Dallas SWE members attended 2 of the WE Local Conferences hosted by the Society of Women Engineers this Spring 2026.
WE Local Austin — February 20–21, 2026
Dallas SWE sent a strong contingent to WE Local Austin this February, with about 10 members making the trip!
The conference offered something for everyone. Standout sessions included a fascinating Silicon Hills talk tracing the history of the semiconductor industry in the Austin area, and the Saturday breakfast panel, “Embrace Your Story,” which featured inspiring female leaders responding to questions from SWE President Inaas. Dallas SWE members also contributed to the program — Dallas SWE Treasurer Claire Jordan presented sessions covering AI tools in the job search and semiconductor manufacturing, and co-presented a session on ageism in engineering with Barbara Read.
The conference was also a big moment for The HoldHer, Dallas SWE’s fundraising badge holder project. We sold around 10 units over the weekend — including to a SWE Board of Directors member and the current Society President!
Beyond the sessions, our members connected with a wide range of attendees, including several engineers local to Dallas who weren’t yet plugged into our section. Friday night, a group of us went out and had a fantastic time exploring Austin together.
WE Local Portland — February 27-28, 2026
Several Dallas SWE Members also attend WE Local Portland conference at the end of February! Two of our members also had the opportunity to speak at this conference.
Sammy Zellner gave a presentation on “Engineeringly BLONDE: Crushing Stereotypes in the Workplace”, and Chenai Sukume spoke on her experience “Leveraging Hands-On Technician Experience to Build A Successful Engineering Career”. Both talks were inspiring and engaging!
Overall, Dallas SWE members had a fantastic time in Portland and enjoyed exploring the PNW.
Why attend WE Local Conferences?
The biggest takeaway? Local conferences are worth attending no matter where you are in your career. Several members of Dallas SWE attended, and even though not all of us were actively job searching, we all walked away having learned something new and feeling more connected to the broader SWE community. We hope to see even more Dallas SWE members at future local conferences!