Get to Know Swe-MN: Melissa Kaufman Perlmutter

I was introduced to SWE my first week at Cornell University, when I was invited to attend a Welcome Picnic. I was impressed by the friendly, enthusiastic members, and have been involved with SWE ever since. I have held positions including Cornell Section President, Region E collegiate webmaster, and I am currently involved with National SWE as a member of the Collegiate Interest Committee.

Since moving to Minneapolis, I have loved being a part of SWE-MN, and I am currently the Fund Development Chair – thanks everyone for making our Winter Fundraiser last month such a success!

Melissa and I at the Winter Fundraiser

I received my B.S. in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell in 2006. After graduation, I joined GE’s Operations Management Leadership Program, and spent two years completing four assignments in Supply Chain, moving back and forth between Cincinnati and Boston. In the summer of 2008, I transferred to GE in Minnetonka to join my husband Jason, who is completing his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Every time I moved, I always connected with the local SWE section and immediately had a network in my new home.

I am now working as a Sourcing Specialist for GE Water and Process Technologies, a producer of water treatment products and filtration equipment. I spend my time searching for the highest quality/least expensive supply of material to feed the manufacturing process.

Outside of work and SWE, I enjoy traveling, seeing shows at the local theaters, attending the different outdoor season festivals around the Twin Cities, and I can’t wait for the snow to melt so I can go jogging around lakes.

Notre Dame in Paris