Women in Engineering Reception
Thursday, November 6, 2025
6:00 – 8:00 PM; Cost: $25, men and women are invited to attend!
Westin La Paloma Hotel, Room: Verbena
Sponsored by:
AGENDA
| 6:00pm | Join us for heavy appetizers and hosted beer, wine, and soft drinks! |
| 6:20pm | Welcome and Introductions, Janet O’Neil, ETS-Lindgren |
| 6:30pm | Colonel Carey Jones, Associate Professor of Practice in the College of Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson |
| 7:00pm | Roger Richardson, Delta Sigma Presentation |
| 7:30pm | Networking with speakers and attendees |
| 8:00pm | Adjourn (feel free to linger a bit longer!) |
PROGRAM
Presentation Title: Navigating a Trailblazing Career: A Female Air Force Leader and Educator’s Journey
Abstract: Colonel Carey J. Jones is a distinguished Air Force leader, aerospace engineer, and educator whose 30-year career spans high-impact roles in pilot training, strategic operations, and officer development. Now a professor at the University of Arizona (UA), she brings a unique perspective that bridges military service and academic innovation. In this presentation, Colonel Jones will explore the technical and operational challenges that have shaped her career, highlighting the critical role of antenna designs developed at UA—technologies that have directly supported mission success and, in her case, saved lives. Through a personal lens, she will share how these engineering advancements have influenced the broader Air Force community and underscore the value of collaboration between defense and academia.
Speaker Biography:
Colonel Carey “Mamba” Jones is a seasoned Air Force leader with nearly 30 years of experience in strategy, operations, and education. She currently serves as a Professor of Practice in the College of Engineering and formerly served as the Commander of AFROTC Detachment 20 at the University of Arizona. She teaches Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) scholars in national security and leadership, in addition to Intro to Engineering and Senior Capstone Design. Previously, Colonel Jones was Vice Wing Commander of the 47th Flying Training Wing at Laughlin AFB, overseeing Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training across 210 aircraft and more than 81,000 annual flight hours. She made history in 2018 as the first female commander of the 47th Operations Group.
Commissioned in 1996 after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, she held key roles in F-15, F-22, and F-35 development and integration, including aggressor pilot, operations officer, squadron commander, Operations Group Commander and Strategy Chief for Europe and Africa. Her deployments span Operations NORTHERN WATCH, SOUTHERN WATCH, ENDURING FREEDOM, and NOBLE EAGLE.
Colonel Jones exemplifies Tucson’s military-academic synergy, bridging Davis-Monthan AFB and the University of Arizona’s multiple DoD programs.
Presentation Title: Creating Value by Automating Manufacturing, Assembly, and Testing Processes
Abstract: “It would be unsound to expect that things which have never yet been done can be done except by means which have never yet been tried.” Francis Bacon (1561-1626).
Bacon lived some 400 years ago, but even way back then, he would not accept “..but we have always done it this way!” How a process has been accomplished in the past is a relevant data point, but only that – a data point. If today’s technology had been available to the people who created the legacy process, it would probably be done today by the modern technique, not the legacy technique. However, automation, like anything else, is best in moderation. You can have too much of a good thing. Determining the right amount of automation and how that will integrate with the people who will be involved in the process requires some experience in implementing automated processes, plus an in-depth understanding of the manual process under consideration. Having a collaborative team that includes members who understand the old way and the new way to work out the path forward can result in significant cost and schedule savings while concurrently improving first-time quality and safety. In this presentation, we will examine how to automate traditionally manual processes and explore some examples of commonly automated processes with innovative approaches to accomplishing them.
Speaker Biography:
Roger Richardson is the Chief Executive Officer of Delta Sigma Company, a leader in advanced positioning systems, radar measurement technologies, and electromagnetic testing solutions. With more than 30 years of experience in aerospace and defense engineering, he has delivered mission-critical systems for radar cross-section measurement, antenna testing, and high-precision motion control, in addition to production line development for many of the world’s leading aircraft and spacecraft.