Cheri Leigh Honored with Society of Women Engineers' Entrepreneur Award.

Business Editors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 10, 2003

Cheri J. Leigh P.E. of Leigh & O'Kane LLC recognized for her

entrepreneurial spirit and long term business success at Society's

national conference

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) announced today that Ms. Cheri Leigh, P.E. is the recipient of the 2003 SWE Entrepreneur Award. Leigh is recognized for setting a standard for professional practice in Leigh & O'Kane, LLC, for serving as a female role model for business ownership in a male dominated industry, for holding professional board positions, and for extensive volunteer efforts in the community.

Leigh is the founder and principal partner with Leigh & O'Kane, LLC. Leigh has functional responsibility for strategic planning, marketing and sales, engineering, human resources, and financial management. She is a proven professional with technical skills enhancing her ability to develop collaborative solutions with clients in the areas of commercial buildings, educational and medical facilities, and the public sector. She was the first woman engineer to be appointed to the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and is the first woman to serve on the NCEES structural exam committee.

"Cheri Leigh is an excellent role model for our entrepreneurial-minded members and aspiring women engineers everywhere," said Alma Martinez Fallon, president of the Society of Women Engineers. "To create Leigh & O'Kane, LLC, Cheri has combined technical expertise, business skill, genuine leadership, and the ability to envision a successful enterprise while overcoming traditional barriers and stereotypes."

With 30 years of structural engineering experience, Leigh led large projects for major corporations, such as General Motors and Norfolk & Western Railway, prior to starting her own company in 1983. Leigh's broad experience enables her to bring a unique blend of innovative solutions to her clients' projects, which have included: Starlight Theatre Stagehouse, Truman Medical Center's addition of a three-story intensive care unit, and H&R Block Corporate Headquarters expansion in Kansas City, Missouri.

Leigh has held positions in the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers, the Consulting Engineering Council of Missouri and is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers. She has a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Southern Methodist University and a Masters of Science in engineering management from Kansas University. In her local community, Leigh is a volunteer for Reach to Recovery, a support program for patients with breast cancer, and provides weekly budget counseling for families through Community LINC, an organization that provides transitional housing and living skills for homeless families.

The SWE Entrepreneur Award will be formally presented tonight at the Society of Women Engineers' National Conference Achievement Awards Banquet in Birmingham, Alabama. The National Conference, "Supporting the World Through Engineering," is being held in Birmingham, AL October 9 - 11. The over 3,000 attendees include professionals from every discipline of the engineering profession and a large number of engineering students and educators. The 2004 Conference is scheduled for October 13 - 16, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

About SWE

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a non-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and receive the recognition and credit for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders. For more information about the Society please visit www.swe.org or call [phone].