SWE Detroit Member Summit

August 16, 2025 | EE Ford House – 1100 Lake Shore Rd, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI 48236

About

SWE Detroit is excited to host an engaging conference-style event designed to bring together members of the SWE Section for an inspiring day of networking, professional development, and collaboration. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with industry leaders, enhance their skills through workshops, and gain valuable insights into the mission and initiatives of SWE Detroit.

Registration

Registration includes:

Breakfast, Lunch, and a Sweet Treat during Networking Hour
Keynote & breakout sessions
Professional Headshot
Photo Booth at the SWE Detroit Aspire Wall
Build Your SWE-Lego Self
And more!

For Groups of 5+, please contact swedetroittreasurer@gmail.com for single invoice options and a 5% discount off the Non-Member Pricing.

Schedule

Start	End	Event
9:30 AM	10:00 AM	Registration & Check-in
10:00 AM	10:10 AM	Welcome
10:10 AM	11:00 AM	Keynote Speaker Fireside Chat
11:00 AM	11:45 AM	Professional Development Activity Rotation
11:45 AM	12:45 PM	Lunch & State of SWE Detroit
1:00 PM	1:45 PM	Breakout Session #1
2:00 PM	2:45 PM	Breakout Session #2
2:45 PM	3:30 PM	Networking Mixer

Session Details

Keynote Speaker: Ana Kraft

Speaker Bio: Ana Kraft is the Founder and CEO of Xena Workwear – a company that engineers stylish safety shoes and functional apparel for women in STEM and the Trades. This new category of workwear helps professional women be safe and feel confident in any work environment. Ana holds a degree in International Project Engineering from Reutlingen University in Germany and currently resides in Detroit, Michigan. The causes that drive her include a healthy environment, children’s health and maximizing opportunities for women.

Company Info: Xena Workwear engineers stylish safety shoes for women in STEM and the Trades. The company was founded by Ana Kraft – a female engineer who was frustrated by the manly and bulky safety shoe options on the market. Xena believes that women deserve workwear that allows them to feel safe and confident in any work environment.

Rotate between Speed Networking, Headshot, leaving your mark on the Aspire Wall, building your SWE-Lego Self, and more!

Dynamic Storytelling

Speaker: Emily Khouphongsy

Abstract: All aspects of leadership, technological advancement, and human relation revolve around communication. Communicating with fervor and intention is a significant contributing factor for effective development and the most effective way to influence change. The purpose of this session is to discover a specific communication method that has a very long history; its dynamic, motivational, intentional, and influential. Its storytelling. In this session you will learn the history about storytelling and why it is an influential communication style. You will also learn a method of storytelling that is based on the teaching of an expert, Dale Carnegie. Finally, you will learn how to apply storytelling methods in different contexts. Ultimately, you will become a more dynamic and effective communicator as a result of this session!

Learning Outcomes:

Learn why storytelling is effective, in general
Learn Dale Carnegie story telling approach for dynamic communication
Understand how Carnegie’s approach can be applied in an engineering or technical context

FOMO is Real

Tips for Improving Inclusion While Remote Working

Speakers: Molli Andor, Jennifer Chang, Kristin Zatwarnicki

Abstract: As hybrid and remote working styles become more widely utilized, many people struggle to form personal connections through their computer screens. This can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, increased anxiety, and constant “fear of missing out.” It can be particularly challenging for people starting a new job needing extra guidance to learn the company, team, and role all at once. This session will introduce common pitfalls of remote work and how to engage with your colleagues even if you’re thousands of miles away. A panel of multidisciplinary engineers and SWE leaders will share their best practices, challenges they’ve faced with remote working, and how they’ve overcome them.

Learning Outcomes:

Apply best practices for working remotely, or with remote teams.
Identify new methods of adapting to different working styles.
Reflect on creating healthy and efficient methods of working.

Taking the Lead in SWE:

An Asian Perspective

Speakers: Jennifer Chang, Jennifer Morikawa

Abstract: In industry, women of Asian descent make up < 3% in senior level and executive positions. SWE’s senior leadership mimics the statistics. Over the years, SWE made strides to change the percentage in its own leadership makeup. Asians makes up ~15% of SWE’s membership. In fiscal year 2023 (FY23), ~10% in SWE’s society elected leadership roles and ~13% of Local level leadership roles were women of Asian descent! Let’s keep the momentum to maintain and increase the pipeline of Asians in SWE leadership positions especially in senior leader roles.

The panel of SWE role models will share their SWE career paths and how their experiences benefitted their professional and personal development. They will discuss challenges to find qualified candidates for positions, share tools, and succession planning strategies at each level of SWE to continue to develop a steady pipeline for a diverse leadership pool.

Learning Outcomes:

Provide awareness of entry points and development opportunities (comfort to challenge) in SWE Leadership
Highlight skills learned in SWE that support career growth / visibility or personal development
How being in a SWE role helped overcome personal struggles with cultural norms/stereotypes/biases (e.g. imposter syndrome, model minority or other internalized expectation)

Panelists

Dr. Pramita Mitra is a Manager of Supply Chain Sustainability within Ford Motor Company Enterprise Technology organization. In her current role, Pramita leads a team of software engineers to deliver digital tools to meet regulatory and compliance requirements in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) space. Pramita received the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Detroit Section Technical Award in 2017, the WE Local New Emerging Leader in Technology and Engineering Award in 2020, the SWE Emerging Leader Award in 2022, and the Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) Gold Award in 2025. She has always been passionate about promoting the interests of technical women and has been an active leader within the SWE organization. During 2021-2024, she served on SWE’s WE Local Advisory Board (LAB) and the SWE Magazine Editorial Board. She served as the Chair-Elect and Chair of the WE Local Advisory Board in 2023 and 2024, respectively. She served twice as the Co-Chair of the SWE Detroit Professional Development Conference. Pramita earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from University of Notre Dame.

When she’s not just lazy:

Navigating unconscious bias against neurodivergence

Speaker: Trisha Matthews

Abstract: In engineering fields, up to one in every three people exhibits neurodivergence. Yet nearly half of tech employees keep their neurodivergence a secret in fear of limiting their future opportunities. This session will address the invisible barriers faced by neurodivergent engineers, exploring unconscious bias against common autistic and ADHD behaviors and communication styles. The speaker will pull from her lived experience as a neurodivergent woman in the workplace, as well as current research. Attendees will learn practical tips for self-advocacy at work, including how to use partial disclosure when communicating their needs and how to frame certain accommodations as professional development opportunities. Attendees will also learn how to recognize neurodiverse traits in others, and leave empowered to create a more inclusive environment among their teams.

Learning Outcomes:

Recognize signs of unconscious bias as it relates to neurodiverse individuals
Describe inclusive leadership strategies
Practice self-advocacy in the workplace