Keynote Speakers

Join us at the upcoming WE Local conferences for an exceptional series of keynote sessions featuring distinguished speakers who are pioneers in their industries. Each speaker brings a unique perspective and a wealth of experience, ensuring that you leave inspired and equipped with actionable insights. Don’t miss the chance to learn from these influential voices and engage in meaningful discussions that will shape the future of our profession!

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Pune 2025

Opening Keynote

Shveta Arya

Managing Director
Cummins India Limited

The Power of Pivot: When to Leap and When to Lead

Many women engineers feel the pressure to follow a rigid career path. Shveta to share her experience of pivoting from consulting to manufacturing. She can discuss how to identify when a career pivot is a strategic move for growth versus a lateral shift. She will highlight the importance of adaptability and the courage to take on roles outside one's core discipline, reflecting on her career. Learning Objectives: Strategic pivoting is a growth catalyst: Be willing to apply your engineering skills to new industries and challenges to broaden your career horizon. Lead with courage: Don't let the fear of the unknown hold you back from pursuing a role that will challenge you and lead to greater opportunities.

Shveta Arya is the Regional Leader for Cummins in India and Managing Director of Cummins India Limited (CIL). She also heads the Power Systems Business for the India region, driving growth, transformation, and innovation. She has over 20 years of experience across automotive, travel, financial services, and telecom sectors. Shveta joined Cummins in 2016 as Head of Strategy and has since led multiple businesses, including Distribution and New & Recon Parts. Under her leadership, Cummins India launched the CPCB IV+ range for the Power Generation market, meeting some of the world’s most stringent emission standards. A strong advocate for diversity and women’s empowerment, she sponsors the Cummins Powers Women program in India. Recently, Shveta was recognized in the 2025 Candere Hurun India Women Leaders List.

Pune 2025

Closing Keynote

Vinita Gera

Independent Advisor and Former President
SEAP

Human Elements in a World of AI

Vinita Gera is an Independent Advisor, Board of Director, Leadership coach, Mentor and a DEI Champion.

She is the ex-President of SEAP (Software Exporter’s Association of Pune) which is a forum for tech organizations of Pune. In her term as president of SEAP – she has doubled the number of members and led more than 50 events for the Pune Tech ecosystem. She continues to be an executive committee in SEAP

Before Vinita took the path of an independent journey, she worked for Global Technology organizations for 27+ years in various leadership capacities.

Her last corporate role was with Dell Technologies, where she was the GM for the India Centre of Excellence across Bangalore and Pune. Vinita has varied experience in 3 distinct areas – Product Engineering, IT Infrastructure, and Centre Leadership. Her specialization is in providing leadership across large-scale global teams, driving change, and navigating organizational dynamics while keeping business goals as the primary objective. Other organizations that Vinita has worked for are Veritas and BMC Software.

Vinita is a prolific speaker on various topics of leadership, Personal Brand building, Networking, Gender nuances, Inclusion, and Courage, to name a few.

She is a computer engineer from Pune University and has additionally acquired several certifications from IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Kolkata, Scrum Alliance, Pragmatic Product Management Institute, and International Coach Federation.

Austin

Closing Keynote

Rita Munarwi

Director Technical Program Manager | Azure Hardware
Microsoft

Queen Without Crown: The Silent Politics of Quiet Leadership

In engineering and technical spaces, leadership is often measured by visibility—titles, accolades, and authority. But what about the women who lead without any of those? Queen Without Crown explores the emotional and political dynamics of quiet leadership: the kind that shapes outcomes, mentors across generations, and builds ecosystems without ever being formally recognized. This keynote honors the women who lead from within, who rise without rivalry, and who redefine influence not by volume, but by resonance. Attendees will learn to: Reframe emotional delays in recognition as quiet power, not failure Recognize and navigate the subtle dynamics that shape women’s influence Build legacy through boundaries, clarity, and authentic impact

Rita Munarwi is a quietly transformative leader who believes in leading from within and empowering beyond. Her leadership is rooted in emotional clarity, intentional pacing, and the belief that resonance outlasts volume. As Founder and CEO of Unspoken Wisdoms, she distills executive insights through her micro-podcast and book Fun Facts for Success: Tech Edition, to empower others in tech career journey.

Currently serving as President of the SWE Columbia River Section and Chair of Women at Microsoft Oregon, Rita fosters inclusive communities and mentorship-driven leadership for women in engineering. She has spoken at leading industry events including the Silicon Tech Summit, Global Women in Tech Summit, WE Local and WE National conference, where she invites audiences to embrace leading from within, an often-underrated leadership style, especially in male-dominated environments.

Rita Munarwi is Director Technical Program Manager of Azure Hardware at Microsoft, driving silicon-to-system integration for hyperscale cloud computing. With 20+ years in semiconductor engineering, she ensures reliable, scalable solutions from chip design to cloud delivery. Recognized as an SWE Advance Power User award winner, Rita exemplifies lifelong learning and technical mastery.

Portland

Closing Keynote

Amber Kemmerling

Associate Technical Fellow | Airplane Systems Engineering Process Architect and Strategist
The Boeing Company

Our Choices, Our Stories

Our professional and personal lives are not solely defined by our technical knowledge or credentials; they are shaped by the choices we make, some we choose deliberately, others are chosen for us. Some challenges we face are more overwhelming than others. Transformation often comes from choosing the harder path: stretching us so going forward we can move faster and have more impact than we ever imagine. In a rapidly changing world growth doesn't happen by default, it happens by embracing our choices. By deliberately celebrating and reflecting on our pivotal decisions we can accelerate our growth and strengthen our ability to move forward with greater momentum that multiplies our impact at work, in our lives, and the lives of others. Choices shape career trajectories Embracing the harder path promotes growth and builds capability Reflection and celebration build momentum going forward

Amber is an Associate Technical Fellow at Boeing, specializing as an Airplane Systems Engineering Process Architect and Strategist within one of the Boeing company’s largest engineering organizations. She leads advancements in airborne Electrical and Electronic Systems and promotes best practices in Systems Engineering and Technical Integration across Boeing. Dedicated to innovation and leadership, she actively mentors and inspires STEM professionals, fostering their growth and helping them realize their full career potential.

Amber is an Associate Technical Fellow in one of the largest engineering organizations within the Boeing Company, with over 30 years of experience in aviation product certification. Starting as a project engineer, she advanced to lead engineering and FAA-appointed roles, earning recognition in the Boeing fellowship as a top tier technical expert, value creator, mentor, and leader within the technical community.

As first-generation STEM graduate, Amber earned her B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Washington after transferring from Bellevue College. She holds multiple technology and business certifications including a Certificate in Global Technical Leadership and is a John Maxwell Certified Coach, Trainer, and Speaker.

Passionate about mentoring; Amber actively speaks at Society of Women Engineers and Women in Aviation International events delivering impactful sessions. She takes pride in navigating a nearly 30-year marriage to another STEM professional and raising two daughters in successful STEM careers.

Columbus

Opening Keynote

Susan Ipri-Brown

Principal Consultant
Empowerment Levers

Be Empowered! The ‘Inclusion’ Conversation is Still Ours to Control

Together, let’s empower our efforts towards equity, as women engineers have enabled for decades. Nationally, the words ‘include everyone, equally’ are now stated to exclude and shut down equity programs. Instead, let’s reframe the situation into an opportunity to discuss and define truly inclusive and equitable engineering workplaces. We still all have powerful levers of control to continue our collective push. We all remain committed to equality. Let’s reframe the conversation to focus on our individual and collective actions within our spheres of influence.

Susan Ipri-Brown is the principal consultant at Empowerment Levers and served as the 2024-2025 President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Prior to starting her consulting firm, Susan served as the Strategic Initiatives Manager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Office of Advanced Manufacturing. Susan additionally worked as the founding Associate Dean for Educational Outreach and as an Associate Professor of Engineering Instruction at Hope College. She has also held positions with the Northwestern University Office of STEM Education Partnerships, several North Carolina school districts, Delphi Automotive Systems, and the Michigan Legislative Service Bureau. As an ASME Federal Fellow, Susan served a year at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Susan earned her master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University.

Columbus

Closing Keynote

Dr. Lisa Hinkelman

PH.D. I Founder/CEO
Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX)

Beyond the Pipeline: Understanding the Psychology Behind Girls' STEM Decisions

Drawing from the largest national study of girls' STEM experiences, discover why traditional approaches to increasing female representation in engineering can fall short—and what actually works to cultivate lasting STEM identity and confidence in the next generation of women innovators and leaders. The Critical Confidence Gap: When and Why Girls Step Away from STEM: Participants will understand the precise moments during middle and high school when girls make pivotal decisions about their STEM futures, and how declining confidence—not lack of ability—becomes the primary barrier to engineering career pursuit. Drawing from The Girls’ Index™: Girls & STEM research, learn to identify and address the psychological factors that influence girls' self-perception of their capabilities. Evidence-Based Strategies for Building STEM Identity: Gain research-backed approaches from the ROX Empowering Girls in STEM Toolkit to foster authentic STEM identity in girls, including how to leverage diverse role models, create collaborative problem-solving environments, and design experiences that build both technical skills and the self-efficacy essential for STEM persistence. Transforming Engineering Culture for the Next Generation: Discover actionable steps to create more inclusive engineering environments—from classroom to workplace—that don't just recruit girls into STEM, but nurture the confidence and leadership skills they need to thrive as future innovators and leaders.

Dr. Lisa Hinkelman is a counselor, researcher, best-selling author and founder/CEO of Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX), dedicating nearly two decades to understanding girls’ development and empowering the next generation of female leaders. Under her leadership, ROX has transformed the lives of over 50,000 girls across 44 states through evidence-based programming that builds confidence, leadership skills, and the foundational competencies girls need to pursue their aspirations.

Lisa’s expertise in girls’ development provides critical insights to STEM educators and industry professionals working to increase female representation. Her Girls’ Index™ research, studying 17,500+ girls, reveals nuanced patterns in girls’ confidence, aspirations, and the barriers they face—particularly the concerning confidence drops during middle school that impact their willingness to pursue challenging fields like STEM. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and, most recently as a thought leader at the UN General Assembly.