March is Women’s History Month and the IIT Alumni Association is welcoming five distinguished alumnae back to campus for a panel discussion about their career paths. Join the IIT Alumni Association on Tuesday, March 11, 2014, from 12:45-1:45 pm in the MTCC auditorium to hear from these successful IIT graduates:

Allison Bagby (ME, EMGT ’09)
Ranjana Bhargava (M.S. SOC ’71)
Perri Irmer (ARCH ’81)
Mariam Kittaneh (CHE ’03, M.B.A. ’13)
Dawn Schuette (ARCH CRP ’92, M.S. CRP ’93)

Contact Kellie Fields, associate director of alumni relations, at kfields5@iit.edu or 312.567.3049 for more information.

Meet the Panelists

Allison Bagby (ME, EMGT ’09)
Allison Bagby earned bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and engineering management from IIT in 2009. She is currently a cost engineer with Turner Construction, where she analyzes budgets and helps project teams maintain their costs. In short, she helps to figure out how and why the company is making money, and how it can mitigate risk. Previously, she worked for F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates as an estimator. As a student, she served as a construction intern for the CTA Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project and an engineering intern with Midwest Generation, an Edison International Company. She also spent a semester abroad in Mexico, and was a resident advisor, a Self Leadership Academy scholar, and captain of the varsity volleyball team.

Ranjana Bhargava (M.S. SOC ’71)
Ranjana Bhargava earned her Master of Science in Sociology from IIT in 1971. She has devoted her professional career to improving the quality of life and well-being of disadvantaged women through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, crisis intervention, and teaching. She has served in leadership roles at numerous prestigious organizations and institutions, working with women affected by poverty, mental and physical illness and disability, social injustice, violations of personal rights, domestic violence, and incarceration. She was the founder and executive director of Apna Ghar—the first domestic violence shelter in the United States focused on Asian women. She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology from the University of Allahabad in India, and is married to a fellow IIT graduate.

Perri Irmer (ARCH ’81)
Perri Irmer earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture from IIT in 1981 and her law degree from University of Chicago in 1991. She is founder and president of Callidus International, a business development consulting firm, and is executive vice president for Gary Harris Private Client Group, a financial planning and investment advisory firm. Previously, she was CEO of Illinois Sports Facilities Authority for U.S. Cellular Field and its surrounding property. She has held such positions as deputy commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Buildings, assistant general counsel for the Chicago Board of Education, and vice president with Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. Irmer was honored with the IIT Professional Achievement Award in 2007 and is a member of the IIT Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Mariam Kittaneh (CHE ’03, M.B.A. ’13)
Mariam Kittaneh earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 2003 and returned to earn her Master of Business Administration degree in 2013. She is a marketing manager for the newly formed Hepatology therapeutic area at AbbVie, an international pharmaceutical research company. She is responsible for designing, developing, and marketing technology solutions that support hepatitis patients. Previously, she worked for Abbott Labs. Kittaneh received IIT’s Outstanding Young Alumna Award in 2008. She is an active member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the International Women’s Forum, and serves on the IIT Alumni Association Board of Directors. Kittaneh is currently working on a social entrepreneurship initiative with her husband, aimed at opening the doors to education for children across the globe.

Dawn Schuette (ARCH CRP ’92, M.S. CRP ’93)
Dawn Schuette earned two degrees from IIT—a bachelor’s degree in architecture and city and regional planning in 1992 and a master’s degree in city and regional planning in 1993. She is a partner with Threshold Acoustics, LLC. Her interest in music and training in architecture led her to the acoustic consulting field, where she has spent more than 20 years. She assists end users and design professionals with the enhancement of the aural experience in performance and education facilities, worship spaces, cultural buildings, and other places of public assembly. She has been an adjunct professor at IIT College of Architecture and was recently elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, an organization with which she has been heavily involved. She has written for several publications, and has presented at conventions for the American Institute of Organbuilders, the American Institute of Architects, and the Acoustical Society of America. She also serves as a member of the IIT Alumni Association Board of Directors.