Leadership

Cedar Valley SWE Executive Board FY21

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 the Cedar Valley SWE President in 2019/2020, was Co-Lead of Expanding Your Horizons for 2017 & 2018 and Lead in 2019, 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 - Trisha Ludeman

Trisha Ludeman is a Supplier Quality Engineer at John Deere Drivetrain Operations and has been with John Deere since 2016. Her commodity responsibilities include gears, shafts, friction material, and powder metallurgy parts. In this role she works with suppliers to ensure all the materials they provide are in compliance with John Deere engineering and manufacturing specifications and work with them to support and improve their quality systems. She holds a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota. She came to John Deere as a mid-career hire and has experiences in various industries such as automotive and industrial manufacturing, telecommunications, metal extraction, and steel and aluminum processing. She has been a member SWE periodically since college and a Cedar Valley SWE member since moving to Iowa in 2014. Trisha resides in Cedar Falls, IA with her husband John and three daughters. Outside of work, Trisha enjoys travel, music events, and attending her children’s various activities.

Treasurer - Amy Davis

Amy Davis 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 for Next Generation Engine Control. 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 and started as an intern in the Ag Division for Utility Tractor Transmission Continuous Improvement in 2013. 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. She has been a member of SWE since 2011 and served 2 terms as the Cedar Valley Section Representative prior to transitioning to the Cedar Valley Treasurer in 2017, where she has served 3 consecutive terms. Amy resides in Cedar Falls, IA and lives with her husband (Matthew). Outside of work, Amy enjoys doing home projects, playing volleyball, 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 developer in 2014. Most recently, she led a team in redesigning the HVAC software and electronics for the Enterprise. Kelsey joined SWE in 2014, has been a member of the John Deere SWE Awards Committee since 2016, and became the Vice Chair of the Awards Committee in 2019. 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 (21 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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