The Women to Watch honorees of 2023 serve as a source of inspiration for the upcoming generation of STEM leaders

POSTED ON May 08, 2023

Carla Prieto, a senior manager for business operations on the Bell 360 Invictus program, has been recognized by Career Communications Group’s Women of Color magazine as one of the 50 Women to Watch. She is a first-generation American and the first in her family to attend college.

During the Summit, the 50 Women to Watch Awards event recognized successful women in technology, telecommunications, finance, energy, healthcare, utilities, and more. This prestigious list showcases the accomplishments of trailblazing women and offers a glimpse into some of the workforce challenges they have overcome. The Summit was held on May 5th and celebrated the 2023 Conversation of Change theme with leading voices in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

Carla Prieto played a critical role in Bell’s earned value management system (EVMS) recertification and later took on more responsibilities in program finance. She became the first woman of color leader in EVMS at Bell.

Currently, she manages business operations on the Bell 360 Invictus program, which is Bell’s offering for the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft. EVM is one of the essential systems monitored by the Defense Contract Management Agency to measure the scope, cost, and schedule of program/project performance.

Meet Teresa Chavez, a purchasing specialist at Gulfstream Mexicali in Mexico. Over the course of four years, she has been involved in several critical projects, including the coordination of procurement and delivery of capital expenses for a Cuyamaca building. Her leadership skills were essential in ensuring that all equipment was delivered successfully.

In addition, she has worked on indirect procurement for all capital expenditures and memorandum of agreement contracts. With the support of her team, Chavez has consistently delivered goods and services on time. Thanks to her focus on results, she has been responsible for managing several million accounts receivable and hundreds of purchase orders.

Olga Marruffo, the vice president of worldwide financial planning and analysis, has a critical role in HP finance. She works with the CEO, chief financial officer, and members of the executive and CFO staff as head of global corporate financial planning and analysis, which spans corporate banking, wealth management, and more.

Arminda Palacio has been working since 1987, starting as a payroll clerk for a construction company in Phoenix, AZ. She has worked for various companies throughout her career and joined Actalent in 2016 as an engineering project controls analyst. Her expertise in resolving difficulties inherent in managing an engineering office has made her an invaluable asset. Arminda is also a caring person who, together with her friends, creates quilts for six hours a day for four days annually, which they donate to Quilts of Valor and Project Linus for Abused Children.

Mylene Novelo is a senior business operations manager at Boeing Global Services (BGS). She leads a team of business integrators who are referred to as “the glue” for many BGS organizations. Mylene is passionate about mentoring and coaching employees and helps in interviewing interns for the Boeing Society of Women Engineers. She also actively supports humanitarian efforts and volunteers for park cleanups and planting through her church.

Linda Castaneda is an automotive engineering and manufacturing expert with decades of experience in vehicle development. She holds a U.S. patent for a tool that retains a spare cover, which was granted in 2002. In addition, she won the 1998 SPE award for the most innovative plastics used for the Grand Cherokee spare tire cover. Currently, she is the planning manager for the RAM ProMaster battery electric vehicle project at Stellantis. Her responsibilities include managing product development activities, cross-functional alignment, risk management, and mitigation. Linda’s strength lies in building strong relationships that contribute to her success in these roles.