How influence of a guidance counselor took Isabel Summe from Brooklyn to aerospace engineering

004 - Isabel was born and raised in the East New York section of Brooklyn, NY and is the daughter of immigrants from the Dominican Republic. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York University in 1988 and in 2007 a Master of Science Information Technology degree in Information Security & Assurance from Carnegie Mellon University.

Isabel started her career as a Structural Design Engineer for the F-14 at Grumman Aerospace in Bethpage, NY. Also, she worked for United Technologies’ Pratt and Whitney military division designing structural components for military and space engines.

Isabel spent most of her career at Alcoa, starting as an Automotive Design engineer where she designed aluminum structures for vehicles such as Ferrari’s Modena 360 and Chrysler’s Prowler. She also worked for General Motors.

Isabel’s achievements included the successful design and implementation of a global intermediary (third party) management tool and securing recognition for Alcoa as one of Ethisphere’s 2012 Most Ethical Companies. At General Motors as a member of the Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail organization, Isabel worked with other Automotive OEMs to create and publish the Dealer Data Security Standards for the automotive industry.

Isabel is committed to causes that advance education and awareness of children and young adults – especially those who are underserved. Throughout her career, Isabel has always held leadership roles in corporate employee resource groups promoting diverse workforces and helping surrounding communities. 

She has led recruiting efforts at universities, volunteer efforts at local middle and high schools. She also held leadership roles in African heritage employee groups both at Alcoa and General Motors. Isabel and her husband, Todd, live in the Atlanta area. They are the proud parents of young adult children.