Distinguished MSE Alumna Leads the Next Generation of Engineers
By Marlese Lessing
MSE alumna, Dr. Jacquelynn Garofano
A highly accomplished and distinguished MSE alumna, Dr. Jacquelynn Garofano (M.S. ’09, Ph.D. ’11), has been named Program Manager of the prestigious Margaret Ingels Engineering Development Program at United Technologies (UTC). The program is named after Margaret Ingels, the first American woman to receive a professional degree in mechanical engineering (B.S. 1916; M.S. 1920, University of Kentucky) and the first female engineer at Carrier where she spent a distinguished technical career and was a close associate of Willis Carrier.
Jackie began her career at UTC as a senior research scientist at the Research Center (UTRC) in 2011. For more than seven years, she worked to solve technical challenges, provide failure investigation and develop innovative technologies for UTC’s aerospace and building industries, leveraging her materials engineering expertise. Now, she draws on her solid technical foundation, leadership competencies and social impact to lead UTC’s newest leadership program.
“In my new role, I have the privilege of cultivating and leading the next generation of engineers who will shape our future. I can’t wait to welcome our first cohort into UTC this June!” Jackie said.
The Ingels program is a two-year, entry-level engineering development program designed to build engineering, leadership, and business acumen through a challenging, fast-paced rotation experience. Program associates will receive a holistic view of United Technologies through four six-month rotations at Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and UTRC across engineering disciplines that exposes them to the product life-cycle: design, manufacturing, testing & validation, operations, delivery, and so on.
Jackie is responsible for recruiting top engineering talent for UTC and is actively seeking engineers for the second cohort, which starts in 2020. In addition to the Ingels program management, she says, “I also have an opportunity to support UTC’s strategic initiatives in STEM education and workforce development to ensure that we are fostering a diverse and competitive technical engineering workforce and pipeline.”
Dr. Garofano was named a 2011 Women of Innovation by the Connecticut Technology Council, as a recipient of the Collegian Innovation and Leadership Award, capping off an exceptional career at UConn. Early in her professional career, she earned the unique distinction of landing on the Forty Under 40 outstanding young professional list for Connecticut Magazine (2013) and Hartford Business Journal (2015). Most recently, she was recognized as a 2018 Future is NOW awardee by the CT Women’s Education and Legal Fund for her work to advance women and girls in the STEM field.
Congratulations to Jackie for all her accomplishments, for promoting the next generation of emerging leaders in engineering and, above all, for being an exemplary leader for the Margaret Ingels program.
Published: April 3, 2019
Categories: alumni, industry, leadership, news
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