Kathleen A. Kramer
2024 IEEE President-Elect
Professor, Electrical Engineering Department, University of San Diego, California, USA
Biography: Kathleen A. Kramer, the 2024 IEEE President-Elect, is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of San Diego in California. She worked to develop new engineering programs as a founding member of the faculty and eventually became the chair of electrical engineering, and then serving as Director of Engineering (2004-2013), providing academic leadership for all of the university’s engineering programs. Her teaching interests are in the areas of signal processing, mechatronics and robotics, and communication systems.
She has also been a Member of Technical Staff at several companies, including ViaSat, Hewlett Packard, and Bell Communications Research. She is a Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS) and is a past vice president of the society. She is a Fellow of ABET, and a leader in the development of criteria for cybersecurity, mechatronics, and robotics.
She served on the IEEE Board of Directors as IEEE Secretary and chair of Governance, and as IEEE Region 6 (Western USA) Director. She was also chair of the 2023 IEEE Ad Hoc on Innovating Funding Models.
She received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering magna cum laude with a second major in physics from Loyola Marymount University, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology.
Invited Speech Title
Challenges and Rewards in Building
Diverse Technical Communities
Abstract: STEM fields are imperative to solving some of the grand challenges facing society, such as climate change, cyberwarfare, and public health. It is essential that the voices of a diverse range of engineers, technicians, and technologists are part of the conversation shaping our future. The presentation will discuss how best to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive IEEE.