President
Kiyomi Takemoto (she/her), B.S.
Kiyomi Takemoto is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles President, previously serving as the FY23 President, FY22 Vice President of Outreach, FY21 Collegiate Outreach Chair, and on the Collegiate Outreach and PDC committees. She has been an active member of SWE for over 8 years since college where she served in multiple leadership roles. She is most proud of starting the SWE-LA collegiate networking lunch & learn series, providing the framework for college students to learn and network with professionals during the pandemic. Kiyomi is thankful for all the friendships and personal development she has gained through SWE and looks forward to being able to pay it forward through mentoring, boosting SWE-LA engagement and member recognition this upcoming year.
Kiyomi earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UCI, and is currently pursuing her M.S. in Systems Architecture Engineering from USC while working as a Mission Systems Engineer at The Boeing Company. Fun Facts: She spoke at WE21 National Conference, 2023 WElocal, and in her free time she enjoys finding new places to eat around LA and staying involved in the Japanese American Community.
Vice President of Professional Development
Jessica Block, B.S., M.S.
Jessica Block is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Vice President of Professional Development. Jessica has been involved in Outreach programs since 2011 including serving as the Graduate Student Outreach Chair for Georgia Tech SWE. She has given presentations at WE Local and SWE National conferences on the topics of Outreach and Financing Graduate Education. Jessica is looking forward to expanding the fun and unique ways SWE-LA members engage with each other. Jessica has a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. She currently works as a Biomedical Engineer at Boston Scientific. She enjoys long backpack trips through the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Vice President of Outreach
Rachel Rosenzweig, B.S., M.S., PhD
Rachel Rosenzweig is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles VP of Outreach while continuing her dedication to SWE since 2011! She obtained her B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle where she served as VP of SWE-UW after receiving the SWE-UW Undergraduate Student Scholarship. She then obtained her Ph.D. in MSE at UC Irvine where she served as VP of SWE Orange County after receiving the SWE-OC Graduate Student Scholarship. Rachel moved to LA working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Caltech. She began her SWE-LA journey as the FY22 Collegiate Outreach Chair/Scholarship Committee Chair & FY23 Graduate/Academia Co-Chair where she helped create the SWE-LA Graduate Student Scholarship, Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award, & Graduate/Academia Research Symposium.
She is currently a Principal Research Scientist- Advanced Nanomaterials & Devices at Northrop Grumman Space Systems’s Research Laboratories in Manhattan Beach, CA where she also serves as the dept.’s DEI Rep!
Secretary
Ivy Kwok, B.S., M.S.
Ivy Kwok is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Secretary. Within SWE-LA, she created the Graduate / Academia Chair role in FY21 and was the first to serve in it in FY22, working with her amazing team to create am empowering community for graduate students, postdocs, and faculty in the SWE-LA family. Within her campus (UCLA), she is involved with GradSWE (Graduate Society of Women Engineers), serving as the Social Media Officer her first year + now and as President in between from FY22 to FY23. Within SWE nationally, she currently serves as one of the inaugural co-chairs of the First-Generation Students & Professionals Affinity Group. She has a passion for mentorship and a love for all things interdisciplinary, so she is excited to combine her lifelong interests in science and service into her SWE involvement.
Ivy has a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, & Development Biology and M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and she is currently continuing at her alma mater as a fourth-year PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering. Outside of the lab, you’ll often find her aboard public transit, as she enjoys going on food adventures with loved ones, pogo-sticking, attending her favorite disco ball dance workout, and staying active in the sustainability community!
Treasurer
Susan Young, B.S., MBA
Susan Young is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Treasurer. She joined the LA section in 2013 holding various positions including Section representative and President. She has been a member of SWE since 2002, joining as a collegiate.
Susan has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of California Santa Barbara and an MBA from University of Washington. She is currently the Operations Director at a food importing company and previously worked as a Structural Analysis Engineer at Boeing.
FY24 SWE-LA Chairs
Professional Development Conference (PDC) Chair
Cindy Hsu, B.S.
Cindy Hsu is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Professional Development Conference Chair.
K-12 Outreach Chair
Dr. Anise Grant, B.S., PhD
Anise Grant is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles K-12 Outreach Chair. She looks forward to finding new and creative ways to inspire young minds in STEM and connecting SWE professional members to opportunities to give back. Anise holds a B.S. in Polymer Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. She currently works for the Northrop Grumman Corporation as a system engineer supporting programs and corporate initiatives. In her free time, she enjoys reading and hikes.
Collegiate Outreach Chair
Erin Hong, B.A., M.S.
Erin Hong is the FY24 Collegiate Outreach Chair. She served on the Scholarship Committee for the past several years and was a two-time Sharon Cascadden scholarship recipient as a student. By participating in the scholarship committee, she was able to pay forward the support she received from SWE LA.
Erin earned a double B.A. in Economics and Linguistics from UCLA. After working a couple years as a quantitative finance recruiter, she returned to school to switch careers, earning a M.S. in mechanical engineering from California State University, Northridge. She is currently working at The Aerospace Corporation as an electromechanical controls engineer. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, art journaling, collecting and trading Disney pins, and geocaching.
Graduate / Academia Chair (GAC)
Ivy Kwok, B.S., M.S.
Ivy Kwok is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Graduate / Academia Chair – she is excited to continue in this role that she helped install in FY21! In 2020, she realized that our section did not have as much support or inclusivity for women engineers in academia (in comparison to the majority of wonderful women in industry), so she asked to create a Graduate / Academia Committee to empower graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty. She was the first to serve in this position in FY22 and worked her co-chair in FY23 to further develop the committee, creating initiatives like the inaugural Graduate Student Scholarship, Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award, and Graduate / Academia Research Symposium. She was also very excited to have announced these initiatives and presented the winners for the first time at SWE-LA’s 2023 Professional Development Conference!
Ivy has a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, & Development Biology and M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and she is currently continuing at her alma mater as a fourth-year PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering. Outside of the lab, you’ll often find her aboard public transit, as she enjoys going on food adventures with loved ones, pogo-sticking, attending her favorite disco ball dance workout, and staying active in the sustainability community!
Member Engagement Co-Chairs
Mallory Slavis, B.S., MBA
Mallory Slavis is one of the FY24 SWE-LA Member Engagement Co-Chairs. She is excited to transition from Professional Development into this new role, following last year’s rewarding journey as Conference Chair. Mallory graduated from Purdue University in 2019 with an B.S. in Industrial Engineering, and an MBA from her alma mater in 2022. Outside of working as a Manufacturing Engineer at Northrop Grumman, Mallory loves to play volleyball, write, travel, and spend time with friends & family. She is especially looking forward to continue getting to know the greater LA area one SWE event at a time!
Kathryn Chamberlin, BSE, M.S.
Kathryn Chamberlin is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Membership Engagement Co-Chair. She has joined SWE-LA after moving to the area in 2022 after graduating with her masters from Arizona State University (ASU). Kathryn has been involved in SWE for over six years, with leadership roles as the Annual Conference Chair at ASU and as a member of the Society Bylaws Committee. Kathryn is excited to connect with the SWE-LA section and plan events that engage members across the greater Los Angeles region.
Kathryn has a BSE and MS in electrical engineering from Arizona State University. She is now an Electronics Engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory where she is active in the women’s employee resource groups and local outreach. Kathryn is passionate about sharing her experiences by speaking at WE Local conferences and in her free time she loves long walks, reading, and camping trips.
Marketing Chair
Katelyn Ragan, B.S.
Katelyn Ragan is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Marketing Chair. This is her second year both as part of SWE-LA and as the Marketing Chair. In this role, she leads the Instagram and LinkedIn. She was previously involved as Secretary and Publicity Chair in her college section. She is excited to engage with all the members and hopefully spread awareness to engineers all over the LA area about SWE! Katelyn graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech in May of 2022. She now works at Boeing as an Astrodynamicist. In her free time, Katelyn loves reading fantasy books, running on the beach, finding new hikes, playing with her dog, hanging out with friends, and trying any and all water sports.
Professional Society Liaison Co-Chairs
Cindy Hsu, B.S.
Cindy Hsu is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Professional Society Liaison Co-Chair.
Dasha Mazura, B.S., M.S.
Dasha Mazura is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Professional Society Liaison Co-Chair. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry & Technology of High Molecular Weight Compounds from Moscow State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology. Soon after, she was admitted to a PhD program in Membranes & Membrane Technology at the Russian Academy of Sciences, but soon pivoted to a happier job at an engineering firm. Some time later, she moved to Thailand to explore for 5 months, then settled in Los Angeles (the best place on Earth!) to further her career, starting with participation in MBA and CPT programs. Throughout this time, she navigated through various different jobs and startup experiences, as well as becoming a mother. Most recently, she joined LA County as an engineering assistant, achieved her EiT certification, and was offered a mid-level Engineer position at SoCal gas, where she currently works as an R&D engineering on projects for methane emissions reduction. She is excited to grow in her current company and aspires to create her own business one day!
Professional Society Tours Chair
Karen Abarca, B.S., M.S.
Karen Abarca is the FY24 SWE Los Angeles Professional Society Tours Chair and has been involved with SWE since 2016. Her goals this year are to make new friends and lead fun tours. At work, she is a communication systems engineer at Northrop Grumman where she evaluates spacecraft channel performance and unit design. She has three years of technical experience in the aerospace industry focused on simulation analysis. Prior to her current position, Karen was a contamination control engineer on the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) where she tested materials and potential contaminated areas during the final stages of integration and test in preparation of Webb’s launch.
Furthermore, she has worked on cosmetics at Innovative Skincare as a formulation chemist, where she helped the R&D department standardize their processes and develop new skincare products. Prior to her successful career in engineering, she was a fashion/costume designer in the Television & Film industry where she designed costumes for talent, such as Snoop Dogg. In her leisure she continues to work freelance costume design roles and enjoys catering to her in-house garden, painting, roller skating, and tackling new engineering projects.
Karen received her associate degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising; bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from California State University, Long Beach; and master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.
