She also became involved with the National Society of Black Engineers chapter based at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering. Through meetings, seminars and service projects, she was able to share her experiences as a minority in a profession traditionally populated primarily by white males.
At the NSBE’s annual convention last month, Ms. Wood was elected national chairwoman for a one-year term. She is only the sixth woman to head the society since a group of black students launched the organization in the 1970s at Purdue University.