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46 Diversity/Careers In Engineering & Information Technology OctoberlNovember 2011
Transportation technology Continuedframpage 45
"and I also support the infrastructure at New Process Gear (Syracuse, NY), grams division at MNR, Vero worke~
that enables communication from your a company making automobile trans- in capital procurement. One of her pro-
car to systems it needs to talk to at missions. When that job ended with a jects involved the selection process for
Chrysler. We provide 2417 support that layoff she spent two years as a project the MTA's first design-build contrac
includes everything from desk and mo- engineer at Mitten Manufacturing, Inc part of the billion-dollar East Acces,
bile phones to instant messaging with (Syracuse, NY), a maker of lube-oil project. As part of the project she de-
people in any Palt of the world." and gas systems for power generators. veloped new contract terms and con
Hansen was always interested in Another layoff returned her to ditions for a storage yard and servici
computers but she went for a 1990 BS NTID as a fulltime instructor, and she facility in the Bronx, NY.
in elementary education with a minor began taking courses for an MS. But Vero reflects that her education"
in math at the University of Michigan- after five years of teaching she was foundation, extending beyond engi
Dearborn. She taught school for five ready to return to industry, and moved neering, was important prep31'ation for
years, but in that fateful fifth year some to the job at Lycoming. her role as a project leader.
computers were donated to the school, Doane's mother always told her she "It's great to have all the technic
and she was asked to install them and could do anything, and she works to knowledge, but it's also important
set up a network and Web server. inspire that sense of confidence in take humanities and management COl
Complex work. " When I'd done other deaf people pursuing technical es," Vero says. "While I was workL
that, I realized that I really needed to careers. " When I was teaching at on my engineering degrees I took libel
follow up the passion I had for com- Paula Doane: aircraft configuration NTID I always encouraged my stu- al 31tS, economics and project manage
puters and technology," she says. "In management at Lycoming Engines. dents to look at me as an example, to ment courses. It broadens your knowi·
the fall I started working at EDS." see that they could be anything they edge and helps you be well rounded."
In 2006 Hansen completed an MBA wanted to be," she says. After twenty-two years with Metro
from Oakland University (Rochester, I use interpreters on a regular basis," North and MTA Vero is still eager tl
MI). She says her MBA studies helped says Doane. Bernadette Vero: project controls "keep all doors open" for what comes
her understand how technology can be But the greater on-the-job challenge, and tech services at Metro-North next. " I've been very fortunate . I'Vf
used to benefit business, and the im- she thinks, is encouraging techies in- As director of project controls and tech gotten promotions and I like the com·
pOltance of being able to communicate volved in her projects to "break out of services for MTA Metro-NOIth Railroad pany very much. I look forward t,
those benefits. old patterns of thinking, and help new (MNR, New York, NY), Bernadette more roles in leadership, wherever th
"Having a widget on the desk does contractors adjust to work processes Vero keeps track of about a billion dol- takes me," she concludes.
not do much good unless you can they aren ' t accustomed to." lars in capital expenditures every five
translate the value it adds to the busi- At the Rochester Institute of Tech- years. That's P31t of a $23.8 billion New Britta Gross works on infrastructun
ness and communicate that in an ef- nology (RIT, Rochester, NY) Doane York Metropolitan Transportation Au- to support the Chevy Volt
fective way," Hansen says. earned an associate degree in industrial thority (MTA) capital investment pro- In her work as director of global energ
drafting technology in 1991 , a BS in gram for repairing and replacing trains, systems and infrastructure commerci r
Paula Doane is a design engineer ME technology in 1999 and an MS busses and subway cars, implementing ization for General Motors Corp (Gl\
at Lycoming Engines from the school's Center for Multidisci- new signal technology and launching a Detroit, MI), Britta Gross collaborate
Design engineer Paula Doane works in plinary Studies, focusing on engineer- new sm31tcard fare collection system. with energy conipanies, utility compa-
the configuration management depart- ing, business and instruction, in 2004. Metro-North is run and managed by nies and government officials to plan
ment at aircraft engine manufacturer After she completed the drafting de- the MTA, and provides commuter rail fueling stations and the infrastructure
Lycoming Engines (Williamsport, PA). gree she spent eight years as a drafter services to the New York and Connecti- required for vehicles that don ' t run o·
She manages a staff of fourteen em- at Getinge (Rochester, NY), a medical cut suburbs north of New York City. gasoline. That, for example, might t
ployees. Because she ' s hearing im- technology company, while also at- With a staff of about a dozen, Vero is charging stations for electric vehicll
paired, she sometimes has a sign lan- tending night school and working as a in chal'ge of providing estimates, sched- like the plug-in Chevrolet Volt.
guage interpreter at her side. part-time instructor at the National uling and repolts to SUppOlt project man- " We have a number of vehicle
" As a manager and s upervisor I Technical Institute of the Deaf (NTID), agers involved in the capital program. models today that can either be fueled
have to have direct communication one of RIT's eight colleges . She's been with Metro NOIth since 1989 with gasoline or with a gas/ethanol
with individual employees, lead teams, With her BS in hand Doane moved and moved into this job in 2007. mix," says Gross . "If we end up with,
and participate actively in meetings, so to a position as a production designer Vero began with a 1986 BSME for example, very high oil prices and a
from Manhattan College (Riverdale, situation where oil supply and demand
NY). She worked for three years as a are getting out of balance, consumers
consultant to Metro-North, frequently with these flex-fuel vehicles have an-
DIVERSITY-MINDED TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYERS finding herself the only woman on pro- other solution."
Company and location Business area From page 45 ject construction sites. But she never Based in Orlando, FL and working
encountered gender baniers on the job, primarily from a home office, Gross
Metro North Railroad (New York, NY) Local rail transportation
www.mta.info she say s: "If you know your work, has been in her current post since 2004.
people will respect you." She joined GM ' s advanced vehicle
Navistar, Inc (Warrenville, IL) Commercial vehicle and diesel engine manufacturing She took graduate courses at night technology team in 2002, working on
www. navistar.com
and completed an MSCE at Manhattan the development of hydrogen fueling
Nissan North America (Nashville , TN) Automobile manufacturing College in 1989. Always fascinated stations, following a seven-year stint
www.nissan-usa.com with building construction, she chose with the company's Opel subsidiary in
Raytheon Co (Waltham , MA) Military and commercial electronics
CE to learn more about the theory be- Russelsheim, Germany.
www.raytheon.com hind it. "My work on construction sites Gross ealTIed a BSEE from Louisiana
taught me all about the practical side," State University in 1983. After gradua-
Union Pacific Railroad (Omaha, NE) Transportation , freight she says with a smile. tion she went to Los Angeles, CA to
www. unionpacific.jobs
Before moving into the capital pro- Continued on page 48
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