The Women Behind the Mission

Leading: The Women Behind the Mission

WPI’s Women’s Impact Network Executive, Impact Grant and Engagement Committees are in place to govern and drive WIN’s mission ensuring the pooled philanthropy has the greatest impact advancing WPI’s current and future women in STEM. 

Executive Committee 

Patti Newcomer-Small '90 Co-Chair 
Beth Anne Willett ’93 Co-Chair 
Audrey Fitzgerald 
Maureen McCaffrey '86 
Karen Oliver '82 
Janet O’Leary ‘84 
Beth Phalen '85 
Joan Szkutak '79
Jennifer Wyse '94 
 
Donna Stock, P ’11, ex-officio 

Impact Grant Committee 

Audrey Fitzgerald, Co-Chair 
Karen Oliver ‘82, Co-Chair 
Avery Closser MS '19, PhD '22 
Maureen McCaffrey ‘86  
Janet O’Leary '84  
Ellen Piccioli
Suzanne Sontgerath '88  
Beth Anne Willett '93  

Engagement Committee 

Beth Anne Willett '93, co-Chair 
Rachel LeBlanc 02, MS'08, MBA'13 co-Chair 
Patti Newcomer Small ‘90  
Janet O’Leary ‘84 
Karen Oliver ‘82 
Suzanne Sontgerath ‘88 
Jennifer Wyse ‘94  

Meet the Members

Patti Newcomer-Small '90
There are lots of opportunities for women to impact WPI - but especially through WIN and the ability to fund projects that support the female community at WPI or those that could be at WPI in the future, whether on-campus or off.
  • Patti Newcomer-Small '90
Audrey Fitzgerald
I have found such a great community of women here through my involvement with WIN. If I had had an organization like WIN supporting me while I was a student it would have had a positive impact on my college experience.
  • Audrey Fitzgerald
Beth Phalen '85
I saw so many times in my career how women are still underrepresented in technology, especially in senior management. WPI can play an important role in helping more women build successful technical careers. Education, and especially STEM education, is one of the core areas that I want to contribute to in my retirement.
  • Beth Phalen '85
Janet O'Leary '84
I believe there is no way I would be where I am today, both personally and professionally, without the education and the financial help I got from WPI. Someone, likely over 40 years ago, developed a scholarship fund from which I benefited…That is why making gifts to WPI, as well as supporting and being an active part of the Women’s Impact Network, is so important. Years from now women I hope women will say the same about the work we are doing now – that it helped them become strong, independent, brilliant thinkers!
  • Janet O'Leary '84
Jenn Wyse '94
Supporting everyone at WPI is important to me, and I have been a continuous donor since graduation as a symbol of my gratitude for the experience I had. My recent donations have been designated to the Women’s Impact Network (WIN), as I appreciate the opportunity to direct funding to specific programs that will deliver the greatest impact for the women of WPI, which will in turn help the broader WPI community. When one of us wins, we all win.
  • Jenn Wyse '94
Beth Anne Willett '93
I support WPI because it was instrumental to launching my enjoyable career and connected me to lifetime friends.
  • Beth Anne Willett '93
Karen Oliver '82
Throughout my life, I would not have achieved the successes I’ve had without the belief and support of others. Without the financial, academic and community support that WPI provided, I would not have been able to attend or graduate from WPI. I am blessed to be able to support future WPI students and others so that they can have the same opportunities, experiences, and successes that I have enjoyed.
  • Karen Oliver '82
Joan Szkutak '79
WPI enabled both myself and my husband to have very successful business careers and so it is great to now give back to enable the next generation of WPI students to get an outstanding education at WPI.
  • Joan Szkutak '79