Mines, Ingenuity, Negotiation, Engineering, SWE!

SWE Region i Conference                                  March 2-3, 2007

Katy Weidenfeller

Keynote Speaker

The keynote speaker this year is Katy Weidenfeller from ExxonMobil, winner of SWE’s 2005 Distinguished New Engineer Award. We are very excited to have her share her perspective as a woman working in this highly competitive field.

 

Katy Weidenfeller

 

Katy Weidenfeller graduated from Rice University in 1997, with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. She then began working at the ExxonMobil Baytown Refinery as a mechanical contact engineer, responsible for maintenance engineering and supporting operating units. Katy also participated on small design teams commissioned to make refinery unit upgrades.

 

Katy was relocated to ExxonMobil Research and Engineering in Fairfax, Va. in August 2000, where she held a variety of technical and business assignments.  Her work in Fairfax included mechanical engineering support of large construction projects, standards development, budget planning and stewardship, energy efficiency consulting, and modeling work for advanced vehicle systems.  In July 2006, Katy was relocated again, returning to the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex to supervise a group of process control engineers.  In this position, Katy is responsible for 20 engineers who provide process control application support to both the refinery and the chemical plant in Baytown.

                

Katy was a founding member of the ExxonMobil Women’s Interest Network (WIN), and served as the organization’s president in 2004. An active SWE member since her sophomore year at Rice University, Katy served as student section president from 1996-1997. As a member of the SWE Houston Section she served as networking night organizer for the national conference, held in Houston in 1998. She became involved in the Baltimore-Washington Section of SWE in 2001. She served as recording secretary and web master, during which time the section won the strategic communications award. During her tenure as president from 2002-2004, BWS increased its membership 32 percent, earning the Membership Growth award for a large section. Also, during this time, Baltimore-Washington hosted the Region E Conference. Following her presidency, she served as Regional Membership Coordinator, and as gatekeeper of the Region E Web site. Since her move to Houston, Katy has continued to serve on the national membership committee as the Region C Membership Coordinator.  In 2005, Katy was honored to receive the SWE Distinguished New Engineer award.

 

Katy is involved in the community as a volunteer at the Carpenter’s Shelter. She is a member of the Rice Alumni Volunteers for Admission, interviewing prospective Rice students. She participates in ExxonMobil community outreach activities by canvassing for the annual ExxonMobil charity campaign and participating in the Expanding Visions Program at local public schools, which provides real-world work situations to reinforce math and science in the classroom.

 

Katy and her husband, Scott, live in Houston, TX. In her spare time, she enjoys travel and cooking.