Wednesday, October 7, 2020 @ 6:30 PM PDT

Changing a career path can be exciting but also daunting. Whether it be an unstable job market, global pandemic, or simply a need for something “new,” there are times when pivoting your career path is essential to continue moving forward. Join SAE, SHPE, SWE, and NSBE in a co-hosted virtual panel to hear more about the experiences of individuals who successfully adapted their career path in times of change. Following the panel, there will be a short opportunity to hear from recruiters who are currently hiring in the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Moderator: Manuel “Manny” R. De La Cruz

Manny De La Cruz is the Olefins Optimizer for North America at the ExxonMobil Chemical Company. In this role, Manny works with all of the Chemical plants owned by ExxonMobil, in the US Gulf Coast and Canada, to ensure that the suite of Basic Chemical products are made from the most advantaged feeds available. In past roles with the ExxonMobil Corporation, Manny has served as an Operations Supervisor for Shipping and OPEX at the Baton Rouge Polyolefin Plant in Baton Rouge. Additionally, he served as the Fixed Equipment Engineering and Inspection Supervisor, Intermediates and Aromatics Maintenance Engineer, Polymers Fixed Equipment Engineer, and Intern at the Baton Rouge Chemical Plant. For the last 9 years as well, Manny has also been heavily involved with the recruitment and retention of top notch minority candidates into the ExxonMobil Corporation.

Brian Jackson

Brian Jackson is a 40-year-old native of southeastern Arkansas, where he received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He went on to obtain his first Master’s degree in Quality System Management from The National Graduate School of Quality Management, and recently completed his MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business school at the University of North Carolina. Brian currently works for Eaton Corporation as their Quality Systems Manager. As a quality professional for the bulk of his career, he navigated through multiple industries and Fortune 500 companies, including Eli Lilly, Baxter Pharmaceuticals, Corning Incorporated, United Technologies, and two separate stints with Eaton Corporation. During this time, he amassed a number of professional certifications and was presented with several awards for his work with respect to diversity and inclusion within these organizations.

Katrina Barhouse

Katrina Barhouse received her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Master of Science degree in Control Systems from Marquette University. She currently serves as the VP of Outreach for the Society of Women Engineers – Los Angeles and works as a Ride Control Systems Engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering. Throughout her career, Katrina has developed a specialty for designing autonomous vehicle systems in what has turned out to be very different industries, Katrina started her career as an Advanced Automation Engineer for the Komatsu Mining Corporation in Wisconsin. There, she developed autonomous vehicle technology for surface mining equipment. Katrina transitioned into a Senior Software Engineer role at Oshkosh Corporation, where she worked on autonomous military ground vehicle programs. Two years ago, her experience brought her to Walt Disney Imagineering, where she is currently employed.

Ernie Felix

Ernie Felix earned his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University. He also studied at the Universidad de Monterrey in Mexico. Ernie has worked in multiple industries as a Human Resource professional for over 35 years. He joined Intel in 1995 and has worked in various capacities including leading the Latin America Human Resources functions based in Brazil. Ernie joined Intel’s Global Diversity group in 2005 and held various roles including leading the company’s Employee Group program, starting and directing Intel’s Hispanic & Native American initiatives, driving D&I’s Education & External Relations programs, and leading Intel’s diversity initiative programs, including Hispanic, African American, Native American, Veterans, Diverse Abilities and GLBTQ. In 2007 he worked with Intel’s senior leaders to form Intel’s Hispanic Leadership Council, known today as Intel’s Latinx Leadership Council. He created Intel’s TouchPoint program, which has increased the retention of Intel’s Latinx workforce.

Mark Osmundson

Mark Osmundson is a Talent Access executive in the Automotive Aftermarket industry where he has an extensive network of contacts built over the past 14 years. Mark has successfully forged effective business partnerships, both in recruiting and as a business development executive, with some of the most respected companies in these industries like Fox Factory, Warn Industries, ARB, Solera Holdings, Michelin, Porsche Motorsports, and many more. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Utah in economics. Jamison Search International (JSI), an affiliate of the MRINetwork of independently-owned search and recruitment organizations, is a Talent Access firm providing a broad range of services to conpanies seeking uniquely qualified executive, professional, and technical individuals to fill key positions in the banking, IT & technology, food & beverage, and automotive industries. Since its inception in 1999, JSI has consistently ranked in the top 10% of MRINetwork’s over 600 global offices.

A video recording of this event can be found below and on the SAE SoCal YouTube Channel.