Episode 159: Ruth Shafer & SWE
Ruth Irene Shafer was born on March 12, 1912 in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated high school in 1930 as saludatorian. She attended University of Wisconsin at Madison to study French and hoped to become a diplomat before discovering the US did not hire female diplomats. During college she was involved in sports and worked many jobs including stoking the hand-fired furnace at her house to cover her rent. She graduated in 1934 and started teaching and also working as a credit manager, a bookkeeper, and accountant. In 1941, she was hired by a coal furnace company in New York City as a secretary and bookkeeper. Eventually she worked her way up to be vice president of the special control division of two furnace distribution companies by 1950. In 1953, she left her job to start her own HVAC design company OverHead Heaters. In 1957, she closed her business to take a job at Gibbs & Cox, a naval architecture and engineering firm working in the ventilation section of the Hull Division designing systems and calculating HVAC loads. She was a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) from 1950-1958. In 1958 she joined the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and in 1956 she became a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). In 1958 Ruth was the development committee chair for SWE and spearheaded the SWE Drive, a fundraising effort for the group. They were aiming to raise $250,000 for the group in 3 years with hopes of getting an office in the new United Engineering Center (UEC) in New York City. She encouraged the various sections to fundraise at all costs and promoted life-time memberships. The yearly SWE National Convention began hosting an auction in 1960 with Ruth at the helm every year. It became a favorite and hilarious event of the conventions. She was given the nickname Ruth ‘Dollar Sign’ $hafer. Ruth was also the convention and operations chairman for the first International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES) which was to be held in New York City in 1964 to coincide with the World’s Fair, and hosted by SWE. In 1971, Ruth retired and was awarded the first SWE Certificate of Recognition. Ruth passed away on May 19, 1972 in New York City at 60 years old after a battle with cancer. Elsie Eaves wrote her obituary.
Caryatid: Janeen Uzzell
Janeen is the CEO of the NSBE or the National Society of Black Engineers. She is from Newark, New Jersey originally and got a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In 2002 she went to work for General Electric and in 2016 took over the Women in Technology programs at the company. She decided she wanted to stay in technology rather than design engineering because she feels that ‘without a doubt, the next way the world will be changed from a justice perspective is through technology.’ So she went to work for Wikipedia as their COO. In 2021, she was asked to become the CEO of the National Society of Black Engineers. This was right as the organization was about to celebrate its 50th anniversary. NSBE’s mission is ‘to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.’
References
“(1394) Ruth Shafer, ICWES II.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 23 Sept. 2008, reuther.wayne.edu/node/1830.
“(1395) Ruth Shafer, Portrait.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 23 Sept. 2008, reuther.wayne.edu/node/1831.
“(2191) Ruth Shafer, Auction, 1966 National Convention.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 5 Aug. 2008, reuther.wayne.edu/node/402.
“(2381) Ruth Shafer, SWE Drive, 1960 National Convention.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 25 July 2008, reuther.wayne.edu/node/260.
“(2393) Ruth Shafer, SWE Drive, 1961 National Convention.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 29 July 2008, reuther.wayne.edu/node/323.
“(2427) Participants, 1963 National Convention.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 4 Aug. 2008, reuther.wayne.edu/node/387.
“(2482) Ruth Shafer, Auction, 1965 National Convention.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 5 Aug. 2008, reuther.wayne.edu/node/395.
“(2666) Ruth Shafer, Certificate of Recognition.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 11 Sept. 2008, reuther.wayne.edu/node/1365.
“(2760) Ruth Shafer, Elsie Eaves, 1962 National Convention.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 4 Aug. 2008, reuther.wayne.edu/node/372.
“(30952) SWE Mine Tour, 1963.” Walter P. Reuther Library, 29 Apr. 2014, reuther.wayne.edu/node/11603.
Eller English, Troy. “Weak Rejections and Strong SWE Networks.” SWE Magazine, season-01 2022, swe.org/magazine/scrapbook-spring-22.
---. “Women’s History Month 2023 - Ruth Shafer.” YouTube, uploaded by Society of Women Engineers [Society of Women Engineers], 17 Mar. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQLh7sJY6DE.
“Janeen Uzzell.” National Society of Black Engineers, nsbe.org/storage/2025/12/Janeen_Uzzell_Media_Kit_NSBE.pdf.
Perusek, Anne, and Troy Eller English. SWE Stories, Tales From the Archives: Big Trees From Little Acorns Grow. episode 203, 29 Nov. 2022. Soundcloud, swe.org/podcast/episode/ep-203-swe-stories-tales-from-the-archives-big-trees-from-little-acorns-grow.
Robotics Education and Competition Foundation. “Black History Month 2023 Feature: Janeen Uzzell.” RECF, 26 Feb. 2023, recf.org/black-history-month-2023-feature-janeen-uzzell.
“Trailblazing Women Engineers Since 1919 -- Discover the Inspiring History of SWE.” SWE, swe.org/75th/timeline/#1919.
Wikipedia contributors. “Janeen Uzzell.” Wikipedia, 2 Dec. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janeen_Uzzell.
---. “Ruth Shafer.” Wikipedia, 23 June 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Shafer.
---. “Society of Women Engineers.” Wikipedia, 13 May 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Women_Engineers.
She Builds Podcast is a proud member of the Gābl Media network. Come join us!
Introducing the Gābl Media AEC Community Memberships. An interactive community platform for you, our audience! Ready to Start? JOIN NOW. Already a member? Login, gain instant access to the community, resources, and the most convenient way to get your continuing education credits.
Be sure to check out: https://gablemedia.com/shebuilds
