Leadership

Cedar Valley SWE Executive Board FY20

President - Kimberly Vélez

Kimberly Vélez is an Engine Vibration Analyst in John Deere Power Systems. In this role she works to predict vibration failure of engine mounted components before the creation of physical parts. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and a B.A. in German from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. For her first internship she worked on machine guarding at a Nestlé food facility in Jonesboro, Arkansas. After graduation, she started at John Deere Power System in the Engineering Development Program and rotated through the FOCUS CI Software, Performance Analysis – Liquid Systems, and PV&V Mechanical Development groups. She has been a member of SWE since 2012, having joined in college, and she has played an active role in the Cedar Valley chapter since 2016. She was Co-Lead of Expanding Your Horizons for 2017 & 2018, and has been an active participant in SWENext for the past three years. Kimberly lives with her husband and their dog Maverick in Cedar Falls. She holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and enjoys playing board games with friends.

Vice President - Jennifer Balk

Jen Balk is a Civil Engineer with 13 years of experience in highway and municipal roadway, utility design and project management. She currently works as a project engineer for AECOM in Waterloo, IA. Prior to that she worked at HR Green in Cedar Rapids and SRF Consulting Group in Minneapolis. She graduated from Iowa State in 2006 with a degree in civil engineering. She is professionally licensed in Iowa and Minnesota. Jen has been an active member of SWE since 2004 where she held various leadership roles in SWE during her time at Iowa State. She was an active member while living in Minneapolis and in Cedar Rapids. She joined the Cedar Valley Section of SWE in 2016 and has served as professional development chair, section representative and vice president. She also has participated as a mentor in the SWE-STEM program. Jen lives in Waverly with her husband and their 14 year old son. They have a cat named Sassy. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading and boating.

Treasurer - Amy Hou

Amy Hou is a Senior Engine Controls Engineer for John Deere Power Systems. In this role, she is responsible for application layer development of AUTOSAR compliant embedded software and controls. Previously, she has held positions as an Aftertreatment Controls Engineer, developing software controls and diagnostics, and as an Aftertreatment Development Engineer, working on SCR model-based development and virtual calibration. She completed the Engineering Development Program in 2016 with rotations in Component Development on Air, EGR, and Fuel Systems, Aftertreatment DOC-DPF Calibration and Development, and Engine Performance Analysis; additionally, she completed an internship in the Ag Division for Utility Tractor Transmission Continuous Improvement. Prior to joining John Deere in the Cedar Valley, Amy interned at Chrysler in Powertrain Development and at Toyota in Chassis Design, both located in the metro Detroit area. Amy graduated in December 2013, earning her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Amy has been a member of SWE since 2011 and served as the Cedar Valley Section Representative since 2014, most recently transitioning to Cedar Valley Treasurer since 2017. Amy resides in Cedar Falls, IA with her fiancé Matt. Outside of work, Amy enjoys gardening, kayaking, tennis, and country line dancing.

Secretary - Kelsey Carlson

Kelsey Carlson is currently a Worksite Architect for Enterprise Electronics Group at John Deere. In this role she is responsible for analyzing and developing software and electrical architectures for modular common cab implementations. She holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University. Kelsey started her career in 2009 at John Deere as an Early Talent Student. After 4 summers of rotations in software and one in chassis design, she started full time at Waterloo Product Engineering Center as a display software application writer in 2014. Most recently, she led a team in redesigning the HVAC software and electronics for the Enterprise. Kelsey joined SWE in 2014 and has been a member of the John Deere SWE Awards Committee since 2016. She strives to help women in engineering get the recognition they deserve. Kelsey has been a volunteer for FIRST Lego League since 2006 as either a State Competition Helper, Mentor, or Judge. She resides in Hudson, Iowa with her husband Henry, son Anthony (9 months), and dogs (Jax and Winston). Outside of work, Kelsey enjoys woodworking, outdoor activities, exercise, and sport; playing recreational hockey and softball.

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