Biographies of FY23 Officers
Jen Casta - President
phila_president@swe.org
phila_president@swe.org
Jen is currently a Business Integration Lead with Merck's External Manufacturing Operations department. In this role, Jen is responsible for integrating business process and systems across External Manufacturing Small Molecule platforms as well as across operational units with External Manufacturing Large Molecule and Global Pharmaceutical Operations. Jen joined the company in 1998 as a Chemical Engineer (Stevens Institute of Technology), supporting capital project planning and management, then transitioned to the West Point site in 2002 to support vaccine manufacturing including Rotavirus bulk production. In 2007, she moved into vaccine technical operations and broadened her knowledge of raw material and culture media requirements for the site, including the Quality, Technical, Procurement, and supplier relations collaboration. Following a certification course at Lehigh University and CSCP certification she transitioned to Supply Chain Management in 2014. Since then, Jen has developed SAP and Rapid Response expertise, has driven improvements in S&OP process leadership, and has supported several product launches and the transition to supply planning under standard work. Over the last 1.5 years, Jen embraced the challenge to lead NA SCM stand-up readiness for the Organon spin, as well as the unique US market supply transition. Jen and her husband, Lou, enjoy time outdoors including hikes, backyard firepit relaxation, bird watching, and visiting zoos and aquariums. A trip to local breweries and wineries is usually part of their vacation plans. Family is close by in PA and day trips to see parents and other relatives are an important part of their time. Jen is a lifetime member of the Society of Women Engineers, active in her church congregation and council, and enjoys a weekly yoga practice. After holding various leadership positions between 2002-2012, including co-chairing the Regional (Local) conference with Drexel in 2006, Jen is excited to continue leading as President for FY23, focused on section development in support of SWE's mission and its members' needs.
Sea Amundsen - Vice President, Professional Development
phila_profdev@swe.org
phila_profdev@swe.org
Sea joined SWE her freshman year at the University of Miami, and has loved the SWE community since. She went on to attend WE16 and WE18 and take over as the chapter webmaster. After graduating with a B.S. in Computer Engineering, she moved to Philadelphia to work at Boeing as a Software Developer for the V-22 Osprey. In her free time she enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, crafts, and playing Dungeons & Dragons and Magic the Gathering.
Ruisa Hinds - Vice President, Outreach
phila_outreach@swe.org
phila_outreach@swe.org
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Ruisa (pronounced: Reesa) graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2016, after which she worked designing wastewater treatment systems and site plans for residential properties throughout Middle Tennessee. Ruisa joined SWE in 2019 while completing her MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon, during which time she also served a term as CMU SWE’s Grad Greets Chair. After graduating from CMU, she moved to Philadelphia to start work with Turner Construction. Outside of work, she enjoys volunteering, exercising, and exploring all that Philly has to offer.
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Kayla Nelson is a Senior Staff Geostructural Professional at Schnabel Engineering in Chadds Ford, where she’s worked since graduating from Widener University with her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 2019. During her undergraduate studies, Kayla completed internships with Aluma Systems (Baltimore, MD), Facchina Construction (La Plata, MD), Accu-Crete (Upper Marlboro, MD), and Schnabel Engineering. A Baltimore native, Kayla moved to Philadelphia to begin her full-time career in civil engineering. Her background includes seepage and slope analysis, support-of-excavation design, site observation, and drafting.
While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she served on the Executive Board of Widener’s student chapter of Society of Women Engineers for four years; acting as President for two of those years. Kayla has volunteered her time to assist with Widener/SWE’s Annual Engineering Girls Camp since 2015. She is also an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), currently serving as College Contact Chair of the Philadelphia Section’s Younger Member Forum (YMF) for her second term.
In her spare time, Kayla enjoys hiking, playing board/card games, crocheting, spending time with friends/family, and playing guitar to her rabbit (Jude).
While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she served on the Executive Board of Widener’s student chapter of Society of Women Engineers for four years; acting as President for two of those years. Kayla has volunteered her time to assist with Widener/SWE’s Annual Engineering Girls Camp since 2015. She is also an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), currently serving as College Contact Chair of the Philadelphia Section’s Younger Member Forum (YMF) for her second term.
In her spare time, Kayla enjoys hiking, playing board/card games, crocheting, spending time with friends/family, and playing guitar to her rabbit (Jude).
Julie Williams - Treasurer
phila_treasurer@swe.org
phila_treasurer@swe.org
Julie joined SWE in college and has enjoyed the community at the local and national level since. She studied Material Science Engineering at University of Pennsylvania and minored in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating in 2010, she worked internationally for Schlumberger as a field engineer for four years before switching to software implementation and sales engineering. She’s currently a sales engineer at NICE, working with contact center software (“This call may be recorded for quality and monitoring purposes”). To improve her financial literacy and be more involved in the SWE Philly section, Julie has taken on the role of section treasurer. Outside of work and SWE, Julie loves to try new foods, travel, start projects but not finish them, and explore playgrounds with her toddler.
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