Wanda Reder

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Greetings, Chicago Section Members. By now, I am sure that you have heard of the IEEE Chicago Section 2015 Fellows Pilot Program. One may ask, “What is the Fellows Pilot program?” In order to provide a well rounded response, I thought it best to introduce the committee members to the Section for input on their program. Every month the Section will publish a feature article on each committee member. The Fellows Pilot program is a committee of three Fellows and one non-Fellow supporting member.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the first committee member, Wanda Reder, IEEE Fellow and Chief Strategy Officer at S & C Electric. Ms. Reder was inducted as a Fellow in 2012. I listened as she humbly conveyed her experience of being nominated and selected by her peers. In 2014, she was a recipient of the Richard Emberson Award (http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/emberson.html) at Sections Congress in Amsterdam. It was my pleasure as I witnessed her receive the award. Talk about a humbling experience.
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Vickie: As a member of the Fellows Pilot Program Committee, what are a few of the short term goals that you envision for the program?
Wanda: The program will be beneficial in forming communities amongst the Fellows and their peers that will make connections to bring disciplines together in order to address emerging areas. Our IEEE Fellows provide vision to guide IEEE developments to ensure relevancy for changing conditions. First, the Fellows are the most technologically advanced and highest ranked members that have a lot to share and offer the Chicago Section. It makes sense that there is a venue for the Fellows to get to know one another across all disciplines. As the community forms, we may choose to support local STEM activity and provide mentor opportunities as a group. The quest for IEEE is to identify the trends, transition into being knowledge based and become much more nimble in the communities so that Fellows with diverse technical backgrounds who share common aspirations may connect rapidly around the world.
Vickie: Congratulations on being selected as the Chief Strategy Officer for S & C Electric. What is your long term strategic vision for the Fellows Pilot program?
Wanda: The importance of strategy is critical to the success of an organization. From an industry perspective, I developed the Solutions business for over 10 years at S & C and found it very rewarding to assemble a team as I witnessed operable systems come to fruition. The power and energy industry is facing uncertainty and the rate of change is occurring faster than ever which is why strategy is important in order to be nimble and dynamic. As a result, my organization offers project management, construction services and on-going field support that deliver value to our customers who pursue grid modernization technology. This has proven to be an important growth engine for her company. A few of the developments specifically at S & C are self-healing distribution systems, electric storage installations, and renewable facilities just to name a few.
Vickie: Since being inducted as an IEEE Fellow in (year) what accomplishments are you most proud of?
Wanda: During 2008-2009, I was the first woman to serve as President of the Power and Energy Society and developed trendsetting programs that now serve as IEEE models today. Membership increased from 20,000 to 30,000 when other society memberships were declining. I also pioneered two notable IEEE initiatives: the IEEE Smart Grid and the PES Scholarship Plus. The launch of the IEEE Smart Grid carved a leadership position for IEEE as a definitive source for information on grid technology with the aid of social media tools that enhanced the IEEE brand. The program continues to grow with global participation of 1.4 million portal page views, 21,800 LinkedIn members and 7,500 Twitter followers. The PES Scholarship program attracts the best and brightest in the power industry. Since 2011, over $1.1 million has been allocated through 549 scholarships to 364 undergrad engineering students. Over 160 companies have hired a PES scholar.

Finally as the interview came to a close, I asked Ms. Reder to share a brief experience on any obstacles she may have encountered in becoming an IEEE Fellow and during her accomplishments. I listened intensely as she confirmed that there will always be obstacles regardless of where an individual is in life. But she quickly revealed that success comes with recognizing and overcoming challenges. She emphasized that accomplishments occur in a team oriented environment. She recognized that working with many others over the years helped achieve a vision…her vision. Ms. Reder ended the interview on a positive note by stating that one should follow his or her passion and to pursue opportunities with avenge and commitment.
I wish to thank Ms. Reder for taking the time to discuss her passion for the IEEE as a Fellow and her organization’s success. On a non-related note, I recently learned that Ms. Reder is seeking the IEEE Presidency for which I was happy to sign her petition. For you see, I met her over 5 years ago when I first became WIE Chair. After a long international flight, she graciously agreed to give a Power presentation at my first event. Her presentation was certainly a wow factor to a lot of aspiring young graduating women engineers. Her dedication demonstrated leadership at its finest. Good luck Ms. Reder, or as I have come to know her as Wanda.

Vickie L. Peters
Chicago Section Chair