Professional Development Conference

Category: Professional Development Conference

Published Date

Written by Liz San Miguel

This year's SWE-LA Professional Development Conference (PDC) will be held Friday, April 26, 2013 at The Double Tree Hotel in Torrance, California. The theme of this year's event is "Launching Your Own Curiosity - An Odyssey of a Successful Career". We have several fantastic sessions lined up and a networking hour at the end of the day.

Note: While the conference will focus on women engineers, individuals of all professions are welcome.

Where: Double Tree by Hilton, 21333 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503

When: Friday, April 26, 2013, 8:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. (Registration starts at 7:00 A.M.)

Registration: Breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks included. Register now!

Members, $120

Student, Retired, and Unemployed Members, $90

Non-members, $150

Corporate Tables, $1200 - Use registration site for table purchase, contact Rachel Morford to sponsors this event

*Proceeds from this event go to the SWE Los Angeles Scholarship Program

Parking: FREE

*Recommended attire is business casual.

Keynote - "Launching Your Own Curiosity

Ann Devereaux

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Ann Devereaux is the acting Deputy Division Manager for Systems and Software at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. As the Deputy Lead for Entry, Descent, and Landing of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), she was one of the few women in the control room for the landing of Curiostiy Rover on August 5, 2012. Ms. Devereaux earned her B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from MIT and her M.S. in Communications Engineering from USC. During her career at JPL, she had the opportunity to work on various aspects of MSL and numerous other projects.

Ms. Devereaux will share her odyssey as a successful female engineer and what it takes to launch your own "Curiosity".

Panel Discussion - "My Odyssey"

Women from a variety of technical industries will share their interesting career paths in an interactive discussion panel focused around their journeys and advice on enhancing your own career.

Morning and Afternoon Sessions

"Planning for Your Trip"

Speaker: Barbara Newman, Career and Leadership Coaching Consultant

Are you just starting your career in a technical industry and not sure how to prepare for it? Are you exploring new, interesting career pathways to take but are afraid to travel into the unknown? Or, are you enjoying your current journey but want to make sure you are prepared for whatever unexpected obstacles you might face along the way? If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, this session is for you! Barbara Newman, a career and leadership coaching consultant, will help you plan for your successful career. In this interactive workshop, you will be presented with numerous tools to prepare you for a successful career odyssey by awakening the passion in you and those around you.

"Refueling: How to Avoid Burn Out"

Speaker: Joy Chudacoff, Success Coach and Mentor to Women Entrepreneurs

A successful career can be a long and tiring journey, especially when you have many responsibilities outside of your work. It seems like being a successful woman in the 21st century might require superpowers. Integrating your professional career with a personal life (family, raising children, care-giving, nurturing relationships with friends and the community around you) can be overwhelming at times. Do you feel like you are about to burn out? It's time to refuel and ignite the passion for the work and life YOU truly enjoy! In her interactive presentation, Joy Chudacoff, a success coach and mentor, will share her secrets on how to create the spark in your life and make sure it lasts throughout your journey.

"Getting There Together" - SESSION CANCELLED

Speaker: TBA

Professional careers in a technical industry can be a very complex journey. Part of its complexity arises from working in multidisciplinary and diverse teams. Success of your team and you as an individual highly depends on your, regardless of your position. In this workshop, you will explore some helpful tools for creating high-performing teams and influencing those around you, even without formal authority. Develop the leadership skills necessary to successfully travel through your odyssey!

"Lift Off: How to Successfully Ignite Your Career"

Speaker: Elle Oliver

You have all the fuel and energy you need for your odyssey but do you have what it takes to ignite your career? We live in a world where globalization and high technology advances have proven that the sky is no longer the limit. The spark inside of you, the passion to excel in your career, can no longer stay just within you. How do you expose it? By creating a sustainable brand for yourself! Personal branding is something we do everyday, in each interaction we have with those around us, whether we realize it or not. In this workshop, you will learn to leverage the skills you already have to advance your career!

Conference schedule available here.

Online registration for this event will be open until Friday, April 19, 2013.

PDC Planning Chairs

Chong Hill - Facilities and Registration

Aleksandra Mstowska - Speakers and Session Programming