role for two years with Catherine Eiden as the only SWE President to serve for three years starting in 1958. Arminta Harness was the last SWE President to serve for two years in 1976 through 1978. Now, each SWE President serves for one year as President-Elect before transitioning to their one-year term as SWE President.
Forty-five SWE Presidents have been honored as a SWE Fellow. Numerous SWE President have received Society level awards including SWE Distinguished New Engineer, Emerging Leader Award, Prism Award, Work/Life Integration Award, Advocating Women in Engineering Award, and Distinguished Service Award. Beatrice Hick, Ada Pressman, and F. Suzanne Jenniches have been the only SWE Presidents to receive the Achievement Award, the highest award given by the Society to honor an individual who has made significant and progressive technical contributions in the field of engineering for at least twenty years.
SWE acknowledges and respects the value of a diverse community. The Society is proud to recognize Sherita Ceasar as the first African-American SWE President, Gloria Montano as the first Asian-American SWE President, and Anna Salguero as the first Latina SWE President.
Scholarship The SWE Past Presidents Scholarship was endowed in 2008. US citizens studying engineering or engineering technology in their sophomore through senior year of undergraduate or graduate students are eligible to apply.
Number Available: 1
Class: Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate
Major: E, ET
Amount: $6500
US citizenship required.
