Jessica Rannow
Jessica Rannow
industrial engineer at AmerisourceBergen,
former President of the Society of Women Engineers
About
Jessica is an industrial engineer at AmerisourceBergen, a $135 billion pharmaceutical company, where she’s developing vision equipment and managing supply-chain compliance needs.
She's also the former President of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the world's largest professional organization for women in all engineering disciplines, with over 34,000 members worldwide. SWE offers outreach, scholarships, and support to encourage women to pursue their engineering dreams.
Jessica was named one of Business Insider’s
Most Powerful Women Engineers
of 2016.
Q & A
What did you want to be growing up?
When I was little I wanted to be many things-- everything from a lawyer to a veterinarian to an astronaut. It wasn't until after I attended a business camp during my junior year of high school that I learned many CEOs had engineering degrees. I didn’t know what engineering was, so I went home and looked it up in the encyclopedia! It sounded like a really good fit for me.
Why do you love engineering?
I like problem-solving. I enjoy figuring out how to make a change so the company can improve and people’s jobs can improve.
What's your proudest career moment?
I’ve been a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) for twenty years and this past year I was elected president of the organization. It was a great honor that I had the confidence of its members to lead the group forward. It was really a great experience to travel around the world to meet members and participate in conferences.
What would you tell girls who are interested in pursuing a career in engineering?
Have the confidence that you can do it! It won't be a perfect ride, but stick with it. I would also suggest to young girls that they join an organization or find a group to support them, whether it be in school, or in a career, or in whatever field they choose to pursue.
"The world needs more problem-solvers. It needs people to look at things analytically and make them work better, instead of just complaining."
My hobbies...
I love traveling and I travel so I can enjoy my other two favorite hobbies— snorkeling and hiking. I also love watching
college football!
My role models...
Growing up I wanted to be an astronaut, so I thought Sally Ride was pretty cool! I also looked up to my mom and my grandmas.
The best part of my job is...
Every day is different. In the field of industrial engineering you get to work with people, process, design, organization and
project management.