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Alma U. Martinez Fallon Northrop Grumman Newport News Manager Society of Women Engineers President

Chicago, IL, July 1, 2003 – Alma U. Martinez Fallon of Northrop Grumman Newport News today takes office as president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). She will serve in the volunteer position for a one-year term. Fallon, a notable engineer and manager, will be formally installed as the 41st president of SWE on August 8, 2003 at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Va.

Fallon’s goals for her term include launching the public policy initiatives and affiliations that will improve the numbers and status of women in engineering. “I am leading the Society into active participation in the forums that define attitudes, policies and legislation impacting the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in engineering through collaboration with other engineering societies and SWE’s Corporate Partnership Council members,” Fallon said. “Other key initiatives during my term are enhancing membership programs and strengthening the Society’s operation infrastructure.”

Fallon is currently the manager of Planning and Manufacturing Engineering for the Structural Fabrication and Assembly Division at Northrop Grumman Newport News. She is responsible for leading an organization of engineers, planners and analysts. Her area is responsible for manufacturing planning processes, facility’s capacity planning, advanced planning for new product lines, SAP/ERP3 implementation and manufacturing technology. She is also program manager for key manufacturing technology research projects.

During her 15-year career with Northrop Grumman Newport News, Fallon has contributed to or managed numerous projects, including water-handling systems design and component integration for auxiliary submarine piping systems in the Seawolf Submarine Engineering Program, propulsion system design and integration in Commercial Ship Engineering, and ship propulsion and auxiliary systems design for Aircraft Carrier Engineering. In addition, Fallon has served as one of 37 experts selected by Northrop Grumman to reengineer company processes.

A senior life member of SWE, Fallon has held numerous national elected and appointed positions during her 18 years of membership in SWE. She is also an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and has held positions at all levels of the organization. She currently serves as a member-at-large on the ASME Council on Public Affairs.

Awards recognizing Fallon’s professional and volunteer contributions include the Society of Women Engineers Distinguished New Engineer Award; the Peninsula Council Doug Ensor Award for Young Engineer of the Year; and in 2002, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Dedicated Service Award. Fallon has also been selected as a Girls Inc. Outstanding Woman in the Community, and as one of America’s leading minority women in technology by Hispanic Engineer and Information Technology magazine.

Fallon earned a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University and a master's degree in Engineering Management from George Washington University.

About SWE
The Society of Women Engineers, founded in 1950, is an educational and service organization with more than 17,000 professional, student and corporate members. The mission of the Society is to help women achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, to expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and to demonstrate the value of diversity.

About Northrop Grumman Newport News
Northrop Grumman Newport News, headquartered in Newport News Va., is the nation’s sole designer, builder, and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two companies capable of designing and building nuclear powered submarines. Newport News also provides after-market services for a wide array of naval and commercial vessels. The Newport News sector employs about 18,000 people.

Contacts:
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Jennifer Dunn
Phone: 1-757-380-3558
Email: Jennifer.Dunn@ngc.com

Society of Women Engineers
Sharon Bennett
Phone: 1-312-596-5223
Email: Sharon.Bennett@swe.org