Accomplished technology leader and STEM education advocate Kate Maxwell will speak at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on March 8 as part of the inaugural Swearingen Leadership Series.

Rose-Hulman’s Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program is bringing Maxwell and author/entrepreneur Hank Green to campus as part of the Swearingen Leadership Series, which is supported through a gift from 1981 chemical engineering alumnus John Swearingen and his wife, Anne. Green will speak at an April engagement. 

Maxwell leads technology and industry strategy as General Manager for Worldwide Education at Microsoft, one of the largest tech companies in the world. She is an accomplished technology leader and STEM education advocate with 20 years of experience working across the global public sector. Her talk at Rose-Hulman coincides with International Women’s Day. 

“We feel incredibly fortunate to have Kate Maxwell speak to our students and share her inspiring journey as an engineer, innovator, and global technology leader, thanks to the continued generosity of the Swearingens,” said Rose-Hulman President Robert A. Coons.

The Swearingens helped establish the Department of Chemical Engineering’s first endowed faculty professorship, have contributed to laboratory and technology enhancements, and helped fund student scholarships.  

“I am delighted to be joining the Rose-Hulman LEAD Program as we celebrate International Women's Day on March 8. I look forward to engaging with students and sharing stories from my own leadership journey, including how I learned to embrace progress over perfection — ultimately paving the way for a bigger and more fulfilling life and career,” said Maxwell about the event. “My sincere gratitude to the Swearingens for supporting the next generation of engineering talent through their generous endowment.”

Maxwell, with a software & systems engineering background and two patents, previously served as Chief Technology Officer for the Microsoft Worldwide Defense & Intelligence industry. Prior to that, she held various Defense Industrial Base leadership positions within RTX (formerly Raytheon), including Technical Director of the Navigation & Modernization Solutions product line; Chief Engineer of the Product Support business; and Director of the Raytheon Innovation Center 

Maxwell is a passionate advocate for STEM and a diversity & inclusion thought leader in the tech community. She serves on the Board of Directors for TechPoint Foundation for Youth, an Indiana-based non-profit connecting underprivileged students with opportunities in STEM, as well as TechPoint, an organization focused on growing the Indiana tech ecosystem.

Maxwell was named No. 1 of the “Top 100 Women in Tech” by Technology Magazine in 2023, and one of “100 Women in Tech Leaders to Watch” by WomenTech in 2022 & 2023. She was honored as the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) Tech Executive of the Year in 2022, was a Forty Under 40 recipient in 2021, and a Woman of Influence in 2019. She is active in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and is a two-time national award winner.

Maxwell holds a master’s degree in systems engineering from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Her personal website is https://katemaxwellspeaks.com/.

Rose-Hulman’s LEAD program provides a variety of workshops and leadership development opportunities to the Rose-Hulman campus and encourages Rose-Hulman students to engage in leadership development, education, and training. LEAD seeks to empower students to become leaders during their time on campus and in their professional and personal lives by providing opportunities in skill development, co-curricular learning, self-reflection, and intentional engagement.