Kathleen A. Kramer

2024 IEEE President-Elect

Professor, Electrical Engineering Department, University of San Diego, California, USA

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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.

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Invited Speech Title

Challenges and Rewards in Building

Diverse Technical Communities

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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.