Arrow Highlights Contributions of Female Engineers on International Women in Engineering Day
International Women in Engineering Day annually celebrates the valuable contribution of women in the engineering field. At Arrow, we encourage more young women to pursue important engineering roles as technology is integrated into all aspects of our lives and work. To mark the day, here are three engineers at Arrow whose work demonstrates how engineering makes the benefits of technology accessible to as many people as possible.
Victoria Bohannon-Pea
Victoria joined Arrow five years ago as an intern. She is a first--generation college graduate, earning a BS in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Business Administration at Colorado State University.
At Arrow, Victoria serves as an engineering services project manager for several customer products in development. She also manages some of Arrow CSR’s humanitarian technology projects, including guidance controls for a giant 3-D printer that “builds” a small concrete house in less than two days – a possible solution to the global need for affordable housing.
Victoria advises the National Society of Black Engineers professional chapter in Denver, as well as the Students of Color in Technology Initiative.
“It’s motivating to work on engineering projects that make people’s lives better,” Victoria said. “I make it a point to work with the next generation of engineers so they can see how we make a difference.”
Hannah Bettinger
Hannah joined Arrow four years ago as an intern from the University of Denver. Today she is the technical program manager for the Colorado Open Lab, an innovation space that enables collaboration, solution design and proof of concept development for customers and suppliers. Among her partners is the Colorado Smart City Alliance to prototype solutions for smart, connected infrastructure and municipal services.
Hannah serves as the technical advisor for Arrow CSR’s collaboration with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver to design and build maker spaces in the organization’s 22 neighborhood facilities. Using Arrow’s Open Lab design as an inspiration, the maker spaces are a prototype for clubs nationally seeking to expand STEM education programming.
Said Hannah, “Fostering innovation is essential whether it’s in business or in school. Extending the Open Lab concept is a way to learn how to do hands-on work identifying and solving problems.”
Cheri K. Sanchez
Cheri has worked for Arrow for more than 10 years. She is a technical sales engineer and global account manager in the U.S., including supplier selection, new technology adoption and program management for an array of customers, including startups. She earned her BS in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado and an MBA from Regis University.
For Arrow CSR, she serves as the technical and relationship lead for We Care Solar, a non-profit dedicated to improving survival rates for mothers and their newborns in remote communities. The nonprofit invented the Solar Suitcase, a portable solar-powered battery system that can run a medical clinic all night. Cheri’s team helped the nonprofit design, test and manufacture the third-generation Solar Suitcase that is less expensive, more powerful, easier to manufacture and offers new capabilities, including six medical-grade LED lights. We Care Solar and Arrow shared the 2019 Edison Gold Award for Social Innovation for Solar Suitcase 3.0.
“Helping mothers and their babies though technology – it doesn’t get any better than that,” Cheri said. “The Solar Suitcase combines my professional knowledge and a social purpose in a single project.”
About Arrow Electronics
Arrow Electronics (NYSE:ARW) guides innovation forward for over 175,000 leading technology manufacturers and service providers. With 2019 sales of $29 billion, Arrow develops technology solutions that improve business and daily life. Learn more at FiveYearsOut.com.
