audio by artist renee weisman marge inden bernice brody

Renee Weisman, Marge Inden, and Bernice Brody discuss the difficult first days they each had as women engineers in a male-dominated profession in the late 1960s and 1970s, and how they succeeded despite rocky starts. Weisman describes how rooms would suddenly become quiet when she walked in, and how women engineers posed a change for industry. Inden recalls that she was given a desk but no actual job assignments when she first started, and Brody remembers that her manager would not talk to her. Weisman is envious of Inden's desk, explaining that she originally had to use the desks of whichever colleagues were on vacation. Despite the rough start, she explains how a crisis on her second day of work led her to quickly take on leadership roles. Inden confesses that when male colleagues didn't believe her when she pointed out their mistakes, she quickly learned to pretend to be ignorant to force them to explain something to her and hopefully discover their mistakes in the process. She also recalls how she stunned her male colleagues by cobbling together a needle threader to fish a frayed rope through a plumb-bob.

Weisman, Inden, and Brody all began their engineering careers at IBM. After nearly 40 years with the company, Weisman retired in 2007 as a distinguished engineer and director of engineering and has since started a leadership consulting firm. Inden transitioned from a career in engineering to one in the financial sector and is currently a senior registered client service associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Brody is currently an executive project manager at IBM Global Services. Inden is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and a member of the Board of Trustees. Brody has served in numerous positions within SWE and is currently the Speaker of the Senate.

This recording is Clip 1 of 5. Click on the "Weisman / Inden / Brody Interview" link above to find all clips from the interview. Click on the "2008 StoryCorps Interviews" link above to find all audio recordings from the 2008 SWE StoryCorps interviews.

This oral history interview was recorded November 7, 2008 at the Society of Women Engineers WE08 National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland as part of StoryCorps (www.storycorps.net), a nationwide initiative of Sound Portraits Productions to record and collect oral history interviews. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length and clarity. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Bernice Brody asks Renee Weisman how her involvement in the Society of Women Engineers has helped her professional life. Weisman describes how she gained a better sense of her strengths and weaknesses and how the Society has provided her with a professional network. Brody explains that her involvement in SWE has strengthened her public speaking skills, provided her with a support network in difficult times, and has helped her to handle large projects. She and Marge Inden recall when SWE members encouraged Brody to pursue a new career opportunity. Weisman explains that women’s professional networks provide women with the support they need to break the glass ceiling. Inden explains how her leadership positions in SWE allowed her to hone her project management skills and reiterates the importance of the professional network that SWE provides.

Weisman, Inden, and Brody all began their engineering careers at IBM. After nearly 40 years with the company, Weisman retired in 2007 as a distinguished engineer and director of engineering and has since started a leadership consulting firm. Inden transitioned from a career in engineering to one in the financial sector and is currently a senior registered client service associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Brody is currently and executive project manager at IBM Global Services. Inden is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and a member of the Board of Trustees. Brody has served in numerous positions in SWE, and is currently the Speaker of the Senate.

This recording is Clip 2 of 5. Click on the "Weisman / Inden / Brody Interview" link above to find all clips from the interview. Click on the "2008 StoryCorps Interviews" link above to find all audio recordings from the 2008 SWE StoryCorps interviews.

This oral history interview was recorded November 7, 2008 at the Society of Women Engineers WE08 National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland as part of StoryCorps (www.storycorps.net), a nationwide initiative of Sound Portraits Productions to record and collect oral history interviews. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length and clarity. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Renee Weisman, Marge Inden, and Bernice Brody recount the events that led them to charter the Mid Hudson Section of the Society of Women Engineers. Inden recalls that after she presented a speech to a women’s group, several of her colleagues stayed to chat afterward. Among them was Brody, who suggested that while the men at their company could network through their golf league, the women did not have similar networking opportunity. Brody and Inden discuss how SWE allowed the women of their company to network at a time when companies did not have networking or affinity groups. Weisman explains that she originally went to the meetings hoping to provide her younger colleagues with advice but soon found that SWE would benefit her as well.

Weisman, Inden, and Brody all began their engineering careers at IBM. After nearly 40 years with the company, Weisman retired in 2007 as a distinguished engineer and director of engineering and has since started a leadership consulting firm. Inden transitioned from a career in engineering to one in the financial sector and is currently a senior registered client service associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Brody is currently and executive project manager at IBM Global Services. Inden is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and a member of the Board of Trustees. Brody has served in numerous positions in SWE, and is currently the Speaker of the Senate.

This recording is Clip 3 of 5. Click on the "Weisman / Inden / Brody Interview" link above to find all clips from the interview. Click on the "2008 StoryCorps Interviews" link above to find all audio recordings from the 2008 SWE StoryCorps interviews.

This oral history interview was recorded November 7, 2008 at the Society of Women Engineers WE08 National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland as part of StoryCorps (www.storycorps.net), a nationwide initiative of Sound Portraits Productions to record and collect oral history interviews. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length and clarity. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Bernice Brody asks Renee Weisman and Marge Inden what legacy they hope to leave the Society of Women Engineers. Renee Weisman explains that by talking about her professional experiences she hopes to guide and support the careers of younger generations. Brody explains that she wants to strengthen the Society's diversity and inclusion program so that women from underrepresented groups in SWE can have their voices better heard. Inden argues that while sexual discrimination in the engineering workplace is far more subtle than it used to be, organizations like SWE are still necessary to help women address those subtleties.

Weisman, Inden, and Brody all began their engineering careers at IBM. After nearly 40 years with the company, Weisman retired in 2007 as a distinguished engineer and director of engineering and has since started a leadership consulting firm. Inden transitioned from a career in engineering to one in the financial sector and is currently a senior registered client service associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Brody is currently and executive project manager at IBM Global Services. Inden is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and a member of the Board of Trustees. Brody has served in numerous positions in SWE, and is currently the Speaker of the Senate.

This recording is Clip 4 of 5. Click on the "Weisman / Inden / Brody Interview" link above to find all clips from the interview. Click on the "2008 StoryCorps Interviews" link above to find all audio recordings from the 2008 SWE StoryCorps interviews.

This oral history interview was recorded November 7, 2008 at the Society of Women Engineers WE08 National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland as part of StoryCorps (www.storycorps.net), a nationwide initiative of Sound Portraits Productions to record and collect oral history interviews. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length and clarity. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Renee Weisman, Bernice Brody, and Marge Inden recall an event held in the early 1990s by the Mid Hudson Section of the Society of Women Engineers. Weisman describes the feedback she received after giving a talk on how to “balance the guilt” of raising a family and holding a professional career at the same time. Brody describes how much she related to a SWE member who announced at the event that her professional career made her a better mother at home. Inden explains that while their event normally would have been covered in the women's section of the local paper, she was able to get it covered in the paper's business section.

Weisman, Inden, and Brody all began their engineering careers at IBM. After nearly 40 years with the company, Weisman retired in 2007 as a distinguished engineer and director of engineering and has since started a leadership consulting firm. Inden transitioned from a career in engineering to one in the financial sector and is currently a senior registered client service associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Brody is currently and executive project manager at IBM Global Services. Inden is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and a member of the Board of Trustees. Brody has served in numerous positions in SWE, and is currently the Speaker of the Senate.

This recording is Clip 5 of 5. Click on the "Weisman / Inden / Brody Interview" link above to find all clips from the interview. Click on the "2008 StoryCorps Interviews" link above to find all audio recordings from the 2008 SWE StoryCorps interviews.

This oral history interview was recorded November 7, 2008 at the Society of Women Engineers WE08 National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland as part of StoryCorps (www.storycorps.net), a nationwide initiative of Sound Portraits Productions to record and collect oral history interviews. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length and clarity. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.