Section Leadership

The Maine Section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE F004) is a volunteer based organization. We are always looking for members that wish to step up and contribute to our mission of supporting female engineers in the state of Maine.

Section Leadership

2024-2024 Section Leadership

  • President – Evelyn Beebe
  • Vice President – Diane Edinger
  • Treasurer – Karen Horton
  • Secretary and Webmaster – Miriam Wilcox
  • Social Media – McKayla Leary
  • Outreach – Izzie Grant
  • Scholarship – Lucinda Pype
  • Certificate of Merit – Anne Dunham
  • Collegiate Relations – Amanda Scudder

President – Evelyn Beebe, PE

Evelyn Beebe is a graduate from the University of Maine where she served as Vice President of the UMaine SWE Collegiate Section for two years and majored in Chemical Engineering. After completing her Master’s at Carnegie Mellon University in Energy Science, Technology, and Policy, Evelyn moved to New Jersey and became an active member in the New Jersey Professional Section as the Collegiate Relations Committee Chair and then the Secretary. Evelyn has lived in San Diego (2 years) and Dallas-Fort Worth (2 years) during which time she served as a Leadership Coach with a Collegiate-Focus on the Leadership Coaching Committee (LCC). Evelyn is now a wife and mother of two girls and works from home in Wells, Maine. She is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Partner of Energy Compliance Services at Weaver & Tidwell, LLP, the largest independent accounting firm headquartered in the Southwest.

Vice President – Diane Edinger

Diane began her academic journey in Fine Arts at the University of Minnesota. She later pursued an AAS in Manufacturing Engineering Technology from Hennepin Technical College, followed by a BAS in Applied Engineering from Bemidji State University.

With a diverse career in product development across industries such as dental, consumer products, and software, Diane has consistently worked at the intersection of business, manufacturing processes, and applied engineering.

In 2007, she relocated to Boston to join the CAD software development team at SensAble Technologies in Woburn, Massachusetts. Following its acquisitions by Geomagic and 3D Systems, she continued her work with the Freeform Software development team and took on the role of Software Product Portfolio Manager for the Freeform family of haptic-integrated CAD products.

Since 2021, Diane has the role of principal at Mind2Matter Design & Technologies. Outside of work, she loves tending to her garden, kayaking, and exploring the field of Data Science.

Treasurer – Karen Horton

Karen J. Horton is a retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) at the University of Maine (UMaine) and a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Maine.  Horton taught introductory and upper division MET courses and served as Program Coordinator.  She is passionate about preparing graduates for professional practice through technical excellence, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills.  Prior to her academic appointment she was a mechanical engineer at Bath Iron Works, a shipbuilding firm in Maine.  Her first engineering position was at the Naval Coastal Systems Center in Panama City, Florida.

Horton served as the Interim Director and co-principal investigator on the 2010 $3.5M UMaine National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant to increase recruitment, retention and advancement of women faculty in STEM and social and behavioral sciences.  The grant supported measurable increases in faculty satisfaction with the institutional climate.  Over ten years the percentage of tenure track and tenured women in engineering increased from 8% to 19%.  She continues to move the needle on issues of inclusion and equity in engineering fields through her service on the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) SWE Research Advisory Committee and the UMaine SWE Collegiate section SWE Counselor.  She served previously on the SWE Senate, for twenty years as advisor of the award-winning UMaine SWE Collegiate section, and as Maine SWE president and secretary.  She was the first SWE representative to the engineering accreditation board, ABET, and she chaired the SWE Government Relations and Public Policy Committee.  Horton holds a M.S. in Industrial Mathematics from the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany; a B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering, Summa cum Laude from Arizona State University; and a B.S. in Education from the State University College at Oneonta, New York.   In May 2023 she also completed a B.A. in Music, summa cum laude, at the University of Maine.  She is a SWE Fellow and Life Member, the recipient of the SWE 2010 Outstanding SWE Counselor Award and the UMaine 2012 Presidential Public Service Achievement Award.  Horton sings enthusiastically in choirs and as a soloist.

Secretary and Webmaster – Miriam Wilcox

Miriam Wilcox holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University and in Plastics Engineering from University of Massachusetts – Lowell.  Among other honors, she was selected as an All-American on Northeastern’s Division 1 Rowing team during her undergrad years.  Miriam’s career has been primarily in the medical device industry  working in a variety of roles including Plastics Engineer, Quality Engineer/Manager, Project Manager and Regulatory Affairs Specialist.  Additionally she’s a Certified Quality Engineer. She has supported teams through various device submissions and led remediation projects including creating updated risk management and label requirement processes. Leading the European Medical Device Regulation effort, she ensuring her site was the first business unit in their company to submit a device under MDR .  She has a passion for training coworkers in systems, regulations and processes and has developed several internal courses to support business needs.

Currently works as a Regulatory Specialist specialized in Software Medical Devices for Smith and Nephew based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  When she lived in New Hampshire, she was involved in Girl Scouts (including as a leader for 4 years), and Girls on the Run.  She lives in the greater Bangor area with her husband, two kids and a menagerie of animals.