SpaceX the Alan Notes

President and COO Gwynne Shotwell spoke about discovering her passion for engineering and taking advantage of wide-ranging opportunities in front of an audience of about 100 female 11th and 12th grade students from Da Vinci Schools in June. Shotwell was one of seven senior level executive women who discussed what it takes to get ahead and be successful as part of a half-day Young Women's Career Conference held June 1, 2013 at the Don and Sari Brann Center at Peter Burnett Elementary School in the Wiseburn community.

Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, was the keynote speaker at Da Vinci Schools' Young Women's Career Conference. Shotwell is shown with Da Vinci Design and Da Vinci Science 12th grade event organizers (l-r): Nora Rosales, Karen Gutierrez, Kassandra Castellanos, Ruqayya Toorawa, Dondei Dean, Cassidy Nguyen and Erica Heded. Not shown: Priscilla Romero.

The conference, "Changing the World...Choosing to Succeed, " featured "seven very powerful and diverse women representing the worlds of engineering, education, film, science, advertising, justice, and design, " said Melanie Franko, Director of Real World Learning at Da Vinci Schools, who organized the event. The speakers shared stories of their personal and career growth as managers, mentors, mothers and innovators.

Additional speakers who inspired and encouraged the students included Dr. Ilene Straus, VP of the California State Board of Education; Dr. Diane Perlov, Senior VP of Exhibits at the California Science Center; Dana Commandatore, Executive VP of Deutsch Advertising Agency; Sandra Munoz, Former President of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association; Kelly Slattery, Executive Film Producer at Therapy Studios; and Renee Tadros, Designer at RST Creatives.