Kate Gleason
MECHANICAL ENGINEER (1865 - 1933)
Born in 1865, Kate Gleason was an American
mechanical engineer and successful
businesswoman, as well as the first female
admitted to study engineering at Cornell
University. Her father ran a mechanical tool
company, which Kate was involved in from a
young age. She expanded the business
internationally. She became the first woman to
be a full member of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers. Later in life she
focused on building and selling affordable
houses. A fervent supporter of women's
suffrage, Gleason donated significant
amounts of money to the cause.She left the
bulk of her $1.4 million fortune to improve the
Rochester area, including parks and libraries.
Rochester Institute of Technology named the
College of Engineering after her, as a
message to all women.
Ursula Burns
MECHANICAL ENGINEER (1958 - present)
Burns is a successful businesswoman, one of the
first African American women to be CEO of a
Fortune 500 company. She has a Masters in
Mechanical Engineering from Columbia
University and holds several honorary degrees.
An intern at Xerox in 1980, she was promoted
numerous times throughout the 37 years
working there, becoming President, and then
CEO. While at Xerox, Burns formed an
independent technology company. Burns worked
with President Barack Obama, leading the
national STEM programme, investing in
supporting education at a community level and
speaking at non-profits, schools and universities.
Named by Forbes as one of the 100 most
powerful women in the world, at 62 she remains
firm in her desire to show young, minority
girls they can be 'pioneers', just like her.
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