What is a SWE Fellow?
The Fellow Grade is an honor conferred on SWE members in recognition of continuous service to the advancement of women in the engineering profession. SWE Fellows must be nominated, then selected by a Society-level committee. The award is based upon technical accomplishments and SWE contributions.

Who are the SWE Fellows in Kansas City?
We are privileged to have 5 SWE Fellows in the Kansas City area. Read a little bit about them below:

BK Krenzer [1923 – 1989]
BK (as she was always known in SWE) was born on the 4th of July, 1923 in Kansas City, Missouri and passed away in 1989. She received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics from University of Kansas.  Throughout her career, she continued her education by taking numerous specialty courses.  BK had a large extended family that she cherished.  She had a great sense of humor and a special bumper sticker on her car: “Women are leaders, you are following one”

BK Krenzer worked as a civilian for the USAF and then as a consultant in areas of electronics including instrument systems, signal data processing and intelligence analysis. At various time she worked as an electronics engineer, a Program Manager and an Intelligence Analysis Engineer. She served for more than 38 years in numerous complex assignments. Later she set up her own consulting firm.

BK was selected as a SWE Fellow in 1983. She was an active MAL (Member-at-Large) and served as MAL Newsletter editor for many years. She was instrumental in forming the Kansas City Section in 1982 and was elected as SWE National President for 1986-87.  BK was an active attendee at ICWES (International Congress of Women Engineers and Scientists).

 BK Krenzer was elected to the University of Kansas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1981. BK was also a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). BK was the first woman to serve on the Executive Committee of the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES). She was a Rotarian and a member of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA). She twice received a Meritorious Service Medal from the USAF. BK was a member of Zonta International (service organization) and the Federal Executive Association. She was a member of the Association of Old Crows (AOC).

Cheri J. Leigh, P.E.
Ms. Leigh is a practicing structural engineer and is a principal and owner in the consulting firm Leigh & O’Kane, LLC. She worked at Butler Manufacturing, at Burns & McDonnell, and in 1983 started her own consulting business. She and Ronald O’Kane have been in business together since 1986.Leigh & O’Kane has 10 employees and provides structural consulting to architects and other engineers for commercial and public buildings. Recognizable buildings around Kansas City include the new Chiefs’ Office and Training Facility, Starlight Theater Stagehouse, the Polar Bear Exhibit at the Kansas City Zoo, and the Power & Light Entertainment District.Ms. Leigh was the chair of the Engineering Division of the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Landscape Architects, where she served for 12 years. She is also on the Structural Exam committee that prepares the national licensing exam for structural engineers. She is a Fellow in the Society of Women Engineers and earned the 2003 SWE Entrepreneur Award.

Deb O’Bannon, Ph.D., P.E., F.SWE, F.ASCE
Since 1989, Deb O’Bannon taught civil engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). She received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from MIT, a M.E. in Environmental Engineering from Manhattan College in New York and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Iowa. She is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a fellow of the Society of Women Engineers.

She served on SWE’s Society-level Board of Directors as the Region I Director during 1995-1997 and served on the SWE Editorial Board from 2000-2015. Deb served as the Editorial Board chairwoman for 2009-2012. She has been President of the Kansas City section twice (1990-1991 and 2008-2009).

Deb hosted a show on KCMO TalkRadio 710 from January 2009-Sept 2011, titled “Building Kansas City,” which focused on engineering and architectural design and construction.  Deb is currently editing a scholarly book from Springer on water quality, where each chapter will be written by a woman researcher (expected publication in 2018).  Jill Tietjen (former SWE President) is coordinating the Springer book series.

Jane Knoche, P.E.
Jane Knoche is a General Engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), where her role as Automated Flight Service Station Transition (AFSS) Lead includes heading a geographically diverse team of engineers to relocate radio communications services, telecommunications, and power equipment from forty one closed facilities to three Flight Service Hubs, resulting in a leased space reduction of over 387,000 square feet over a two year period. Knoche’s career with the FAA spans close to three decades and includes accomplishments such as the successful commissioning of the Gateway TRACON in 2002, managing a $3 million Airport Traffic Control Tower project, and maintaining successful operations in Iowa during The Great Flood of 1993. As acting sector manager, Knoche took decisive action to keep the Des Moines Airway Facilities Sector (AFS) and Air Traffic Control Tower in operation which kept the airport open and at the same time supported personnel involved in sandbagging and large scale water distribution.

Prior to joining the FAA, Knoche spent several years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and at Procter & Gamble (P&G). At P&G, she was an engineering supervisor, overseeing production line capacities exceeding 39 million pounds/year and implementing process changes that resulted in a 25% reduction of budget expenses. Similar to her committed service to FAA, Knoche has been equally as committed to SWE, beginning with her involvement with the student section at Kansas State University while obtaining her degree in mechanical engineering. Now a life member, Knoche’s SWE accomplishments are numerous including obtaining the Distinguished New Engineer award and being charter members of the Kansas City and Heart of Iowa Sections. As President of the Kansas City Section, her vision was to share the importance of connecting women together who otherwise might be isolated in their respective work places. Knoche has held numerous other roles over the years including counselor to the University of Missouri-Kansas City student section, National Membership Committee member and Region I Director. During her tenure as Director in 1997, Knoche worked diligently to increase each section’s technical visibility by bringing many of them onto the World Wide Web. Knoche was also an integral part of the planning and execution of the 1987 and 2006 National SWE Convention / Conferences in Kansas City. In recent years, Knoche has been active in the areas of professional development by organizing networking events and seminars with other local engineering societies.

Knoche is equally committed to her community, serving as an ordained deacon at her church and moderator of a 21 member board. Knoche works to inspire women of all ages including teaching elementary school girls in Sunday School.. Knoche is also an avid square dancer and participant in charity walks for multiple sclerosis and hunger.

Knoche received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University. Knoche is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Kansas.

Kerrie Greenfelder, P.E.
Kerrie Greenfelder, P.E., is a member of Burns & McDonnell’s Principal Group and serves as engineering director for the firm’s Water Group. In these dual roles, Greenfelder has repeatedly demonstrated her value as a chemical engineer to the company and the industry while bringing an unrivaled level of energy, productivity, and mentoring skill.

After graduating with a B.S. in chemical engineering from The University of Kansas in 2000, Greenfelder began a career in the water sector in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2015, she returned to the Midwest and now maintains a tidy corner cubicle at the firm’s headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri.

With seven professional engineering licenses, as well as certifications in design-build and environmental engineering, Greenfelder oversees a team of engineers across four locations, spanning six unique disciplines, including architectural, civil, electrical, hydrogeological, mechanical, and structural engineering.

Over her 25-year career, Greenfelder has thrived as an executive leader, people manager, project manager, and designer of record for small to large water and wastewater treatment projects for various municipal, industrial, and federal clients. Her work has included project management, design, reporting, bidding, purchasing, construction management, scheduling, and startup.

In 2022, Greenfelder decreased her project involvement to strategically focus on talent management, growth, mentoring, and succession planning. Additionally, she serves as the executive sponsor of four groups: Water’s New Professionals employee resource group, Rising Professionals resource group, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Alliance, and the firm’s Abled and disAbled Allies Partnering Together employee resource group, known as ADAPT. Through this sponsorship lens, she frequently collaborates with remarkable employee-owners around the world.

Outside the office, Greenfelder is a passionate and active leader with the Society of Women Engineers, the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers (KPSE), and the Water Environment Federation. A proud SWE life member, she has served in a variety of leadership roles during her 24-year membership span. Most recently, Greenfelder completed two terms on the SWE Board of Directors, and she currently serves as president of KSPE.

Within each of these organizations, Greenfelder has been recognized for her leadership, outreach, and contributions to DEI and mentorship, including being a proud recipient of SWE’s Distinguished New Engineer, Emerging Leader, and Spark awards. She was also the first recipient of the Water Environmental Federation Mentorship and the Missouri Water Environment Association DEI awards. In 2023, she was selected as KSPE’s first woman fellow in the organization’s 114-year history.

Greenfelder lives in the Kansas City metropolitan area with her husband, teenage son, and three rescue dogs. She enjoys recommending a good book or challenging others to join her in yet another half marathon.

Libby Allman
Libby Allman is an experienced leader in the areas of Operations, Engineering and Supply Chain.


Driven by her passion for learning and bias for taking action, Libby enjoys creating the new and different, positive initiating disruption, and encouraging women to believe in themselves and support each other.
Libby is a life-long advocate of women and girls in STEM.  She is a recipient of the Central Exchange STEMMy Ground Breaker award, noted for significant contributions to the STEMM community, and enjoys mentoring and being mentored by others, especially engineering students.  Raised in a volunteering household, Libby finds joy in advocating for change through board service as the Chair of the Kansas City Urban Neighborhood Initiative (UNI), a board member of Girl Scouts of NE Kansas & NW Missouri, the vice-chair of the Kansas City Cabinet of Washington University and a member of the Rockhurst University Engineering Board.  Libby is a life member and former board member of the Society of Women Engineers where she holds the Fellow status.


Libby earned an MBA from Rockhurst University, a BS Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis where she serves on the Engineering Advisory Council, and BA Physics from William Jewell College.


After college, Libby worked as an engineer at Fike Corporation (Missouri) and a management consultant at Grant Thornton, LLP.  Libby spent 20 years at Hallmark Cards in engineering, IT, manufacturing, and supply chain leadership roles where she was fortunate to lead organizations and people who were committed to the “power of connecting” and creating the “very best”.  A strong desire for a more entrepreneurial experience led Libby to her most recent role as Chief Operating Officer at Worcester Investments, a start-up multi-family real estate investment organization.
Libby resides in Kansas City with her STEM husband, Scott (engineer), and is mom to Ellie (engineering major) and Henry (soon-to-be biology major).

Shelley Wolff, P.E.
Shelley Wolff is a past Society-level SWE President and SWE Fellow.

During her career at HNTB Corporation, Shelley engaged in roadway and civil site projects; Federal projects; led HNTB’s project management training program; and worked in corporate planning. Most recently, she was in HNTB’s Corporate Delivery group where she led project management process development, training and implementation of best management practices. She has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University, a M.S. in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and a M.A. in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix

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