AI & Your Job Search Event with Megan Pawlak

SBWiSTEM is excited to hear about an upcoming event with Megan Pawlak, Founder of Benandanti Consulting and Chief People Strategist!

The job market is tough, but you don't have to go it alone. Get a recruiter's view of how AI has changed hiring, and learn new strategies to help you land your next role. 

Megan Pawlak, Founder and Principal Recruiter of Benandanti Consulting, is hosting a workshop and mixer to pull back the curtain on how these tools work, give you tips and tricks to leverage AI effectively in your search, offer space for experimentation, and provide live resume feedback.

Your ticket includes two drinks (beer, wine, or NA) and snacks. Select the "Women In STEM" ticket at checkout to receive a discount. Limited slots are available.  

Bring your laptop, and the most recent version of your resume. We hope to see you there!

Buy your ticket here!

Seeking a new Director of Educational Outreach!

We’re excited to share an opportunity to get more involved with SBWiSTEM. We are currently seeking a new Director of Educational Outreach to join our Board! This volunteer role is ideal for someone who enjoys working with schools and organizations. This role is perfect for someone who enjoys supporting our local educational community. As Director of Educational Outreach, you will work with local schools and organizations on events and outreach efforts that expose students to STEM career paths and opportunities. These efforts may include coordinating and supporting panel discussions, hands-on workshops, career fairs, and more. 

You’ll be the main point of contact for local schools (K-12 and college/university) and organizations (for example, Partners in Education and Girls Inc.). You will be responsible for how SBWiSTEM engages with these organizations to support their events and efforts - for example, by providing feedback, volunteers, or speakers. 

We’re looking for someone who’s comfortable using Google Drive tools and communicating through text, email, Slack, phone, and in-person. Teamwork is key, so enjoying collaborative work is a plus! Like all SBWiSTEM Board positions, this is a volunteer role—great for someone who wants to get more involved in our STEM community. Time commitment is about 4-6 hours per month.

If you are organized and passionate about inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders, this position could be a great fit for you! If you are interested in filling the Educational Outreach role, please complete this expression of interest form by September 26, 2025. We will evaluate submissions and be in touch. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you! 

Seeking a new Volunteer Liaison!

Hello from Santa Barbara Women in STEM (SBWiSTEM)!

As we continue to be dynamic and shape our events and group to fit the needs of our community, we are seeking a Volunteer Liaison to support the SBWiSTEM Board! This role is perfect for someone who enjoys building connections and supporting community events. As Volunteer Liaison, you’ll help identify and communicate with volunteers who are excited about supporting the SBWiSTEM mission. You’ll be the main point of contact for volunteers, keeping their contact information organized and helping coordinate their roles at events. You’ll also stay in touch with some of our local partner organizations and schools.

We’re looking for someone who’s comfortable using Google Drive tools and communicating through text, email, Slack, phone, and in-person. Teamwork is key, so enjoying collaborative work is a plus! Like all SBWiSTEM Board positions, this is a volunteer role—great for someone who wants to get more involved in our STEM community. Time commitment is about 4 hours per month.

Volunteers you support will help at professional development and community events in a variety of ways—whether that’s speaking on panels, sharing photography skills, or assisting with event logistics like greeting guests, managing name tags, or setting up food and signage.

If you’re organized, enjoy meeting new people, and want to support fun, engaging events—this could be a great fit for you!

If you are interested in filling the Volunteer Liaison role, please complete this expression of interest form by August 22, 2025. We will evaluate submissions and be in touch. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you! 

Meet our Panelists! To Pivot or Not to Pivot

Meet our panelists! we are hosting a “To Pivot or Not to Pivot” panel discussion, with speakers from a variety of industries and with diverse experiences. Panelists will share lessons learned and insights from navigating their pivots (or decisions not to pivot) and recommendations on how to create a solid support system to achieve your goals.

- Michelle Carlen -

Panelist

Michelle leverages over 25 years of expertise in hospitality, tourism, and property management to produce value-added results for her clients, including impactful and sustainable strategies, improvements in organizational development, executive presence and communication skills, robust growth cycles and bottom line, and positive growth mindsets. 

Michelle is an energetic professional business and career coach, trainer, and facilitator who has worked with hundreds of clients including organization executives, business owners, entrepreneurs, employees, and job seekers. Before joining WEV as an instructor, Michelle had been familiar with the organization and admired its work.

- Julia StewarT Lowndes -

Panelist

Julia Stewart Lowndes, PhD is a marine ecologist working at the intersection of actionable environmental science, data science, and open science. Julia’s main focus is mentoring teams to develop technical and leadership mindsets and skills for data-intensive research, grounded in climate solutions, inclusion, and kindness. She founded Openscapes in 2018 as a Mozilla Fellow and Senior Fellow at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at UCSB, having earned her PhD from Stanford University in 2012 studying drivers and impacts of Humboldt squid in a changing climate.  

- Christina Hamilton -

Panelist

Christina Hamilton is a software engineer at Invoca. After 6 years as a content marketing professional, she enrolled in UCLA's Full Stack Web Development Bootcamp and entered the computer science industry as a quality assurance engineer, before transitioning to software development. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara.

- DEBRA COOK -

Panelist

Debra Cook has a BS in Physics from Humboldt State University and an MS in Physics from University of Washington. She worked in nanotechnology for 20 years (scanning probe microscopy and nanoscale infrared spectroscopy) as an applications scientist and R&D applications manager. Her first career pivot was changing from full time to part-time/contract work when she had children. Her second career pivot four years ago was changing to a new role in a new field, design verification engineering in the medical device industry.

- ROWSHAN RIMA -

Panelist

Hi, I’m Rowshan Rima. I have a master’s in mechanical engineering from University of South Carolina-Columbia, and currently working as a Design Verification Engineer in Karl-Storz. My professional passion lies in conducting research and finding innovative solutions to complex problems. My pivotal moment was when I made the decision to become the primary caregiver for my daughter, and I’ve had the privilege of staying with her for the first 5 years of her life.

In my free time, you can often find me travelling, and taking photographs. I am excited about personal and professional growth, both within the company and as a parent to my daughter.

- RASHI BAHRI -

Panelist

Bio coming soon!

Santa Barbara Women in STEM - A registered 501(c)(3) Organization

president@sbwomeninstem.org