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Texas State University College of Science and Engineering
Women in STEM Initiatives

2021 Wise Connection Leaders

owl with mask and text that says wise connection. Networking opportunity for student clubs and organizations

Laurie Altman, 3M VP (retired)!

Picture of Laurie Altman

April 6, 2021 at 5:30 pm
Zoom Link: https://txstate.zoom.us/j/97350008374
Meeting ID: 973 5000 8374

Laurie has recently retired after 39 years with the 3M Company, a multinational manufacturer of industrial, health care, safety and consumer products. She joined 3M after completing a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. She received an MBA from the University of Minnesota while a 3M employee. Laurie started her career with 3M in process research and development and then moved into various manufacturing assignments including plant management in 3M’s industrial  business. An assignment as a six sigma master black belt provided broader business exposure and experience and ultimately led Laurie to general manager positions in New Zealand and Australia. From there, she continued her career path in general management, holding Vice President assignments in Construction and Home Improvement, Automotive Aftermarket, and Customer Operations. Laurie has two daughters, aged 27 and 25.  Her husband, Larry, has also recently retired.  She enjoys hiking, biking, and gardening in her free time.

Chandler Saucedo, Texas State Graduate Structural Engineer

Monday, March 22, 2021
5:00 pm

Chandler grew up in San Antonio Texas and pursued her Industrial Engineering BS and her MBA at Texas State University, in San Marcos and Round Rock respectively. During her BS she was a part of SWE, the Honors Student Association, and worked as a Supplemental Instructor for SLAC.

For the past 5 years she has worked as a Structural Engineer for Bufkin Engineering in Austin. While working full time she completed her Masters in Business Administration through the Texas State Round Rock flex program.

Alexis Symons, Business Data Analyst AccessDx Laboratory

Picture of Alexis Symons

Thursday, March 11
ACS and Biochemistry Student Organization

Alexis graduated in May 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry from Texas State University at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to graduating, she began working for AccessDx Laboratory in Houston, Texas as a pre-analytical infectious disease technician where she assisted in developing the intake process for COVID-19 samples.

Alexis was quickly moved up to a management position overseeing the receiving department. She collaborated with other scientists and developers to implement efficiencies that would increase the weekly volume from approximately 10,000 samples a week to over 50,000 samples within 6 months. She currently serves as a business data analyst on the development team where she utilizes her problem-solving and research abilities to provide testing support and executing system implementations. 

Stefanie Breyer, Senior Vice President of Product Planning, National Instruments

5:00 pm - Monday, March 8, 2021
Society of Women Engineers

 

As senior vice president of product planning, Stefanie Breyer oversees the development of products and offerings tailored to the unique needs of NI customers. She leads the strategic direction of R&D resources to best address customer challenges, while leveraging the innovation of NI’s software-centric platform

 

Since joining NI in 1995 as an applications engineer, Breyer has held several leadership positions across R&D teams, most recently serving as vice president of R&D for data acquisition and control. She has led multiple strategic and operational initiatives across the company, resulting in improvements to R&D efficiency, process, and employee engagement. She is a champion for close integration between hardware and software development to provide customers with increased ease of use and a differentiated user experience.

 

Breyer is a coinventor of four patents and enjoys promoting STEM education through her volunteer work with Girlstart. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Rice University.

Angelica Riojas, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, UT Health at San Antonio, Texas

Picture of Angelica Riojas

Angelica grew up in Texas and pursued her Biology BS and Biochemistry MS, at Texas State University where she was a part of the H-LSAMP program, WISE, and NIH Bridges to Biomedicine program. Angelica is currently finishing her PhD in Molecular Medicine and Translational Sciences at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston Salem, NC. Her ultimate goal is to become an academic researcher and mentor other underrepresented students. She hopes to pass on what she has learned and help others be successful.   

Angelica is interested in investigating diseases that disproportionately impact minority populations.  She selected a PhD training path to gain skills in personalized/precision medicine and translational science. Her dissertation project investigates sex differences, specifically related to the genetic mechanisms regulating salt sensitive hypertension in women. This project is exciting because it deals with a complex disease that affects over half of the American population. This research is important for her career because she wants to continue to use her skills to improve health care for underrepresented populations.  Angelica plans to continue her career with a postdoctoral position at UT Health in San Antonio, TX.