The leadership of Engineering for Change (E4C) has undergone a change amid promotions in the non-profit’s parent organization, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). ASME announced four promotions on its leadership team, including that of Iana Aranda, President of E4C, who has been promoted to the newly created position of Managing Director of Sustainability at ASME. Leah Putman is taking Ms. Aranda’s place as Director of E4C as well as Director of Engineering for Sustainable Development at ASME. To clarify, Ms. Aranda will remain President of E4C.
Rounding out four promotions at ASME, Keith Bloesch has been named ASME’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), Anand Sethupathy will become Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) following the retirement of Michael Johnson on September 30, and Stephanie Viola has accepted expanded responsibilities as Managing Director of Programs and Philanthropy and Executive Director of the ASME Foundation.
“These four outstanding leaders have built strong connections with ASME’s supporters, board members, key volunteers, and staff, delivered positive results in their previous roles, and understand where ASME must evolve to better serve the engineering community. They bring a diversity of expertise and experience to our leadership team and have the vision to help ASME achieve our business and sustainability goals,” says ASME Executive Director and CEO Tom Costabile. “We are grateful for Michael Johnson’s important contributions to the Society in the establishment of the strategy office and congratulate him on his retirement.”
Iana Aranda has 20 years of experience in engineering, design, business strategy, and sustainability, including 16 years with ASME. Most recently, she served as ASME’s senior director of engineering for sustainable development and president of ASME’s Engineering for Change LLC. In her new role as managing director of sustainability for ASME, Aranda will lead cross-functional efforts to develop sustainability business strategy focusing on advancing engineering knowledge, enhancing technical workforce readiness, facilitating the energy transition, and accelerating innovation to improve the quality of life for people and the planet. Aranda will also ensure the Society’s internal operations, net zero strategy, and external advocacy reflect its mission to advance the engineering profession while positively impacting humanity and the environment. She will oversee ASME’s Engineering for Sustainable Development and Engineering for Change teams, and its emerging climate technology and sustainability stakeholder engagement groups. Aranda earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto and a certificate in global affairs from New York University. She is passionate about developing and supporting diversity and inclusion, particularly women in STEM, and is a member of the CHIEF network.
Leah Putman was promoted from Senior Program Manager at E4C. Leah’s background is in industrial design and mechanical engineering with experience in health and materials. Before taking her position at E4C, Leah earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Design as a Fulbright Scholar at the Technical University of Delft where she focused on incorporating design and sustainability in entrepreneurship.
Keith Bloesch is an information technology, finance, accounting, project management, and operations professional with 25 years of experience driving measurable business success. He has been with ASME since 2012 and was most recently the Society’s senior managing director of business and technology solutions. Previously, Bloesch was a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Philadelphia, New York, and Amsterdam. In his new CIO role with ASME, Bloesch will provide global vision, leadership, and oversight for the Society’s information technology strategy, and will be responsible for developing the roadmap and implementation plan to help the organization leverage new and existing technologies to enhance its competitive advantage and improve stakeholder value delivery. He earned Bachelor of Science degrees in finance and accounting at DeSales University, as well as several business and technical certifications from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Villanova University.
Anand Sethupathy is a strategy, technology, and social impact leader with over 25 years of experience driving growth and impact. He specializes in building programs that enable the nonprofit sector to leverage technology to scale and accelerate social impact. His prior experience includes founding and leading two technology startups and working across both private and nonprofit sectors. Since joining ASME in 2018, Sethupathy has served in a variety of roles, from managing ASME’s philanthropic portfolio of programs to leading international growth and workforce transformation. In his new CSO role with ASME, he will lead the organization’s focus on strategy, innovation, international operations/growth, sustainability, and government relations, overseeing several organizational units. He is primarily responsible for developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining the organization’s global strategic initiatives. Before joining ASME, Sethupathy helped to build and lead the Technology for Social Good program at JPMorgan Chase & Co. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in information systems and finance from New York University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Yale University.
Stephanie Viola has more than 20 years of experience in development and non-profit management, with an impressive track record of securing corporate, foundation, and individual gifts to meet ambitious philanthropic goals. She has served as ASME’s managing director of philanthropy and executive director of the ASME Foundation for the past two years. In addition to the development, implementation, and assessment of ASME’s fundraising strategy, Viola will now also oversee ASME’s programs spanning engineering education, workforce development, and sustainable innovation, and associated data-driven impact measurement efforts. Before joining ASME in 2019, she helped plan fundraising strategy, led campaigns, planned giving programs, events and communications for the AIChE Foundation, first as manager of individual giving and later as development director. In 1997, she founded Riot Group, a critically acclaimed, multi-award winning not-for-profit experimental theater company in New York, and served as co-artistic director and performer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology and theater from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville., N.Y. She is also a member of the CHIEF network, the largest network of senior executive women.
About ASME Foundation
The ASME Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), supporting an array of programs in three core pillars: engineering education, career engagement, and global development. With the goal of empowering tomorrow’s technical workforce, the ASME Foundation advances equitable access both to professional opportunities and to engineering innovations that improve quality of life. For more information, visit www.asmefoundation.org.
About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. In 2020, ASME formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) II & III LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community. For more information, visit www.asme.org.
This article is based on a press release written for ASME.
