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Eileen Vélez Vega Named Puerto Rico’s Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works

A BIG "Congratulations!" to SWE’s own Eileen Vélez Vega, who has been named as Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works for Puerto Rico.
Eileen Vélez Vega Named Puerto Rico’s Secretary Of The Department Of Transportation And Public Works
[social_warfare]

Eileen M Velez-VegaCongratulations and Best Wishes to Eileen M. Vélez Vega!

SWE’s own Eileen Vélez Vega has been named as Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP by its Spanish acronym) for Puerto Rico by Governor-Elect Pedro Pierluisi. Eileen will be the first woman to hold this position. To the excitement of her daughter and her classmates on zoom, Eileen’s photo was featured on the front page of local papers following the announcement. “Girls can do anything!” she told her daughter’s class. You’ll be able to read more about her appointment in an article in the upcoming Winter issue of SWE Magazine which will be published digitally in late January 2021.

This historic news is both exciting and bittersweet, however, as Eileen has resigned from SWE’s Board of Directors effective 12/31/2020 in order to fulfill her new duties to Puerto Rico.

“SWE has definitely been my constant for the past 20 years and this is only a brief hiatus in my active participation. Being part of the SWE BOD has been an honor and I hope to be back in the future! I will continue my SWE membership, mentorship, and empowerment of women and girls in STEM fields.  I humbly accepted this new role and even though I’m the first woman to be appointed, I’m sure I will not be the last!  I’ve always believed in representation and positive visibility and this is a great accomplishment for all of us women in STEM fields.  I will honor this new role and I take this responsibility very seriously. As a mother I also have a huge responsibility to serve as a strong role model for my daughter and all young girls.  I thank SWE for all the leadership opportunities and being part of my journey and preparation for this amazing moment in my life!”

– Eileen Vélez Vega

While we’ll miss her warmth and enthusiasm in our board meetings, we express our heartfelt thanks for her service to SWE, and wish her the best in her new endeavors!

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Author

  • Heather Doty, FY21 SWE President

    Heather Doty is a project engineer at Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado. She works in the manufacturing and test operations organization on new business ventures, people integration, career development, staffing, and hiring. A senior life member of SWE, Doty joined the Society as a student at the University of Colorado Boulder. She served as FY18-19 Society treasurer and FY16 director of regions. She brings a long history of SWE experience at multiple levels of the organization, having served in nearly every officer position at the section and region levels. She has been recognized with the Region i “Inspirational” Distinguished Service Award, and as an Outstanding SWE Counselor and SWE Distinguished New Engineer.

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All Together is the blog of the Society of Women Engineers. Find stories about SWE members, engineering, technology, and other STEM related topics. It’s up-to-date information and news about the Society and how our members are making a difference everyday.

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