Women in Engineering, Chicago Chapter

The Women in Engineering (WIE), Chicago Affiliate of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) serves women engineering and computer professionals in the twelve counties of the greater Chicago area. As part of the Chicago Section, the WIE Chapter provides a local interface to the worldwide network of the IEEE. In addition, the WIE organizes technical presentations, social events, and networking opportunities of interest to women engineering professionals.

Links

IEEE Women in Engineering

Leadership

Chair:

Jiaqi Chen is a data scientist at Google with a deep commitment to advancing women in engineering, inclusive leadership, and community engagement. She actively mentors aspiring professionals through organizations such as INFORMS and Women in Tech, advocating for equitable access to opportunities and greater representation in STEM fields. Jiaqi has led cultural and professional development initiatives through her involvement with Google Asians in Finance and previously served as Executive Vice President of Ascend’s GWU Chapter, where she supported Pan-Asian business professionals and student leadership. Her passion lies in creating supportive, data-informed communities that uplift emerging talent and champion diversity. She holds master’s degrees in Business Analytics from George Washington University and Finance from Johns Hopkins University. Jiaqi previously served as the IEEE WIE Chicago Vice Chair over the past year and now brings her experience and vision to lead the section as Chair.

Vice Chair:

Manish Anand brings over two decades of expertise in designing and implementing enterprise-level data solutions, with a career spanning industries such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare manufacturing, insurance, and banking. Based in Chicago, Manish currently serves as a Senior IT Developer Analyst at Medline Industries, LP, where he leads global teams and architects innovative data management systems that drive business transformation. Known for his ability to harness data to solve complex business challenges, Manish is passionate about mentoring and empowering diverse talent in technology. He is a Senior Member of IEEE (USA), holding a Master’s degree in Computer Applications and a Postgraduate diploma in Data Science. His contributions extend beyond the workplace, having served as a reviewer for prestigious organizations like IEEE and AMIA, and as an industry judge for various awards and hackathons. Recently, he co-chaired the poster presentation session at the 2025 IEEE RTC Conference.

Secretary:

Lori is a Business Analyst working in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) for a global bicycle component manufacturer. She focuses on configuration and change management, supporting cross-functional teams to improve engineering processes and system clarity. As Secretary of the IEEE Chicago Women in Engineering (WIE) section, Lori is dedicated to supporting initiatives that foster community, professional growth, and greater representation of women in engineering and technology.

Treasurer:

Shruti Hardia is a software development engineer with approximately ten years of experience designing, modernizing, and securing mission-critical digital infrastructure for high-compliance industries, including healthcare and enterprise services. She specializes in large-scale distributed systems, AWS cloud architecture, Kubernetes-based containerization, .NET Core development, DevOps automation, and AI-driven system reliability. She holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and currently works at WEX Health Inc in the Chicago area. Shruti actively mentors aspiring professionals through organizations such as Women in Tech and Next Wave Hub, advocating for equitable access to opportunities and greater representation in STEM fields. Additionally, she has contributed to the global research community through multiple IEEE-published works, demonstrating her commitment to advancing both the theoretical and practical foundations of critical digital infrastructure.