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14 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2023 Teaching, like writing, has helped me develop and clarify my own thoughts; to that end, it is a self-fulfilling task as well. I am happy to be helpful to younger women engineers; being helpful and being able to con- tribute is a good feeling. In one of my speaking engagements, the president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Cleveland wrote to me aer the event: Dear Dr. Hwang , on behalf of SWE, I would like you to know how much I appreciate your illu- minating speech at the SWE. Because of this suc- cessful event, SWE has plans for expanding our mentor program. I was inspired by your journey to success. I plan to attend graduate school and your story of balancing professional accomplish- ments with a rewarding personal and family life encourages me to pursue all my dreams. It is tremendously humbling to read letters like this from budding young women engineers. Another experience that has been forma- tive for me is my advisory capacity to the U.S. Defense Department's ManTech program. In the late 1980s, the Defense department's Man- Tech program set a goal to reduce cost and to enhance the reliability of electronics weapons on a national scale. e Army Materiel Command was searching for advice, not only academic sci- entific expertise but also manufacturing know- how. Aer my first book was published in 1989— in which I related microelectronics/electronics technology to manufacturing—I was invited to be an advisor to help advance that goal. Looking back, it was an efficacious and sat- isfying task. Certainly, working in this capac- ity meant putting my engineering background to work. is is also another manifestation of the substantial role of engineering to national defense and security. Distilling from my commencement speech at Ohio University, a few points on this topic are perhaps worth sharing: • Keep a broad perspective to develop a world view—this is especially applicable to engineers. • Always acquire new knowledge and skills, and learn fast. • Meet a challenge head-on and go for creativity and innovation. • Prepare to deliver more than what is expected in any task. • Keep in mind that the best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work well. • When opportunity knocks on your door, you will be able to open the door. If a door does not exist, build one. • Success is a journey—a long, steady journey, made of many, little, daily victories. • Nothing can replace hard work. SMT007 Dr. Jennie S. Hwang—an inter- national businesswoman and speaker and a business and tech- nology advisor—is a pioneer and long-standing leader to SMT manufacturing since its incep- tion as well as to the develop- ment and implementation of lead-free electronics technology. Among her many awards and honors, she was inducted to the International Hall of Fame– Women in Technology, elected to the National Acad- emy of Engineering, named an R&D Star to Watch, and received a YWCA Achievement Award. Hav- ing held senior executive positions with Lockheed Martin Corp., Sherwin Williams Co., and SCM Corp., she was the CEO of International Electronic Mate- rials Corp. and is currently CEO of H-Technologies Group, providing business, technology, and man- ufacturing solutions. She has served on the board of Fortune-500 NYSE companies and civic and uni- versity boards; the Commerce Department's Export Council; the National Materials and Manufacturing Board; the NIST Assessment Board; as the chairman of the Assessment Board of DoD Army Research Laboratory and the chairman of the Assessment Board of Army Engineering Centers; and various national panels/committees and international lead- ership positions. She is the author of 600+ publica- tions and several books and is a speaker and author on trade, business, education, and social issues. Her formal education includes four academic degrees, as well as the Harvard Business School Executive Program and Columbia University Corporate Gov- ernance Program. For more information, visit Jen- nieHwang.com. To read past columns, click here.